I belong to a snowmobile club that has a trail groomer that smoothes out the snow on trails. However, our ATV club doesn't do anything to take care of all the ruts being carved in the trails during the summer. They're getting worse by the month. It's just the sort of thing that the "quiet sports" enthusiasts use as a reason to restrict ATV use of trails. And, as more people get into ATV'ing, the problems will get worse.

Are there any ATV clubs anywhere that groom out the ruts and otherwise maintain trails? Can you just use a farm tractor pulling a harrow or disk? Do you need to use something to pack the dirt to minimize erosion? Do any states return part of the money collected for ATV registrations to clubs for trail maintenance and equipment? (That's the way snowmobile clubs get funds for grooming equipment.) Is there some kind of gravel or other compound that might be economically feasible to use on trails where erosion is a problem.

Just wondering...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

This is the best topic I've seen in a long time ... brings up some very good points and I hope someone chimes in with some answers.

I think we could take some cues from the sled crowd. Their system is incredible and it shows. WI and MI really love and welcome them.

 

Great post! I wish that I had a better answer, but when I was in Marysvale, UT, riding the Paiute Trail System, some of the locals told me that they cleaned it a couple of times a month, but that a group out of Richfield, UT actually cleaned and groomed the trails. This made sense because there was some bad rutting at this place in the trail when we were there in the springtime, but when we went back a couple of months ago, it was all smooth and nice. I don't know if they could get any kind of tractor back there because the trail was very narrow in a couple of places below that. (BTW: It's an awesome place to ride!) [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

In washington state I know that there are clubs that adopt trail systems and send out work parties to repair and maintain the trails. In Capitol forest, near Olympia WA, they use a lot of cement cinder blocks to stop the erosion, but when it gets wet it tears your tires up real bad.

 

In an area where I rode recently, loggers had used a small cat to grade the trail so they could get their trucks in and out. But there had to be more to it, because there were no cat tracks on the trail. It was smooth. They apparently packed the dirt down with something after they graded it, but I didn't see any roller or other such equipment anywhere. Just the small cat parked by the trail.

Ideally, someone sells the ATV equivalent of a snowmobile trail groomer. If not, someone should invent one.

 

I believe at Hollister Hills SVRA they do use some kind of tractor to groom what they can. Not sure if it's a tracked Cat or a wheeled vehicle. But you can see the cuts from the blades in some areas. Though they need to do a little more work, but we are getting into the rain season so it's a lost cause in some areas. Either the MCs or the quads will tear up the fresh grading after the next rain or water running on the trail will do it. Rancho Road is a easy trail but is very susceptable to muddy conditions on one section. I think it's adobe and ends up a slippery sloppy mess when it rains. When it dries out it's just a nasty 6-8" deep whooped out/washboard mess.

Most of the erosion control is just from trail constructions. They build damn type structors that are essentially jumps on the trails. This allows them to control where the water crosses the trail and goes off the side of the hill. They might grade the trail for the water to run in a small gulley on the uphill side, down to a spot and then have the water go across the trail, or via a corrugated steel pip buried under the trail and over the side of the mountain.

Other erosion control devices I've seen at Miami Motorcycle Trails in the Sierra Nat. Forest. One is the use of concrete block used in constructing buildings, fences, retaining walls. They just lay them down in the trail at the steep spots, usually when it's meeting the actual main forest roads. The are laid like they are normally laid the the "cell" going vertical, and the center of the block then backfilled with dirt. This does define a particular width of the trail, and the erosion then occurs on the outside of the block "road". The next type of device they use is this plastic cellular stuff. Like a honeycomb. It's then filled in with gravel. It does take a good beating from the stress put on it from tires. The last form of control I've seen is horizontal wood beams. Like say 4x4 roughly. It's not a normal 4x4, but maybe something you would use for a round fence post. They are placed in stair step fasion a few feet apart. Obviously only for shallow grade trails.

Actual trail maintenance would best be described as non-existant up there. Trees were across the trails for the entire year. People had to go off trail just to get around them. The remove the fallen trees from the winter on the main forest roads, but no on the trails.

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I am part of a Jeep club that does this type of thing. As a registered club, submit a proposal for what you need and want to do... make sure you give it to any possible interested state and federal agency. You likely will get grants for the project. We got 60,000 to clean up and groom Kelly/Pengree, CO a couple of years ago.

 

I think that is why a lot of riding areas are being closed during the winter months. No erosion from quads and m/c when it is dry

 

If you look for it, I started a thread on building trails.. on it you will find a link to the american trails website. On that you will find a section that deals with motorized trail building, and they list both companies that build and maintain trails, and some that build equipment designed especially for the narrow environment.

To answer your question I think the answer is yes and no. I believe that in states like WIsconsin, or West Virginia, Utah etc where the locals have recognised that recreational economies are the only ones available to them, you find a lot of grooming and maintenance being done. Mostly by local clubs who know that if they don't get out there and contribute, they will lose it...

The government does work with local clubs in many areas of the country by providing much needed funding, and engineering expertise to build new trail systems etc... in exchange with the clubs providing many hours of volunteer work to get the majority of work completed to build and maintain the areas.

However, in areas where the economies are booming without recreation playing a major part, I doubt you will even find a riding area, much less someone grooming the trails.

Check out the Amercan trailsl website... although it applies to all forms of trails, including hiking and horse back, mountain bikes etc, it does have a wealth of information on the subject. It has really turned out to be a great resource of information...

 

Here is another website with information on learning how to's of trail construction

http://www.trailsunlimited.com/