Trails attendance fees?

[swampy_swimmer]

Gents, what are the average charges to run a day long trail you pay at your locations?
The reason for this question is here in NY I found just one place and they charge $300 / truck for a daily trail, well more like a scenic mountain drive.
I think it’s a bit excessive. Am I wrong?

 

[krunkula]

Hmmm seems like a lot but I’m in Utah. $Free.99

 

[jp.vegas]

Is that a thing? Paying to drive on a trail??

 

[euser]

Is that a thing? Paying to drive on a trail??

It’s New York, they’ll take your money anyway they can. We do get spoiled by BLM land out west.

 

[pableaux]

Damn, $300 is excessive. Is it a private trail?

Mine is either $5 per day or $30 a year.

 

[pableaux]

Damn, $300 is excessive. Is it a private trail?

Mine is either $5 per day or $30 a year.

 

[AZ Craig]

Gents, what are the average charges to run a day long trail you pay at your locations?
The reason for this question is here in NY I found just one place and they charge $300 / truck for a daily trail, well more like a scenic mountain drive.
I think it’s a bit excessive. Am I wrong?

And this is why I no longer live in New York State.

When I want to run a trail in Arizona I just figure out where I want to go (based on several guide books I have or internet information) and head out exploring.

Did a great (relatively easy; did not need 4WD) run just last weekend covering around 60 miles off pavement up on the Mogollon Rim. Really appreciate the suspension on my Pro now after blasting dirt road at pushing 50 mph.

Lots more ground to cover for free in Utah, Colorado or New Mexico .

 

[swampy_swimmer]

Wow ��...
All I can say.

I guess it is private land, but still... probably it’s the only one available in the state.

They include the Sky Ride on top of the mountain, probably $20 value and it’s “weather permitting”, that’s all.

I guess I’d better off driving to PA or VA

 

[jp.vegas]

It’s New York, they’ll take your money anyway they can. We do get spoiled by BLM land out west.

Guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I moved out here from there for a reason.

 

[pDubs]

Private Land, maintained Off Road Parks aren't even that much...

 

[PJSnow]

Gents, what are the average charges to run a day long trail you pay at your locations?
The reason for this question is here in NY I found just one place and they charge $300 / truck for a daily trail, well more like a scenic mountain drive.
I think it’s a bit excessive. Am I wrong?

I'm from NY as well and I'm looking for offroad trails. Curious where you found $300/truck/day?
I was able to find NORA (Northeast Off Road Adventures) in Ellenville, NY but they are more instruction based. Hunter Mountain also has trails but I think they require a guide and I'm not sure about the cost. NORA offers events at Hunter as well.
I'm very curious to what else you find in the NY area. Feel free to PM me also.

 

[comtn4x4]

Pay for a trail? Really? Time to move.
I've never paid for a trail in the West ever. That's nuts. You could travel every toll road in NY for less than that I bet

 

[Jetboy]

The only place I've ever paid a trail fee is for use of the Sand Flat's area in Moab (Hell's Revenge trail). It's $10. Otherwise almost all the trails I've ever done are public land and "free". Unless you consider taxes and other ways that government is funded.

Unfortunately the fawking ultra-conservatives (sorry about politics, but it has to be said and it's not the "I want reasonable small government", it's the "tax is theft" crowd) - have continually pushed to privatize the public lands in the west and now it's starting to actually happen. So be prepared to see access totally denied and/or fees charged to use what was public BLM land through out big swaths of the western USA. It's totally baffling to me how a group of predominantly low income outdoorsy people have been convinced that somehow if public lands are privatized that they'll actually still be able to use them. In what version of reality did they ever think that would happen? Of course the ultra wealthy will buy the leases or sales and kick them out.

-end rant

 

[TOYO74]

And this is why I no longer live in New York State.

When I want to run a trail in Arizona I just figure out where I want to go (based on several guide books I have or internet information) and head out exploring.

Did a great (relatively easy; did not need 4WD) run just last weekend covering around 60 miles off pavement up on the Mogollon Rim. Really appreciate the suspension on my Pro now after blasting dirt road at pushing 50 mph.

Lots more ground to cover for free in Utah, Colorado or New Mexico .

Hope you are skilled at doing an emergency stop @ 50mph on dirt. Please post which dirt road you are blasting next so I can avoid it. Thanks.

 

[Jetboy]

Hope you are skilled at doing an emergency stop @ 50mph on dirt. Please post which dirt road you are blasting next so I can avoid it. Thanks.

I run out to various spots on the hole in the rock road in the grand staircase. On the wide open sections I'll run 60-80+mph. The remote places are 100+ miles out. If you're going to drive at 20mph it'll take 5 hours to get out there. Last year I saw a guy towing a big park model style travel trailer, probably 40-50 miles out there going 5mph. So he'd probably been at it for 5-10 hours to get that far out. I just kinda had to shake my head. Hope it was staying for a long time to make the effort worth it.

I'm not going that kind of speed over blind hills, only when I can see long open stretches with no vehicles, but it's just a very long very rough washboard road. The pony express trail is often the same way. No cars in sight for 10 miles - that's when you can have some fun.

I understand your concern and I'm all for having fun - but only if it's safe. This is the sort of place where you're only endangering yourself. When there's other people around I slow up to a safe speed - probably around 20-30mph to pass other cars. If you haven't been there - it looks like this for 75 miles straight and then side roads go for another 70+ miles off the end:

But the road conditions usually look like this:

 

[TOYO74]

I run out to various spots on the hole in the rock road in the grand staircase. On the wide open sections I'll run 60-80+mph. The remote places are 100+ miles out. If you're going to drive at 20mph it'll take 5 hours to get out there.

