$10 Fee increase for Michigan Trail Pass next year

[440_chazz]

Well at the AWSC meeting over the weekend, the heads stated that Michigan will be raising the rate to 45 bucks for a trail pass. It's not really news as I knew it was coming. They said it will stay at 45 dollars for the next five years. When I first starting going to Michigan in 2004 the pass was 25 bucks. How much higher can it go before people start saying enough is enough? Before I even hit the trails I have to kiss 90 bucks away now. Is there an acronym for snowmobile like there is for boat, Bust Out Another Thousand?

Don't get me wrong I know the first rule for preparing to snowmobile, give the first guy you see at a dealer 200 bucks to get you used to spending money, but c'mon more nickel and diming. Its getting crazy.

 

[Rupp Collector]

I think it's a good value.

 

[viper700s]

Yeah and you also have to pay to play. I know you are not totally bitching about it but cmon....$45 bucks. That is worth it if the continued progress I see in grooming keeps up. You ride a mult-thousand dollar sled so what is $10 more dollars. If they want to add more trails like they are talking then this is what is helping it. I know what you mean just another expense but cmon it isn't that big of a deal. Think about it though, our lowest expense in the sport goes to keeping up what we ride on all year long.

 

[polarisrider1]

Well at the AWSC meeting over the weekend, the heads stated that Michigan will be raising the rate to 45 bucks for a trail pass. It's not really news as I knew it was coming. They said it will stay at 45 dollars for the next five years. When I first starting going to Michigan in 2004 the pass was 25 bucks. How much higher can it go before people start saying enough is enough? Before I even hit the trails I have to kiss 90 bucks away now. Is there an acronym for snowmobile like there is for boat, Bust Out Another Thousand?

Don't get me wrong I know the first rule for preparing to snowmobile, give the first guy you see at a dealer 200 bucks to get you used to spending money, but c'mon more nickel and diming. Its getting crazy.

I feel your pain. We could go back to the old way of rotten bridges and real bumpy trails. The sad part as any club member will tell you, Groomers are expensive, fuel is expensive, Volunteers are scarce. Nice trails just like roads cost money, more so when the government is involved. I dropped $1000 for 5 trail passes in Canada talk about hurt the wallet. I guess with a snow checked $11,000 plus sled I can't really complain. One thing I see with the increased prices is a quality of riding does increase also. Unlike our roads. The price increase effect does weed out some from snowmobiling, this may not be all bad in some areas were trails are way over used. Michigan really needs to look at the costs to see at what point we start turning away "Tourists". Michigan needs money so bad that it is a balancing act for them. But you have to admit our trails are great compared to states surrounding us. It cost me $45 to get the head pumped out in my boat (2 times), now that is a lot. But the guys at the marina say to me, "Ya gotta admit, that is the cheapest thing we can do with our boats". So it is a pay to play system, What's a carton of smokes cost?

 

[xsledder]

Maybe someone should have a poll as to the value of the sticker. The poll will give the UP a good sense of who won't be riding there any more. I realize there will always be someone riding in the UP no matter how much it costs.

As for me and my one trip a year to the UP, $45 per sled is not worth it. For another 4 hours of travel, I might as well go to the Black Hills or Snowies and skip the UP. (I fact, a Black Hills trip instead of John's Ride-in is already being discussed in my group for next year. The trail permit fee is part of the discussion. Sorry John.)

 

[xsledder]

...But you have to admit our trails are great compared to states surrounding us...

Here's the UP big head thought. No, really, there not that great compared to some surrounding states. Sorry, your trails are no better then Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, etc.. trust me, I've ridden them.

 

[lt250rfd]

Yeah and you also have to pay to play. I know you are not totally bitching about it but cmon....$45 bucks. That is worth it if the continued progress I see in grooming keeps up. You ride a mult-thousand dollar sled so what is $10 more dollars. If they want to add more trails like they are talking then this is what is helping it. I know what you mean just another expense but cmon it isn't that big of a deal. Think about it though, our lowest expense in the sport goes to keeping up what we ride on all year long.

