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The Adirondack Explorer is a nonprofit magazine covering the Adirondack Park's environment, recreation and communities.

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  1. Terry says

    I think all hiking trails should be closed also. The erosion of all the foot trails I’ve seen are all as bad as any trails used by ATV’s. THIS IS A FACT.

  2. Mike says

    Terry, if you want to debate the issue at hand, then do so. Do not make up false “facts”.

    Foot and bike traffic doesn’t do anywhere near as much damage.

    • John says

      In the high peaks thevtrails are shredded from foot traffic. The damage over the last 30 years is tremendous.

  3. Starr Cole says

    After thousands of dollars in initial expense, NYS DOT requires us to register and insure our ATV’s as motor vehicles, requires the use of a helmet and gives us no place to ride. How about those of us who do respect the laws and are simply looking for the same outdoor enjoyment? Just designate somewhere for us to use some of OUR tax funded state, county and town land. Your regulations are merely exacerbating a problem that doesn’t need to exist.

    • Dan says

      The problem, “Starr,” is that your selfish idea of “outdoor enjoyment”wrecks the peace and scenary for people hiking, fishing, or otherwise trying to experience nature, what you call “outdoors.” See, it doesn’t work both ways, hikers can quiety pass through without creating a huge disturbance (noise, dust, mud – you know, all the side-effects of your ATV “enjoyment”), whereas your ridiculously loud and obtrusive machine ruins the natural environment for everyone else. ATV’s should be limited to private lands, including special ATV or motorcross parks, far removed from residential areas.

      • Beth says

        Dan..you say that “Starr” is selfish with her idea of outdoor enjoyment…aren’t you equally selfish with your idea..You are not realizing that different people enjoy and want different experiences. Isn’t there room for both… places where ATV’s are allowed..with registration and trail fees used to maintain those trail areas, and places where ATV’s are not allowed… Hikers, Fisherman etc..can avoid these areas if it bothers them…there will be plenty of other areas they can use that would be off limits to ATVs.. (I am a year round resident of the Adirondack Park and I don’t own an ATV.. my thoughts are simply that there is enough land to accommodate multi use … and separate multi use!)

        • Dash says

          As a disabled combat vet, in or on a motorized vehicle is my only way to get around the outdoors. I ride a polaris ace that polaris installed hand controls in for me. You people who can walk can go anywhere. All i want is equal treatment and the legal right to use trails in the state i live.

    • TrailOgre says

      “After thousands of dollars in initial expense”

      That’s your problem ………No one held a gun to your head

      You don’t buy a boat if you live in the desert …..of course you would probably demand a lake be built …just you bought a boat

      • Faza says

        Trail Orge
        No one held a gun to your head and said to hike in the adirondacks. Go hike a beach or something if you are selfish…

  4. Uh nony moose says

    Why is this not up to the local municipalities? Give the locals a voice! I would like to see the turn out for a vote on this issue. Do it by town, or county…. DEC land in St. Lawrence County barely gets used at all now. This is the motivation behind the ‘multi-use trail system’–the County recognizes the community need for public ATV trails. Every county in the NC should join in…. The trails in ‘Rutted and Ruined’ needed maintenance, not closure.

  5. Paul says

    I hike, hunt, and ride ATV…I feel it is an issue of respect of our parks and outdoors in general..I do that. most do…..Some city slickers my not like the looks of us riding well go to blazes…I pay more in fee’s hunting and such to our parkland than you ever will….New york will not let me ride legally in there parks so I register my vehicles in Pa…do the same…Pa lets us ride..government doesn’t care anyway they just want money.well you get none from my quad…..Paul

  6. kdog says

    If hikers and riders are both paying for maintenance then both have a right to enjoy the park. I do both, and i fully admit that when i hike, i like it quiet and atv’s are annoying. but when im on the quad i like it loud and fast. i do find myself more self-righteous when hiking though, as does whoever wrote this article. First, lets get one thing straight atv’s do not “create mud”…dirt and water create mud. they can leave ruts and pool the water but by doing that u will create dryer tracks on both sides of the pool…in this situation u don’t need to get rid of atv’s, u need to put a log bridge on the side, or add a gravel drain. i tink the trails should be divided up for both parties convenience…its annoying to slow down for hikers crossing a mud hole, and its annoying to listen to atv’s when you’re hunting. Also, “adds stress to wildlife”, is that what they said? ROFL, now u speak snake/bear/squirrell. My advice to everyone here is to be humble and not self righteous, everyone has the right to enjoy the parks in the way they choose as long as it’s under control. peace

    • Dan says

      Actually, both in terms of plain common sense, and in terms of the law, everyone does not have “the right to enjoy the parks in the way they choose as long as it’s under control” because one person’s sense of being “under control” is another person’s sense of complete mayhem and chaos. That’s why we have laws, ATV riders should learn to obey them, if they can find the time between waving their “don’t tread on me” flags and ripping up what otherwise used to be peaceful adirondack trails. It’s not about inconveniencing squirrels, it’s about ruining the experience for people who want to experience peace, quiet, and nature. Of which the ear-splitting sound and huge “rooster tails” of dirt, dust, and mud kicked up by ATV’s has no place.

