Cost Sharing for Better Access



For years, Fat Bike riders in Teton Valley have been enjoying the fantastic riding opportunities provided through our Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. With over 7,200 miles of snowmobile trails across the State, we are extremely fortunate to have such amazing terrain to access. Here in Teton Valley the District 33 Grooming program, based out of Madison County, comes up and over the Big Hole Mountains and into our back yard. The Horseshoe/Packsaddle trail network has long been a Fat Bike favorite!

Christmas Day Snow Bike 2010 from Dave Byers on Vimeo.

Of course these groomed trails don’t come without a cost and as responsible Fat Bikers, we have been looking for ways to contribute. At first we thought purchasing snowmobile registration stickers was the way to go. A few of us were able to substitute our bicycle serial numbers for snowmobile VIN numbers and successfully by stickers, but the powers that be didn’t like that and we were told that the State of Idaho would not allow the sale of snowmobile stickers for anything other than snowmobiles. Here we were, looking to contribute with no way of doing so.

The inability to financially contribute to the program was one issue hanging over our heads, but uncertainty about Fat Bikes being allowed on the trails at all was an even bigger one. Each year our local Fat Bike die hard, Dave Byers, would start his Winter with a visit to the local Forest Service office to make sure he was ok to ride on these trails. “No problem, just be careful of Snowmobile traffic” was the typical response for years. But then something changed last year (Fall 2010). Instead of the “go have a good time” answer, there was a bit of, “well, I’m not sure if you can ride those trails legally.” uh-oh!

Apparently there was a new Idaho statute that spelled out Grooming Trail regulations a bit further:

Oh boy, do we really need to be Winter Trail Pirates to have fun on these trails? Thus began our quest for legitimacy! Initial interpretation of this statue made us believe that we needed the blessing of our County Commissioners and that was it. Not so fast, the County Commissioners wanted to think it through a bit and make sure everyone was ok with this new trail user. As a former politician myself I can understand the “not wanting to inadvertently piss anyone off” mentality. So, Dave spent the next year reaching out to the snowmobile grooming community to see if we could share their trails.

Things were progressing somewhat but the Winter was quickly approaching and we were still in limbo. It was time to be heard by the Commissioners. On December 12th, the Teton County Commissioners heard testimony from the Fat Bike community, the Grooming District, and a representative of the Idaho State Snowmobile Association.

Before we all had our chance to speak, however, the Teton County Attorney addressed the Commission with her opinion on the situation. She felt that two issues kept the Commission from really being the decision makers on this issue. First, the land in question was US Forest Service land and the County had no authority to regulate who is, or is not allowed to recreate on it. Second, within Idaho Statute 67, there was no definition of the word “vehicle”. Even though very specific motorized vehicles were defined and banned from the groomed trials, a bicycle was never clearly defined nor banned. “A bike in my opinion is thus not one of the “vehicles” that the County may by ordinance allow to operate on groomed snowmobile trails; a bike may simply use these trails the same as walkers or skiers.”

Nonetheless, the Commissioners wanted to hear what the Fat Bikers and Snowmobilers had to say. The Snowmobile community addressed three major concerns: Funding, Social Conflict, and Safety Hazards. They felt that trail users who were not paying their way should not be allowed on the trails, that increased non-motorized use could push out the motorized use over time and that Snowmobile/Bike collisions could have major ramifications. We the Fat Bikers explained that we were willing to pay our way if someone would let us, that we had no desire to push out snowmobiles (we need them to ride our bikes on packed trails), and that a Fat Bike rider with proper etiquette was no more of a hazard than the skiers, snowshoers, and horses already using the trails.

During the testimony, our local Forest Service District Ranger told the crowd that ultimately the Forest Winter Travel Plan was the guiding document for access questions. Currently, there was nothing in the Travel Plan barring Bicycles from using the Forest. A State statute could not over ride the Travel Plan and Fat Bikes were allowed in his opinion.

At the end of almost two hours of impassioned testimony, the Commissioners were ready to vote on a non-binding resolution allowing Fat Bikes on groomed trails. Although we technically didn’t need this action for the Forest Service trails, there was one section of State owned Rail Trail that would need to be regulated. But… before the Commission voted, they wanted the Fat Bike and Snowmobile communities to come together and form a plan for some sort of cost sharing agreement. Their vote was postponed until December 27th.

Ahead of the meeting on the 27th, we were able to arrive at a 1 page Memorandum of Understanding between the Fat Bikers and the District 33 Grooming District which you can read HERE.

Now keep in mind this is being treated as a one year Pilot Program for Idaho Parks and Rec. There are still many unknowns and there are sure to be those who in both communities that are unhappy with the situation. But for now, we have begun to form a great partnership between the Motorized and Non-Motorized Trail users that will be helpful with year round trail development!

After nearly a year of conversations with our County Commissioners, County Attorney, Snowmobile Grooming District, we had an agreement and it was time to ride. The onus is now on the Fat Bikers to ride responsibly and make this pilot program a model for other communities.
Common Questions:

How did you arrive at $50 for the permit?

Snowmobile permits are $32.50. However, a large part of the grooming budget comes from snowmobile gas tax revenue. Since Fat Bikes are not burning gas, we felt that a higher registration fee could be justified.

Who receives the money?

All the net sticker revenue (after costs of sticker printing are recouped) will be remitted directly to Madison County who runs the grooming program. Only 85% of snowmobile registration goes to the District selected by the owner.

Is the MOU binding?

There is really no way for us as Fat Bikers to speak for the entire Fat Bike, and certainly not the whole non-motorized, community and there is also no ability for the snowmobile community to issue tickets to non-stickered Fat Bikers so the MOU is largely symbolic.

Are all Non-Motorized users really expected to pay $50 to use these trails?

This MOU was drafted very quickly. We as the Fat Bike community did not intend to try to regulate the entire non-motorized community. The MOU really should have read, “All Non-Motorized users are encouraged to purchase a donation sticker”.

What if a Fat Biker wants to ride on another Grooming District?

Great question. Snowmobiles only buy one sticker for their home district. This question needs further thinking.

Why should a Fat Biker join ISSA?

The Idaho State Snowmobile Association works very hard to make sure the State grooming program is successful and continues to grow. As users who are dependent on these trails to ride, it only makes sens that we join forces.



2 Responses to “Cost Sharing for Better Access”

1. WN says:

   January 22, 2012 at 3:07 pm

   Do the trailheads not have fee tubes installed?
   In Colorado, fee tubes are at trailheads for parking as well as trail fees…
   They provide for lot rent as well as trail maintainence.
2. Fitzy says:

   January 26, 2012 at 8:06 am

   No fee tubes yet around here and the conversation really hasn’t come up. With more people traveling to the area I think it is something worth considering though. Any negatives?