X2

 

[polarisrider1]

Here's the UP big head thought. No, really, there not that great compared to some surrounding states. Sorry, your trails are no better then Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, etc.. trust me, I've ridden them.

I am not in the UP and ride it very little. I spend the extra and go to Canada and west for the most part, but still support my trail system with purchasing a MI permit. I have been riding MI trails since 1972. The west Michigan trail ran through my back yard for 20 yrs. It is now closed. They never groomed them, but we also didn't have to pay for a permit to ride. What we don't need happen is that the trail program gets so fat and sassy that we pay $200 per sled per yr. and have no riders such as Canada currently has. Motels, hotels, gas stations, Bars, restaurants and all the support businesses also need to servive. We will get by without you xsledder. Can you put together an unbiased poll that gets a true reading before you go?

 

[polarisrider1]

Maybe someone should have a poll as to the value of the sticker. The poll will give the UP a good sense of who won't be riding there any more. I realize there will always be someone riding in the UP no matter how much it costs.

As for me and my one trip a year to the UP, $45 per sled is not worth it. For another 4 hours of travel, I might as well go to the Black Hills or Snowies and skip the UP. (I fact, a Black Hills trip instead of John's Ride-in is already being discussed in my group for next year. The trail permit fee is part of the discussion. Sorry John.)

Contact www.msasnow.org with your thoughts, while there read up on what they do for you and what they are up against. Everyone is fighting for the states money that the state don't have, support the Michigan Snowmobile Association if you really want to be heard. They are on your side. $45 is the price of a gallon of Poo or Doo oil at a trail side Mom and Pop stop.

 

[Deleted member 10829]

Maybe someone should have a poll as to the value of the sticker. The poll will give the UP a good sense of who won't be riding there any more. I realize there will always be someone riding in the UP no matter how much it costs.

As for me and my one trip a year to the UP, $45 per sled is not worth it. For another 4 hours of travel, I might as well go to the Black Hills or Snowies and skip the UP. (I fact, a Black Hills trip instead of John's Ride-in is already being discussed in my group for next year. The trail permit fee is part of the discussion. Sorry John.)

What does a trail pass cost out West? If $10 is changing your thoughts of riding in the UP, you really need to get out of the sport. I've ridden all of the trails too, and for the amount of traffic they get, no one does a more consistent job of grooming than the UP. When snow permits, most all trails are groomed daily up there, so you know what you're going to get. You can't say that for everywhere else. They groom 2, maybe 3 times a week if you're lucky. Your $45 is gone in less than one shift in the groomer for fuel only. As long as they keep doing the job they have for the past 10 years or so, I am happy to pay that for smooth trails!

 

[polarisrider1]

What does a trail pass cost out West? If $10 is changing your thoughts of riding in the UP, you really need to get out of the sport. I've ridden all of the trails too, and for the amount of traffic they get, no one does a more consistent job of grooming than the UP. When snow permits, most all trails are groomed daily up there, so you know what you're going to get. You can't say that for everywhere else. They groom 2, maybe 3 times a week if you're lucky. Your $45 is gone in less than one shift in the groomer for fuel only. As long as they keep doing the job they have for the past 10 years or so, I am happy to pay that for smooth trails!

Idaho is $42, Wyoming is $25 but you ride mostly off trail, Montana I think was $30, Ontario is between $160-$200 depending on time of purchase. Island Park area you need both Idaho and Montana permits. Cooke City you need Montana and Wyoming permits.

 

[440_chazz]

Yeah and you also have to pay to play. I know you are not totally bitching about it but cmon....$45 bucks. That is worth it if the continued progress I see in grooming keeps up. You ride a mult-thousand dollar sled so what is $10 more dollars. If they want to add more trails like they are talking then this is what is helping it. I know what you mean just another expense but cmon it isn't that big of a deal. Think about it though, our lowest expense in the sport goes to keeping up what we ride on all year long.