  7. mike says

    Ok, first of all there is NO such thing as “destroying or damaging nature by ATV’s Nature will always grow back, 2 just because you like to put on your daisy gays n walk through the forest like Goldie locks, doesn’t mean everyone else does, some people enjoy riding n getting muddy, n seeing nature on something that in my opinion beats “hiking” or “biking” or “crawling” through the woods ATV riding is not distructive were just into our own pastime, just like your into yours, we enjoy trails that it was perfectly designed to ride on just like you tree huggers like to skip through, were very sorry for your confusion but nature can only be destroyed by big business who cuts down millions of trees n builds huge paved roads,for their own profit most ATV riders actually take care of the trails they ride n enjoy nature the same as you but in different ways, but you can drill a 50ft wirde hole to China n within just a few years the hole is gone, Nature will always reclaim man and their inventions, so stop with the uptight rediculous, comments about ATV’s destroying ur precious nature, nature can not be destroyed by man forever, so relax the weird thing is half of you rediculous idiots ride on the same trails your crying about urselves, you hypocrites!

  8. loshi says

    Useful info. Lucky me I found your website accidentally, and I am surprised why this accident didn’t took place in advance!

    I bookmarked it.

  9. 7outlaw7 says

    Wow. I live in Wisconsin. A state that gains millions of dollars a year because of atv and utv tourism. We have areas in the nicolet national forest with hundreds of miles of trails that wind through the forest and some nice hilly turrain. It’s absolutely beautiful. Some of the towns here would not even exist anymore without this opportunity. The trails are well maintained. If nys doesn’t want ur money please visit Wisconsin. You will love it and we welcome you.

  10. Brian Dehart says

    Absolutely retarded. Trails should be open to atvs. That muddy mess brings joy and visitors. Would bring much more then hiking. Look at pa, nh, vt trail systems.

  11. Faza says

    Open adirondacks to all, forever wild doesn’t mean inaccessible to all. Foot traffic, bicycles, snowmobiles, horses and atv’ should be all allowed especially if there is a demand for it. Issue permits to Atv riders just like Harriman park issues boat permits to kayakers. Maybe It will help local economies with the boost in tourism.

  12. Alden Faas says

    New York State charges large fees in the form of vehicle registration with no permissible access on State Property is a violation of the New York state constitution and is immoral to its citizens

  13. Alden Faas says

    The only reason why this beautiful wilderness occurs is because our tax dollars enable that so therefore we do have rights to access these properties because guess what we the taxpayers are paying for it regardless of what you need your freaks think there are millions of Acres they can give us a portion of that to ride on

  14. Smithy says

    Mountain bikes tread width is about an inch. If a “mountain biker” cannot navigate around a mud pit instead of riding through the deepest part he is more of a danger than any atver. He should stay in his yard until he becomes a little better at riding and please steer clear of roads and pedestrians.
    If you are not “watching your step” when you hike sir you are not hiking. If you cant steer your feet around an obstacle than “can ruin your boots” then take them off and stay home. You and your boots will be much safer.
    An atv cannot hurt the earth beyond repair. Maintain the trails like you have to do on hiking and biking trails. If you have never seen ruts from mountain bike and hikers than you haven’t logged many miles on either. Tread lightly and respectfully and fight for your trails. This article is a bad joke, full of idiocy.

  15. John says

    People drive around the gate at haskels rd because cars and trucks can drive that “road” but atvs cant, even though they are better suited for it. Hundreds of camps are back down that rd, along with access to miller park, where atvs are the only mode of travel. No one hikes the snowmobile trails. Where they are on private land, the owners ride the trails. They should be open to atv and sxs traffic. Through morehouse 65% of the sled trails are on private land, and we ride that land anyway.

  16. Jeanne Mattison says

    We need trails for ATV’s! My husband and I are senior citizens and have disabilities now that only an ATV would make possible for us to enjoy the Adirondacks – like we did when we were younger. People that have disabilities pay taxes but do not get to enjoy the beauty of the Woods in the Adirondacks because we can’t get to them.

  17. Jayden Workman says

    We need trails for the act riders to ride on if Ny would open trails for riders to ride on there would not be illegal riding and there would not be ruined hiking trails. I don’t feel bad for any hiking trails that have been ruined due to ny selfish money hogging ways. This is why this state sucks and don’t say “oh why don’t you just move then” the reason I stay here is cause my family is here and they matter to me so I stay. It would not be that hard to turn a few snowmobile trails into at trails and then u would only have trespassing be the selfish people who then do deserve a ticket till then ride on!!!

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