River Bluff bike trails making an impact
Aug. 14—The River Bluff Trails Park has been open all summer, and the community is seeing benefits.
Officials with the St. Joseph Convention and Visitor's Bureau said many people have come to the area since the opening. The organization will be conducting a study to see the full economic impact of the trails soon.
Blake Hoppe, a manager at Horizon Cycling, said the business has had an influx of interest in mountain bikes not only from people in town but also from those traveling strictly for the trail.
"We're seeing a lot of people from Kansas City, We're seeing people from Omaha, even people from Arkansas. Some of those bigger towns definitely make the trip down," Hoppe said. "In the past, there haven't been a lot of things that have drawn people from out of town into St. Joseph, so that's one big thing for local people. It just gives them something outside to do. Everybody always talks about there being nothing to do in St. Joe, and now we've got something awesome."
Chamber of Commerce CEO Natalie Redmond said that having the trail benefits the community in many ways.
"We know as we continue to invest in amenities that not only bring people into our community that are spending money, but it also helps us in the talent recruitment game as these young families will hopefully look at St. Joseph as a place that they want to live and work," Redmond said.
Adam Wineinger, a board member of the Trail Alliance, said the community is lucky to have these trails.
"There isn't this type of trail system probably for a couple hundred miles in any direction. It's a really unique thing to have this available," Wineinger said. "I would say it's a multi-use trail for everybody to use, from bikers to hikers to trail runners. We see families out there all the time with kids and people hiking. I see lots of kids out there biking and I think that's really important to get kids involved in outdoor activities."