I'm not going that kind of speed over blind hills, only when I can see long open stretches with no vehicles, but it's just a very long very rough washboard road. The pony express trail is often the same way. No cars in sight for 10 miles - that's when you can have some fun.

I understand your concern and I'm all for having fun - but only if it's safe. This is the sort of place where you're only endangering yourself. When there's other people around I slow up to a safe speed - probably around 20-30mph to pass other cars. If you haven't been there - it looks like this for 75 miles straight and then side roads go for another 70+ miles off the end:

Actually I have been there. Beautiful place, but those wide open roads are far different than most of the dirt roads along the Mogollon Rim in AZ . The rim roads are through pine forest with many hidden side roads and are busy with ATV/Quad traffic. I'm not saying don't have fun, and I appreciate your consideration for others. I wish there were more back country drivers who would drive with the same consideration. BTW, that could have been me driving 20 mph that you passed. My vehicles all come with a speed limiter controlled from the passenger seat (wife) LOL!

 

[RichinRidgewood]

Gents, what are the average charges to run a day long trail you pay at your locations?
The reason for this question is here in NY I found just one place and they charge $300 / truck for a daily trail, well more like a scenic mountain drive.
I think it’s a bit excessive. Am I wrong?

I'd like to know where this place is too. Is it in a state or national forest ?

The only thing I can think of is that its near a bunch of rich people homes or used by a bunch of wealthy people and they want to reduce or eliminate the redneck, dirtbag, drunk'n, stupid, half nek'd, dirty, 4 wheel'n types so they paid off a politician and that person jacked up the price. Just' say'n

 

[STX4Runner]

The only place I've ever paid a trail fee is for use of the Sand Flat's area in Moab (Hell's Revenge trail). It's $10. Otherwise almost all the trails I've ever done are public land and "free". Unless you consider taxes and other ways that government is funded.

Unfortunately the fawking ultra-conservatives (sorry about politics, but it has to be said and it's not the "I want reasonable small government", it's the "tax is theft" crowd) - have continually pushed to privatize the public lands in the west and now it's starting to actually happen. So be prepared to see access totally denied and/or fees charged to use what was public BLM land through out big swaths of the western USA. It's totally baffling to me how a group of predominantly low income outdoorsy people have been convinced that somehow if public lands are privatized that they'll actually still be able to use them. In what version of reality did they ever think that would happen? Of course the ultra wealthy will buy the leases or sales and kick them out.

-end rant

This has been a huge fear of mine for a while now. At least the outdoor recreation industry recognizes it and is strongly against it. Unfortunately they are also generally against 4x4s as well, but the greatest threat right now is privatization of BLM/USFW/NF/ect. land by idiots. We can hopefully work with the outdoor recreation industry to get some recognition of recreational 4x4 users as people on their side too. Field and Stream (and hunters and fisherman, who are generally conservative) are aware of the issue in many cases now and are strongly against it. I remember a few years ago when Jason Chaffetz in your state came out in favor of the federal government giving its lands to the state of Utah. He quickly backtracked after being roasted from all sides and is now thankfully out of politics.

If anyone thinks state control of public lands is a good thing just look to my state - Texas - and I can tell you its not. When Texas joined the US as an independent country, not a territory, the treaty stipulated Texas got to keep its public land, which was basically everything west of San Antonio, and not give it to the federal government. Over time they sold all of it and now Texas is over 95% private and I have to drive to New Mexico to access large amounts of public land. This happened throughout the western US, not just Texas. Most states sold off vast amounts of their public domain to pay the bills because they have to. The federal government can run deficits and doesn't have to balance the budget by selling land. Anyone that's not Ted Turner will be locked out of vast swaths of land if states ever sell them as the super rich and mining/drilling companies will buy it.

Not to disagree with you too much or wade further into politics, but its not the dirtbag outdoor types who are in favor of privatization/state ownership, its the local ranchers like the Bundys and LaVoy Finnecum. But they're also nuts if they think they'd be able to buy the land at market rates that they currently lease from the feds for next to nothing. Again, the rich and corporate interests wold be the ones buying the land, not local yeoman ranchers.


I appreciate your rant and think this issue should be publicized far and wide. We have public lands in this country available for all manner of outdoor recreation/enjoyment that are absolutely unrivaled in the world, we can't let them be privatized.

Edit. I will add that the whole "overland" fad and just the general increases in traffic in places I like to recreate is super annoying , but one good thing that may come from it is more people to advocate for this land remaining in the control of the federal government.

 

[Mudhorn]

On the wide open sections I'll run 60-80+mph.

I’m happy to get 80+mph on the interstate.

 

[AZ Craig]

Actually I have been there. Beautiful place, but those wide open roads are far different than most of the dirt roads along the Mogollon Rim in AZ . The rim roads are through pine forest with many hidden side roads and are busy with ATV/Quad traffic. I'm not saying don't have fun, and I appreciate your consideration for others. I wish there were more back country drivers who would drive with the same consideration. BTW, that could have been me driving 20 mph that you passed. My vehicles all come with a speed limiter controlled from the passenger seat (wife) LOL!

For the record, I kept it around 20 to 30 mph on the Rim for the most part and tend to only open it up if I am in clear areas similar to what was shown. My point was that I could easily push my Pro a lot easier than my 2012 JKU Rubicon (which was honestly all over the place with the solid front axle usually at more than about 25 mph). I also didn't feel like I was going to blow my shocks apart doing so as I would have on my Trail .

We came up FR504 from AZ99 via Winslow to check out the back route to Heber. We literally saw one other vehicle covering something like 40 miles up there and the beginning of that run was on BLM two track that was really wide open. Did some exploring up by Black Canyon Lake otherwise and then headed east for awhile on Rim Road. That area was generally too congested and blind as you mention though to push much over 25 mph. Quite rocky in spots also. Way less people as we went further East towards Overgaard though.