With lack of snow, region turns to ORVing

By P.J. GLISSON

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A lack of snow has inspired officials in the tri-county area to allow ORV riding in February.

The unusual action has been inspired by fewer than 3 feet of snow during this season — a measly allotment that has allowed trail bases to melt in the face of extended warm spells.

Iron and Ontonagon counties have issued formal statements in the past week.

“We’re doing the same here,” said Jerry Nezworski, president and trail boss of the Gogebic Range Snowmobile Authority.

“Unfortunately, there’s no script for this kind of winter because it’s the first time we’ve had this kind of year,” said Bryan Schiefelbein, trail boss of the White Thunder Riders Snowmobile Club in Iron County.

He added regarding the switches in trail use, “We’re trying to keep our communities alive. Hopefully, we will bring in some business.”

On Feb. 2, the Iron County Forestry and Parks Department announced that snowmobile trails in that county would be closed and ATV/UTV trails would be open “until further notice with no temperature restriction.”

But the department warned, “ATVs and UTVs must follow the current ATV/UTV map. All winter-only trails are closed to ATVs and UTVs.”

The Mercer Snow-Goers, a snowmobile group in southern Iron County, also warned that snowmobile trails are not open to ORV riding.

Although the terms ORVs, UTVs and ATVs sometimes are used interchangeably, they actually mean, respectively, off-road vehicles of any size, utility task vehicles (larger ORVs such as 4-wheelers) and all-terrain vehicles, which are ORVs that are intended for one rider.

“We still have frost on the ground now.” said Schiefelbein last week, but he added that officials will shut down ATV riding if the ground cannot support it.

“You’ve got to emphasize that snowmobile trails are not the same as ATV trails,” said Nezworski.

He said that, with a few exceptions, ORV riding is allowed only on lettered trails designated for those vehicles, whereas snowmobile trails are generally numbered and are intended only for those machines.

Nezworski said, in Gogebic County, the Bald Mountain Trail is open.

In addition, he said ORV riders can travel from Ironwood to Marenisco on Trail 2 and the Stateline Trail except where the trails include private land. In those regions, he said that riders must use roads.

Regarding roads, he explained, “You can ride anywhere you want in Gogebic County except the main highways. Just be smart about it.”

MI-TRALE, based in Bruce Crossing, reported in a Feb. 1 notice that snowmobile trails should not be used by ORV riders even though their gates may be open.

The group listed the following trails as open to ORV riders: 1. All county roads that are normally open in the summer; 2. All DNR-designated multi-use trails (BN, OR, OC, P, SB, LL, SL); 3. All MI-TRALE-sponsored multi-use trails (ES, PF, NR, CR, CL, CE, CW, VC, F, G, PI, CCE, CCW); 4. The Ottawa National Forest roads and trails are open to 65” or less OHV/UTV by following the Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM) rules and laws.

“Also, tread lightly — you can be fined for excessive trail damage,” said the MI-TRALE release “Highway rights-of-way (known as ROW) are closed until May 1; this is where the trail runs on the side of Michigan and U.S. highways, allowing a trail to connect.”

Nezworski reflected on the poor snow season so far this year.

“We had about two weeks of snowmobiling, and they weren’t the best of conditions,” he said, noting that his crew never even reached the point of grooming trails; they merely rolled them.

“I know people who never took their sleds out this year,” he said.

Schiefelbein said that, in the event of significant snowfall, White Thunder Riders will shut down ORV trails and then reopen snowmobile trails once they are prepared again for snowmobile riding.

“We’d need a good 2 feet,” said Nezworski of the needed snowfall to run snowmobiles again.

“This is a highly atypical year,” said Schiefelbein. “We’re in Mother Nature’s hands now.”