| Kanyen McManus of Sunnyside enjoys riding his ATV in the hills behind his house. Four-wheeling is one of the more popular county winter sports. |
With the large snowfall this year Carbon County’s young riders have literally hundreds of ways to enjoy the fluffy stuff. One of the most popular however is throwing the snow miles high on a roaring ATV.
As the sport becomes more and more popular, cities within the county are making riding easier for local youth by writing ordinances that allow riders to get to and from trail heads with little interference from law enforcement. New laws concerning ATVs were recently written in Helper and are being considered by East Carbon City.
While there are many local areas that are popular with riders some take trips around the state to locales such as the world famous Kainsville near Hanksville, the White Wash sand dunes at Dabinki and the Holy Lands at Icelander.
Upcoming for local riders is the Carbon County Recreation Scofield Snow Ride. The event which will take place on Feb. 9 is the premier snow ride in the state, according to CCR.
The fee for the event is $15 and includes a hot lunch and a long sleeve T-shirt as well as an entry in a drawing.
The ride will begin at 9 a.m. at the Mountain Home subdivision near the Scofield Reservoir.
According to Frank Ori of CCR, the ride will be a 52 mile loop. Lunch will be served at the Tucker rest stop, followed by the drawing. The drawing prizes have totaled thousands of dollars in the past.
“Almost everyone can win a prize,” said Ori.
Additionally, the writers at utahatvtrails.com have some great advice for joining current planned rides or planning personal adventures.
| Young Brendan Palacios shows that he can climb with the big boys. |
“It is tempting to be spontaneous as soon as the urge strikes you, just load up the machines and jump in the SUV to head out for the hills or valleys for a ride,” stated the Utah site. “However, while spontaneity is adventurous, it also leads to less than optimum preparation. It is impossible to know before you go if you have no idea of where you are going before you get there.”
The site had developed a tentative schedule of planned rides which virtually guarantees that no one need to ride alone.
Potential future rides include:
•Moon Lake
•The San Rafael Swell
•Avintaquin Area (between Price and Duchesne on State Road 191)
•Joe’s Valley Reservoir to Ferron Reservoir loop
Those interested in joining the rides can make contact via the website.
While rides of this nature are great for exploration of a new area most youthful riders are looking for something with a little more speed. Maximum speed for the group rides is between eight to 10 miles per hour.
| Local law enforcement closely watches proper registration on motorbikes. |
Locally, there is a ton of terrain available for riders to enjoy the snow. Those looking for tailored hills can enjoy the track at the Carbon County Fairgrounds. However, for those looking to make their own trails there are some open roads around Bruin Point in East Carbon, the back country in Wellington and within the cities of Price and Helper. It is important to realize, however, that the United States Bureau of Land Management along with county law enforcement monitors private and protected wilderness area and takes the necessary steps to keep riders off of it.
The clothing that comes along with ATV riding is something that has also become very popular with local youth.
Outerwear companies like FOX Racing, Thor, Shift and Skin Industries have branched out from hard core riding attire and seem to focus on casual attire that worn heavily in both Carbon and Emery counties.
Something that is important for all young riders to realize is the importance of properly winterizing a motorbike if it is not going to be ridden during the colder months.
According to utahatvtrails.com riders should:
•Start up the bike and then turn off the fuel cock and let the engine use up all the gas in the fuel system. Keep trying to start it to be sure that all of the fuel has been burnt off the bowl. If it fires at all there is still fuel in the system.
•Fill up the gas tank with gas, then top it off with fuel stabilizer. This will keep the gas in the tank from going bad over the winter.
•Change the oil and filter and clean the air filter so that it will not allow all the crud in there to sink to the bottom of the crank case and create a layer of gunk that could loosen in the spring and give a rider grief later.
Whatever type of riding, Carbon and Emery counties are a great place to do it and the riding only gets better when a rider has the “Greatest Snow on Earth,” to throw around.