Park Department web site says most sno parks closed. does this mean you are not supposed to be there or that they are officially doing nothing
closed sno parks?
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When do the snow parks/trails start opening up to wheeled traffic? Once the jeepers come in the trails can get torn up FAST!
Some places have dates and others have snow depth. Our area in the Blue Mountains is a date which is April 1 so they are running the roads now. They usually do it for a couple weeks then move on. We are farming now so hard to get up to ride and when we get done farming and go back to ride it is pretty quiet. We have areas they can't get to due to drifting and no grooming so those areas aren't touched by 4x4's till the snow melts.
Several years ago this time of year, my wife and I were riding out of Orr Creek Snopark and all the trails were rutted terribly by big tire Jeeps.
We made the best of the situation and rode the best we could....it was still snowing like crazy and we managed to have fun anyway.
However, a couple other Sledders we talked to that weekend were pissed!!
I tried explaining to them over and over that the Jeepers had every right to be up there after April 1st because the season was officially over but they didn't want to hear it.
Being a Sledder and a fellow Jeep owner/enthusiast I could see it from both sides of the hobby(s) that day.
We made the best of the situation and rode the best we could....it was still snowing like crazy and we managed to have fun anyway.
However, a couple other Sledders we talked to that weekend were pissed!!
I tried explaining to them over and over that the Jeepers had every right to be up there after April 1st because the season was officially over but they didn't want to hear it.
Being a Sledder and a fellow Jeep owner/enthusiast I could see it from both sides of the hobby(s) that day.
I'm not sure that this really clarifies anything regarding 4x4 use on roads/trails that are used by snowmobiles in the winter, but I know I've read somewhere on the USFS website, "Roads covered by 1 foot of snow are closed to wheeled vehicles." Unfortunately I can't find a link to that page at the moment, but here's something I clipped from a page a few years ago that basically says the same thing.
Way early season this year I was hitting gold creek for a break-in trail ride and the local sheriff pulled up behind me as we were unloading at the first switch back up from the Sno-park parking lot. The sheriff said if the berm is not in place and the sign "no wheeled vehicles" is not up then the roads are open to wheeled vehicles and ONLY wheeled vehicles. The reason is for safety. They don't wants cars and sleds operating on the same roads at the same time. He let us ride anyway even though there were 2 trucks that had gone past us and up further while we unloaded. His advice was be careful when you come around the corners.
I'm not sure if this is true to all sno-parks or just the main ones or maybe just the one he happen to be at. Anyway, take it with a grain of salt and do what you want. Just know that if the signs and the berms are gone, there is a possibility for a ticket and the occasional encounter with a wheeled vehicle. HAPPY SPRING RIDING!!!!!
I'm not sure if this is true to all sno-parks or just the main ones or maybe just the one he happen to be at. Anyway, take it with a grain of salt and do what you want. Just know that if the signs and the berms are gone, there is a possibility for a ticket and the occasional encounter with a wheeled vehicle. HAPPY SPRING RIDING!!!!!
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