I haven't seen a thread about this yet, if there is already one out there, sorry for the repeat.
I was just curious, what are the laws and regulations on ATV use where everyone else is from? I'm not too sure about what they are here in New Brunswick either, although from what I gather it's not allowed to use them on public roads etc. but if you are on the side of the road getting to the nearest trail nobody will say anything to you.

 

In Massachusetts you can't ride on the road except to cross a road to get back on a trail. Only has 3??? areas ATVers can ride legally other than private property with permission. New Hampshire leaves it up to towns. Berlin, NH has a trail connector that allows you to ride right on the roads to get into town for gas, and food, and to get to another trail system on the other side of town. By far, the best state to ride in the Northeast is Maine. Thousands of miles of trails, most with access to food, gas, and lodging. They are linking all the separate trail systems together to link up the state for continuous riding situations. Most of the towns allow the use of public roads to connect trails up there. I've ridden southern trails and the Jackman area trails and they all have access to food and gas at the very least.

 

In MI some counties allow you to ride on the shoulder of the road and others don't. Each of the 83 counties has it's own rules,plus each city has different laws, and you're expected to know them. We have state trails and national forest trails and they have different rules, even when they're in the same county. Most trails I've been on don't lead into town for gas or food but some do. It's getting better. Some trails are connected to others so you can go a long way.

P.S. Even where you aren't allowed to ride on the road you are able to cross the road if that's the way the trail goes. And some trails will go down a road to connect parts of the trail.

 

Ah I see, where I live the official rules are probably similar to Massachusetts, except that actual enforcement isn't that strict. While driving I've never run into problems with being stopped or anything like that. I technically live in the city limits but it's not an issue driving here since it's more common here that I first would have guessed. As far as driving on the road goes, it's not a very big deal if you have to get to a nearby trail, and if anyone does see you they just smile and wave.
It's good to hear what it's like trail-wise in the north-east of the states, since I go there quite often to visit family. I hadn't guessed Maine would be such a good place to go riding, since they have regulations against snorkels and such I thought it would be more strict

 

Wow that seems confusing, I guess someone would have to be familiar with all the rules if they were going to go driving there. Here It's fine to drive on the shoulder of the road or to take the road to connect to a trail especially in fairly rural areas. To get to trails, since some aren't connected too well it sometimes takes a street or two, a highway ramp or a crossing to get to another part of the trails. I've come across all of those before, and in some areas I see more quads on the road than cars That's true about trail systems expanding to let people get closer to gas stations and food, my friends can actually drive right to the gas station, and take trails for most of the trip and for food, I pass two restaurants on my way down the street to a trail

 

Maine is strict on their laws for a reason. They have to deal with landowners' complaints. If a muffler is too loud it gets trails closed. If people go off trail into wetlands it can screw up the trout streams that also bring in lots of tourist cash. Those are two I can think of off the top of my head. Overall, though, they are very nice people up there, including the law enforcement officers. By being visible they keep the sport up and running for us to enjoy.

 

I can understand their concerns, ATVing in non-designated areas does mess up the environment. Keeping it on proper trails and roads would keep damage to a minimum and keep the sport going, same with keeping bikers off private property, it is best to keep ATVing from getting out of hand and gettin spoken out against.