Register before you hit the trail
BOISE – State parks and recreation officials are reminding snowmobilers that to ride in Idaho, every snowmobile must be registered.
Fees from the $21.50 annual registration stickers, and a same-priced version for nonresident snowmobilers, support a network of groomed trails across the state that extends for more than 7,200 miles and exceeds that of any other Western state.
“We have a lot of public land and a lot of access, and we’re very fortunate,” said Marty Gangis, North Idaho outdoor recreation specialist for the state Parks and Recreation Department. “We’ve got some excellent snowmobile programs that are run primarily by volunteers, and they do an excellent job throughout the winter.”
Under Idaho law, any snowmobile sold new in the state must be registered before it leaves the dealership, and set up with the proper registration stickers. Purchasers of used machines must transfer the registration into their names within 15 days of the sale, for a $4.50 fee. Annual registration stickers are sold at snowmobile dealers, state parks offices, Division of Motor Vehicles offices and some county assessors’ offices. They’re even available at several vendors in Spokane.
Last year, registration fees brought in nearly $1 million to maintain local trails.
Idaho law requires registration to ride, and enforcement is handled by local county sheriffs’ departments.
“We’ve got a really high compliance rate,” said Jeff Cook, outdoor recreation analyst for the state parks department.
Idaho has required registration since 1968, but just added the nonresident certificate in 2000. Last year, the state registered 39,126 snowmobiles, plus an additional 13,442 from nonresidents. Of those, the biggest group, 4,506, came from Washington.
Cook said a unique feature of Idaho’s registration program is that each snowmobile owner can choose a specific trail-grooming program to receive his or her fees.
“What happens is, a snowmobiler says, ‘I want it to go to Priest Lake,’ so it goes to Priest Lake,” Cook said.
Most states pool the money statewide and parcel it back out, but Cook said Idaho’s designation program has proven popular. The state has 29 trail-grooming programs with about 35 grooming machines. They include a trail system that connects from Kootenai County into Shoshone County for a total of about 1,000 miles of trail.
“It’s probably the largest snowmobile program in all the Western states,” Cook said.
In addition to maintaining and operating trail-grooming machines, the registration fees pay for signs on trails, plowing parking lots, and maintaining warming shelters. The Parks Department’s snowmobile program also receives a small fraction of the state gas tax, which pays for the purchase of grooming machines and offers grants for construction projects like new warming huts or improved parking lots.
This year’s snowmobiling season in North Idaho is just beginning, with trail-grooming expected to start in about two weeks.
“I’ve seen some snowmobiles on trailers running around here the last few days, so they’re trying to find snow somewhere and I think they’re finding it,” Gangis said. “If they go up high, I think they’ll be able to find snow.”
He added, “We’re getting snow right now, and it’s looking good.”
Gangis recommends that snowmobilers play it safe by wearing the proper equipment, taking an avalanche course if possible, making sure their machines are in good working condition, knowing their limits, and carrying emergency supplies including a first-aid kit, matches, space blanket, food and water.
“You should have your machine stocked as if you’re going to spend a night out there,” he said. “Just be safe out there – that’s the most important thing. It should be a good winter.”