Gravel as the Gateway to Becoming a Trail Town
I’m back in Portland this week after a whirlwind trip to Arizona, which included speaking at the Spirit World fundraiser for the Arizona Trail. What is funny is that even though I spent a good amount of time writing and prepping for this speech leading up to the event, when it was time actually to speak, I pivoted.
I spend every day in the classroom, Monday through Friday, teaching undergrad students. Over the years, I’ve developed my own pedagogy for how I teach. Giving a one-way speech as a monologue isn’t necessarily my style, so when it came time to speak, I set aside my notes and tried to make it interactive and a two-way conversation about “gravel as the gateway to becoming a trail town.”
While I have repeatedly touched on this topic, I wanted to revisit it and share the contents of my speech, even though I didn’t touch on everything that night in Patagonia. If I were to give a “proper” speech, this is what I would’ve shared ...
Last November, I stood on a quiet road on the edge of Douglas, Arizona. The sun was just starting to rise, turning the desert gold. Riders were gathering for the start of the BorderLands Gravel race, checking tire pressure, shaking off nerves, and smiling through the cold.
What struck me that morning was not just the race itself, but the town. Douglas, like many rural communities, has known booms and busts, industry and decline. Yet that morning, something felt different. There was energy in the air. You know, the kind that comes when people begin to believe again.
What I saw that day was more than a bike race. It was a glimpse of what can happen when community, creativity, and landscape intersect.
Every Trail Starts with a Story
Every trail, every dirt road, every route carries a story. These stories are not written in ink but in footprints and tire tracks. They tell of migration, endurance, and connection. Threads that bind us across time and terrain.
Trails are more than recreation infrastructure. They are narrative infrastructure. They give a town a way to say, “This is who we are.”
The Arizona Trail does this for an entire state. It links mountains and deserts, but more importantly, it links people ...volunteers, small businesses, ranchers, racers, and explorers. That connection is what makes trails powerful. They are not just paths you ride. They are stories you become part of.
Gravel: The Gateway to Becoming a Trail Town
But what if your town does not yet have singletrack or a full trail network? That is where gravel comes in.
Gravel events can be the gateway. It is how small towns with little to no trail infrastructure can start building a reputation for outdoor recreation.
A single gravel race can put a community on the map, attract visitors, and generate data that supports future trail development.
The startup cost is low. The payoff is awareness, tourism, and momentum.
That is what we have seen in places like Patagonia, Arizona. The Spirit World 100 is not just any gravel race. It is a spark. A way for a town to reintroduce itself to the world.
Gravel events help communities test the waters, build partnerships, and lay the groundwork for becoming trail towns or adventure tourism destinations. They remind us that big things can grow from small beginnings.
You do not need a million-dollar grant. You start with what you already have, such as gravel roads, stunning scenery, and people who care.
Growing Without Losing Our Soul
Not every story of outdoor recreation has a happy ending.
There is always a tension between helping a community thrive and protecting its identity in the process.
We have seen it happen before. Towns once known for mining or logging rebrand as adventure destinations. The trails get built, the tourists arrive, property values climb, and locals start to feel priced out of their own community.
Sedona, Moab, and Whistler are incredible places. But they also remind us what can happen when the pursuit of growth outpaces the commitment to people.
That is why trail-based revitalization has to start with intention. The goal is not to recreate someone else’s success. It is to write your own story.
The Economics of Belonging
The best trail economies are not built on visitors alone. They are built on belonging.
Belonging looks like a local kid getting their first summer job as a trail guide.
It looks like a new coffee shop opening downtown because riders need a place to gather.
It looks like people coming home instead of leaving.
That is the difference between tourism and transformation.
If we build with intention, trails and gravel races do not just bring in revenue; they bring in renewal. They give towns a new sense of identity, not by copying someone else’s playbook, but by embracing their own.
Starting from Scratch
Starting from scratch is not a weakness. It is an advantage.
It means you get to build the kind of future you actually want.
Whether it is a trail, a gravel event, or a community gathering, small actions compound. A few volunteers lead to a dig day. A dig day leads to a trail. A trail leads to a festival. And suddenly, the town that was once forgotten is full of life again.
That is how it happens ... one step, one idea, one ride at a time.
Writing Our Own Story
Trails do more than change landscapes. They change lives.
They connect people to place, renew small towns, and remind us that progress does not have to come at the cost of identity.
We do not need another Moab. We need more places that write their own story.
Photo credit: Shannon Christine
Sean Benesh
Sean is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Trail Builder Mag and the Communications Director for the Northwest Trail Alliance in Portland, Oregon. He also owns and roasts coffee for Loam Coffee.
