Good news for SE TN riders

Spent most of the day today with an old friend that's heavy into wheeling, preservation, etc.
Shameless plug: He also owns a stereo shop in Jasper TN called Radio Ridge.
He let me know Grundy County just got a grant approval to purchase 10,000 acres, yes that's four zeros, close to the Coppinger Cove trailhead on the mountain. The plan is to have a County owned and run OHV park open to the public. Grant award was announced last week and meetings with County officials and the Tennessee Off Highway Vehicle Association to discuss purchase options, etc. to continue later this week. TOHVA played a huge role in this from finding the money to approaching government entities to apply for it.

More about TOHVA here:
http://tohva.org/

Even more could come from this. The TWRA also receives some of this money every year and uses it to put gravel on established roads like those a Prentice Cooper. They have to spend it or they won't get it the following year. TOHVA has spoke with them as well and they will be watching the Grundy County project to see how successful it is. TWRA has expressed interest in using their share of the funds to open State run OHV parks in Tennessee instead of trying to find somewhere to dump gravel. Prentice Cooper has been mentioned with a preliminary goal of opening one park in East, one in Mid, and another in West Tennessee during the first phase, with more to follow in each region if successful. Of course this would have to be on state owned and managed lands. This type of state owned and operating riding area is common out in the western/desert states and TWRA will likely follow this model.

Finally some good news for off roaders in my area. A small island of green amongst the gated subdivisions with their exorbitantly overpriced lots and houses of excess size and cost.

Kane

Just wish Tennessee didn't stick it to the outa staters on the costs of permits. But love riding in Tennessee.

bigbore wrote:

Just wish Tennessee didn't stick it to the outa staters on the costs of permits. But love riding in Tennessee.

It is $31.50 and day or $116.00 for a year permit.

It is expensive for out of state people but only if you ride seperate. If your in a side x side or doubling on an ATV only one person has to have a permit, twra wma rules, don't know if other new OHV parks will be the same or not.

Cocke county, where I grew up, is trying to get an OHV area started, only 3000 acres but better than nothing. I have went to some meetings at the courthouse about and put my name in the pot for starting an ATV club there. It's just in the beginning but hopefully it will go somewhere. There's a lot of treehuggers that are opposing it and I have respect for them, but the ones that are dead set against it seem to know nothing about OHV just what they see and read on the net. Good luck, hope it pans out!

Big-R wrote:

bigbore wrote:

Just wish Tennessee didn't stick it to the outa staters on the costs of permits. But love riding in Tennessee.

It is $31.50 and day or $116.00 for a year permit.

I understand that they need to make revenue ....and this is a way to do that, but I only pay $16.95 for the year for my Michigan ORV permit, I am out of state, which lets me ride 1,000 and 1,000 of MILES, not acres.....hard to swallow....$31.50 for a day.

You make a good point, but its comparible to the other two major riding areas here. Windrock and Brimstone are both around 17 a day per person. So 2 people in a side x side or on an ATV would be around 35 a day. with royal blue only specifying one permit per machine then if there's two of you its cheaper.

Just curious but what does it cost for out of state rider in your state?

It costs me 45 a year for wma permit..

I pay $20 a year for Massachusetts registration -- and there are NO public trails legal for a Rhino in Mass, only private land. There are 4 trails that are legal for standard RZR since they go by the 1,000 lb 50" wide restriction.

I pay $73 a year to ride New Hampshire, as a non-resident, to ride their public trails.

I pay $75 a year to ride Vermont's private trail system.

Then, I pay to ride wherever else. Last year I paid for Windrock twice and Royal Blue once as non-resident...

I look forward to moving back to TN and buying annual permits...

Bigmike wrote:

You make a good point, but its comparible to the other two major riding areas here. Windrock and Brimstone are both around 17 a day per person. So 2 people in a side x side or on an ATV would be around 35 a day. with royal blue only specifying one permit per machine then if there's two of you its cheaper.

Just curious but what does it cost for out of state rider in your state?

It costs me 45 a year for wma permit..

You are right Mike. If you have two people in the machine it is cheaper at Royal Blue. The best deal out there is Evarts. $30 yearly pass per machine. Also, it is from the month you buy it until the same month of the following year. Very good deal.

For here at home $30 for 3 yrs. For 2 1000+ parks. And also able to ride county roads. I'm able to ride from home to friends houses.

This should get something started...lol How can you even compare the marked trails at Royal Blue to the marked trails at Brimstone? I think Brimstone is well worth the money, just can't say that about RB. Hopefully the other parks will have better riding.

Bigmike wrote:

You make a good point, but its comparible to the other two major riding areas here. Windrock and Brimstone are both around 17 a day per person. So 2 people in a side x side or on an ATV would be around 35 a day. with royal blue only specifying one permit per machine then if there's two of you its cheaper.

Just curious but what does it cost for out of state rider in your state?

It costs me 45 a year for wma permit..

Well.....the State of Wisconsin does not have a premit/registration for a UTV....at least not yet. They have just this past year opened up some trails for UTV's on a test bases and are set to evaluate to out come soon and make a ruling from there.
So the answer to your question is $0.00

But as I stated in my post, I am buying a permit for Michigan, while living in Wisconsin, it is good for 1 year for $ 16.95 with 1,000 and 1,000 miles to ride.

S wrote:

For here at home $30 for 3 yrs. For 2 1000+ parks. And also able to ride county roads. I'm able to ride from home to friends houses.

That is a great deal......and that is also how it should be!!

Have you been on the west side of royal blue? It borders brimstone and there's some unique trails over there. they are starting to mark stuff on that side but no a lot yet, it will get better though. the sandmines offer a good challenge as well. I love brimstone too, been a while since I been up there. my wife had her death defying popo ride there! Stakk took us down a fresh cut trail and had a long straight down hill on it. she was in front of me bout half way down when her brakes went out. she held on to it and went out the trail at the bottom but everyone had stopped blocking the trail so she ditched into the woods, moped down a dead tree and was stopped by a big oak. she never came of the wheeler, no broken parts, someone was watching over her!

Coming from Alabama.....be glad you have places like these. We dont have anything even remotely comparable to what you guys north of us do.

Skyline WMA in Jackson county is one place to ride in AL. My dad lives right down the road. We ride it a couple times a year.

Kane

This is great news.
They are wanting to open another ATV park here in SE TN, but I cannot remember what county it's in.

MainstreaM wrote:

Skyline WMA in Jackson county is one place to ride in AL. My dad lives right down the road. We ride it a couple times a year.

Kane

I have ridden Skyline once. Defiantly some excellent riding. Just wish you could ride it year round....hunters ya know. The way folks are now I always wonder, while riding private land, if I am trespassing. Riding an ORV area you dont have to worry about that. You would think that someone in Jackson or Madison county would open up a large area for riding the land is there to do it for sure.

smith700 wrote:

This is great news.
They are wanting to open another ATV park here in SE TN, but I cannot remember what county it's in.

Probably the one in Cocke county your thinking of.