New Regulation on State Trail Stickers ?

[Steve Foss]

efgh: The DNR didn't do it. The Legislature and Gov. Pawlenty did. The DNR takes its orders from them. Not that the DNR doesn't occasionally have its head up there where there's no sun.

Pawlenty made his no-new-taxes pledge, which was a big part of what helped get him elected. On his way to an eventual run for president, he can point to that pledge and say he honored it. The fact that users fees of many types have skyrocketed in Minnesota to pay for some of the things that normally get tax dollars will fall by the way and be forgotten.

The $79.50 it costs me to register and trail sticker my old Yamaha is more than I paid for the sled, and the only reason I got it was to haul my ice fishing gear around. But the way to do that up here is using trails to get to the lakes, and from lake to lake, so I'm stuck.

[nitroant]

I guess I will pay it and go on. I understand that nobody likes paying more. I will have to pay more tax where I live becuase the school levy passed, I am paying more for gas and now I will pay more for the trail use. Where does it stop?? It doesn't. Life is too short to get all bent about this. $30 is what a tank of gas will cost on the trails this year so I guess if that $30 of gas means that those 130+/- mile of trail are going to be better and smoother because of it, I will gladly pay. $10 a year is fly dropping for a sport that cost me $10,000 + to get into. Most riders will drop more than the $10 fee in drinks at one bar. I guess what I am saying is I don't think its that big of a deal, especially if we can use the money to get our trails like Michigan has. Yes, maybe some money will go to some bike trails, I own a bike and use those too. $30 is not that big of a deal evey three year.

[ccarlson]

So you think the trails will be better than they used to be?

I sure don't.

When will the groomers get it that they need to groom the trails again on Saturday nights.

Seems they do it on either a Thursday night or Friday daytime and by the time Saturday afternoon rolls around they're showing the wear. By Sunday you might as well forget it.

Call your trail groomers and push them to groom again on Saturday nights so we can at least see something from our increased "user fee".

ccarlson

[Eric Wettschreck]

cc, I don't know how things operate in your neck of the woods so I'm not the guy to disagree with what you just said, for your area.

In my chunk of the prairie the groomers are volunteer, volunteer time, time, and more time. I'm one of them. Don't squawk to the fellas about getting on the groomer more. We do it when we can.

Fair???? Nope, but that's the way it is. Anyone in this chunk of the state wanting to change it you're absolutely more than welcome to join the local club and jump on the groomer. Help will not be turned away.

[MikeYager - Suzuki]

Grooming at night has got to be one of THE lonliest jobs around. I can't even imagine what it's like when you guys get stuck or break down in a remote area. Thanks and SALUTE.

[nitroant]

Where I ride they start to groom on Saturday night. By Sunday moring most trails are good to go and most people have left for home. I plan my weekend rides to be Sat-Mon for this reason. I do think the trails will be better because of this. The registration fee does not all go to snowmobiling, with this new fee I believe 100% or close to it will go right to the trails. Like I said $10 a year is fly droppings.

[ccarlson]

You are right, I should have been more specific. I certainly don't blame the actual guys running the equipment on a volunteer basis. As a matter of fact, we all really appreciate what you and the rest of the volunteers do in those areas that are volunteer based.

The bottom line is that my skeptical thinking of the government just makes me believe we are paying this extra tax and we won't see any improvement in the system.

I will say that many areas and clubs ARE paying folks to do the grooming and I think they should use these extra funds to make a Saturday night grooming pass. Even in the past I know snowmobile clubs that talk about the 10's of thousands they have in savings for two main reasons. One being the lack of snow (like around the Brainerd area) over the past many years and less grooming needs as a result. And second, extra fundraising efforts some clubs do (such as Pull Tabs) that result in many thousands being banked each year. Then when we do get snow, they groom the trails, but not always on the days when the need is the greatest.

Another area I've done some trail riding on is the north shore trail and the gunflint trail area. By Sunday, you can hardly ride comfortably on many of these trails. Why don't they make a Saturday night pass? Maybe they do sometimes, but not when I've been there.

So, again, I shouldn't have blamed the drivers or perhaps even the clubs but my skeptical thinking just makes me believe we are paying this extra tax and we won't see any improvement in the system.

Thanks for calling me on that so I could clarify my perspective.

ccarlson

[Eric Wettschreck]

I agree with you in that here's yet another "Fee" and we will not see the results of yet another "Fee"

Personally, I think the Minnesota fun cops just want more money for weekend getaways at our expense. Let's not forget that if it's happening in Minnesota, and people are having fun at it, it's going to end up heavily taxed and regulated.

[knoppers]

anyone here about the non-resident trail sticker? has this also gone up, or are we paying about the same as they do, plus we pay for our sled license?

[bmc2b]

I went to pick up some trail stickers for my sleds I registered last year, and they would only sell me 1 year stickers. They said I could only get the 3 year stickers when I renew my regular registration.

[MnIceman]

ccarlson : I've ridden the North shore for years and as far as I'm concerned the best time to ride is early Sunday morning because the trails were drug on Saturday night . If you wait till Sunday afternoon with all the traffic that has been up there because of no snow elsewhere, it is rough again . I've always been told by locals that they drag the trails on Saturday night .

[Xplorer]

bmc,

You can only get the 3 year sticker on the year that your registration comes due. Until then you need to buy the one year stickers, unfortunatly for me i renewed both my sleds last year so it will be 2 years of one year stickers.

I have to agree with ya Iceman, some of my best riding in the Arrowhead is early on sunday mornings. I've done a few Duluth to Ely, stay overnight, and ride back sunday trips and many times the trails early sunday heading south out of Ely to Pequawaywam Lakes or Isabella have been stellar, like floating on a cushion of air. Alot of it is if the trail has a chance to "setup" after being groomed. If it can freeze down a bit after the drag hits it riding is great. I ride over near Hurley, WI abit also (inlaws live there) and the same is true there, the hills trails can be awesome very early in the AM. By 11, many times they are trashed again tho.

I volunteered for a club for about 5 years in Duluth, clearing brush, helping groom, placing signage etc.. In heavily run areas it is hard to get trials in good condition on weekends. As quickly as we would get the trail groomed it would be torn up by every sled slamming the throttle out of every corner and bump. And if yo should come up on a groomer, please give them the courtesy of the right of way and be patient if you have to wait to get around it, those things dont maneuver on a dime.

If you really want good trails consistently, you gotta ride the weekdays, IMO.