I have a snowmobile trail 200 yards behind my house but dont own a snowmobile. Why cant i ride my atv on them? Sure people ruin it for others by tearing the trails up but what if its in the cold months while the ground is still frozen (wisconsin)? Instead i have to travel 100 miles north just to ride![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/img]

 

A couple of reps from our snowmobile/atv club attended a seminar a couple of weeks ago where they witnessed tests that showed how various factors affect snowmobile trails. It seems ATV's don't hurt the trails as long as temps are low enough to keep the snowpack frozen. However, when temps rise to approach freezing and the snow starts to get soft, ATV's can devastate the trails.

I know that in Northeast Wisconsin they are talking about solving this problem with what they call the "28 degree rule." When temps of 28 degrees or higher are predicted, the trails would be closed to ATV's until the temps drop back below 28 degres. I don't have any details on exactly how it would be implemented, but it seems like a good way to keep the peace.

I can also see there might be some safety factors. When you ride an ATV on a snowmobile trail, you get stuck if you get off the snowpack, so you have to hug the middle. When I'm on my snowmobile, I dread coming around a turn and meeting an ATV coming the other direction in the middle of the trail. Last winter, I read in the news where an ATV'er was killed when he crashed into a snowmobile at the crest of a hill.