Winter Riding Closure –
At our last club meeting Nov. 19th we discussed the challenges facing us for Winter Riding. In the past SCATV has taken a hands off approach and left everyone to follow the winter riding rules according to the NH Bureau of Trails. The last few years we have been telling people that the Burger King Trail connector to Cat Hole (Veteran’s Park Rd) was closed but you could park and go from the Cat Hole Log Landing. We did this without really considering the details of how that could be done. Last week as a club we started talking and taking those challenges into consideration.

• Parking at Cat Hole Log Landing – This lot is city owned property and does not get plowed or maintained for winter access.
• In the past the snowmobile club groomed a trail by this parking area. They lost the trail a few years ago when the city logged the land. A trail has not been reestablished.
• Different trails for each use – there are snowmobile only, ATV only and shared trails on private, town and state owned property along the system. –
o ATV only -SCATV does not have the resources to do winter grooming and maintenance
o Snowmobile only – We do not have permission to ride at all, no matter what the weather
o Combined – established groomed snow base and when temperatures are below 32.
• The State owned Sugar River Rail Trail is open 365 days a year.
• Width issues, Some groomed trails are only 10’ wide and trying to bypass two 65” machines could cause one or both machines to become stuck and tear up trails to get back on.
• ATVs with tracks are limited to 54” on any snowmobile trail for the previous reason. Trying to limit machine widths could be more confusing to the riders.
• On ungroomed trails you don’t know what is there is for hazards, Wheeled vehicles do not travel in deep snow which is why winter riding is groomed trails only.

For all these reasons and mostly for the SAFTEY of all, the club has voted to close the SCATV club maintained trails until mud season is over or until a safe viable option can be agreed upon. We apologize for this decision and feel it was a responsible action for the club to take.

~ Sullivan County ATV Club