Carolinas to the Green Mtn's

[markbvt]

There are a few reasons why VAST has kept the wheels off of the snowmobile trails, but my experience is that it comes down to one primary issue. It's not the snowmobilers, or even VAST themselves, its the people who own the land that the trails go on. Most, if not all of the trail network up there is on private land and only exists due to landowner permission. For some reason a lot of landowners don't mind snowmobiles, but are completely against four wheelers and dirtbikes. I am an avid snowmobiler, a member of a club in southern NH, and used to ride out of Essex VT back in the day so I am quite familiar. I have spoken to landowners directly about the issue so I have experienced it first hand. Trust me the clubs would prefer to allow fourwheelers and dirtbikes,it would provide more resources for the trail network.

That's definitely true of part of the trail network (and understandable where private property is concerned), but there are large parts of the trail network that are legal trails on town maps and in many cases funded by the taxpayers. Some are basically redesignated Class 4 roads, some are old rail beds, etc; but we're not allowed on any of them.

It's pretty frustrating when you drive along Rt 138 in Quebec and see that there's a dirtbike/ATV trail running parallel to the road pretty much the entire distance between Tadoussac and Baie-Comeau (with lots of other trails splitting off). Or when you see that there's a trail all the way across Newfoundland. But here in Vermont we've got nothing, despite the fact that we as taxpayers are actually paying for the upkeep of trails that we're only allowed to use on snowmobiles or bicycles.

--mark

[Epee]

That's definitely true of part of the trail network (and understandable where private property is concerned), but there are large parts of the trail network that are legal trails on town maps and in many cases funded by the taxpayers. Some are basically redesignated Class 4 roads, some are old rail beds, etc; but we're not allowed on any of them.

It's pretty frustrating when you drive along Rt 138 in Quebec and see that there's a dirtbike/ATV trail running parallel to the road pretty much the entire distance between Tadoussac and Baie-Comeau (with lots of other trails splitting off). Or when you see that there's a trail all the way across Newfoundland. But here in Vermont we've got nothing, despite the fact that we as taxpayers are actually paying for the upkeep of trails that we're only allowed to use on snowmobiles or bicycles.

--mark

Good point with the whole discrimination thing, wait....

my 1st thread and it's been HIJACKED?