It is just frustrating to see the new state of the art equipment the clubs of the UP (and lower) use for their grooming operations. While in Wisconsin, some clubs are using 20+ year old equipment to groom trails. And add to the fact the dwindling number of volunteers to help out with fundraising, it's hard to find help. Wisconsin in my opinion needs reform on how they get the funding for trails. The AWSC stated that there are some 230,000 registered snowmobiles in the state of WI, but only ~50,000 snowmobiles are registered with owners that belong to an AWSC club.

With the previous legislation that was halted with opposition in WI, the CAP/STEP program would have changed the trail funding and the money generated would actually get to the clubs instead of the DNR and the Department of Tourism. It would have made registration for a snowmobile a one time thing for the time the sled was owned. A yearly trail pass would have been instigated for all snowmobiles. The fees for it would have been discounted for AWSC members in order to promote membership to non-members not wanting to pay full price for the trail pass which was proposed to be $30 bucks (not sure on this) and members would pay half along with their associated dues of 10 bucks to the AWSC and dues to their club.

Why it got halted in my opinion was due to the 75% non snowmobile club members not understanding the benefit compared to the 25% mostly club members that supported it. It was on this board where it was talked about and I saw the opposition to it. I think it came at a bad time where fees all across Wisconsin were being raised (car registration, cell phone tax, etc). It was viewed as a "Don't Tread on Me," type of legislation.

 

[Hoosier]

http://www.msasnow.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=63

The above link shows where the current funds go. It's not too detailed but it will give you an idea.

I can't find the link, but I believe next year's $10 increase is going towards the purchase of permanent trail easements, which in my opinion is the absolute number one way of insuring we have a trail system in the future beyond old railroad grades.

Does Wisconsin have an equivalent to the MSA?

 

[xsledder]

Idaho is $42, Wyoming is $25 but you ride mostly off trail, Montana I think was $30, Ontario is between $160-$200 depending on time of purchase. Island Park area you need both Idaho and Montana permits. Cooke City you need Montana and Wyoming permits.

Exactly, I would rather spend the money out west and get better riding than balls out on railroad grades, BORING!!!! I can get trails in Wisconsin and Iowa cheaper and just as good. (And at a shorter distance.)

I would ride in the UP every third year until John's Ride-in. The only reason I started riding in the UP yearly was because of John's Ride-in, that's it. One trip a year. So, I'm glad you won't miss me because I certainly won't miss the UP. I'll miss the Ride-in but not the UP.

Really, the mindset that snowmobiling isn't snowmobiling without the UP is...passé.

 

[polarisrider1]

this may be to small to see.

 

[440_chazz]

Does Wisconsin have an equivalent to the MSA?

It's the AWSC, Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs.

 

[polarisrider1]

Exactly, I would rather spend the money out west and get better riding than balls out on railroad grades, BORING!!!! I can get trails in Wisconsin and Iowa cheaper and just as good. (And at a shorter distance.)

I would ride in the UP every third year until John's Ride-in. The only reason I started riding in the UP yearly was because of John's Ride-in, that's it. One trip a year. So, I'm glad you won't miss me because I certainly won't miss the UP. I'll miss the Ride-in but not the UP.

Really, the mindset that snowmobiling isn't snowmobiling without the UP is...passé.

agree. I will purchase another "Ride in" ticket in your honor.

 

[ubee]

This should help the Wisconsin tourist business !! Still is cheap fun but people will ride at home if there is enough snow !!

 

[indy_500]

Just think of it this way, would you rather spend $45 to ride? or $45 on some handguards or something? If you're willing to spend $$$ to accessorize you sled, what's the big deal with spending $ to register it? There's a lot of people out there, who buy certain sleds based on having enough money JUST for the sled, and nothing else (like gas, oil, registration, etc. etc. etc.). Maybe you take your sled to a dealer every fall and pay $150+ to get it tuned up? Learn how to do it yourself, that's $150+ in your pocket, and you can go register your sled.

 

[michaeladams]

i will continue with my week long trip once a year to the U.P. 45 bucks is not all that bad. the last two winters i don't think they ever groomed jefferson county,wisconsin at least i never ran across a groomed trail so my U.P money is well worth spending, 650 miles in three days and i don't really remember hitting any bumps.good job groomers.