Mississippi State Students and Starkville residents interested in high-speed outdoor adventure can partake just down the off-road. August marked the opening of the Wilderness Trails, a series of ATV and dirt bike trails less than eight miles from campus.The Wilderness Trails are owned and run by David McGee. McGee is a local resident who spent 30 years in the dairy industry. He has recently been enterprising in beef cattle in addition to the Wilderness Trails. His son’s interest in off-roading fueled his decision to open the trails.
“[The Wilderness Trails have] just gotten started,” McGee said. “We’ve had a lot of positive response.”
There is a total of 8-10 miles of trails to be explored across an area of almost 150 acres.
“[The trails are] heavily wooded, and a little disorienting by design to give the feel of adventuring around,” McGee said.
Such a disorienting feel is where the name “Wilderness Trails” came from. The trails are thematic to the Old Testament’s book of Exodus, in which the Jewish people fled Egypt and wandered lost in the wilderness for 40 years. Names of individual trails in the series come from the book of Exodus.
McGee feels that the trails very successfully give off the feel of being far from civilization.
“Ninety percent of the trails are so heavily wooded that they’re shaded,” he said. “You feel like you’ve gotten away when you’re out there.”
The trails include an open riding area as well. Riders of various skill levels and tastes can find terrain that suits them.
“Some of [the trails] are relatively straight with minimal curves,” McGee said. “Some of them have rather intense curves. They are for experienced and inexperienced riders. For some of the four-wheeler guys, there is a large water hole. It’s got a jump or two; it’s got a ditch or two.”
David McGee’s son, Billy McGee, is fond of his father’s project.
“I like it,” he said. “It’s really thick [and] doesn’t have many hills.”
David McGee feels that the trails are an excellent opportunity for off-road motorcycle and ATV enthusiasts to get some use out of their equipment that they would have a lot of difficulty getting otherwise.
“If you have an ATV or off-road motorcycle, you need a place to ride it unless you have a relative or close friend [in the area].” McGee said. “We’re seven miles from campus. For a student, it costs you whatever it costs to go a 15-mile round trip, rather than whatever it costs to load up and drive a couple-hundred miles to the next riding park.”
The park is open Thursday through Sunday and day passes are available for $15. Annual passes are available for $250 per year.
Junior communications major and ATV enthusiast Brandon Wright thinks the park is an excellent addition to the local entertainment sphere.
“I think it’s important that people have the opportunity to learn to ride ATV’s in a safe atmosphere,” Wright said. “Sometimes you’ve just got to get out and get dirty.