Trail permit thoughts

bearrassler

bearrassler

Well-known member
Every year there are different threads regarding trail permits, there are two on here right now. The prices keep going up and the newest twist is cheaper prices for club members. For me to ride in my area MN permits are 36.00, Manitoba charges 150.00, Ontario is another 260.00, WS is now 50.00, MI is 45.00 with talks of going to 60.00. If someone wants to go on a multi state or province backpack trip the permits can really add up plus all of the stickers you need on the sled. Some states require a license plus a trail permit. As I get older and want to go on some long multi day trips I have some ideas about how it can change. How about a higher registration fee but no trail permit in the state of your choice, probably where you live or ride the most and then having a gas tax on snowmobile fuel of maybe .50 per gallon or whatever it would take to fund the trail grooming. This way people who use the trail the most would pay the most and a family going on a three day weekend trip to a different state would not have to buy multiple trail permits for just a few days. We would have to figure out how to get the tax and how to get the funding where it is needed. Diesel fuel is sold both in on road and off road applications and in ND many towns charge city sales taxes so multi level taxes are already done now. Does anyone have any other ideas or suggestions let's hear them.
 
S

slimcake

Well-known member
I with ya on the permits... Reg in MN. Ride 15-20 days a year in MI. Maybe 5-10 in wisconsin. Would love to travel across the U.P. to canada but no way am I paying that permit price. My company's semi has a reciprocity with MN IA and WI. Just tell them how many miles you drove in each state with fuel fill ups. Be pretty tough to police something like that with sleds though.
 
gary_in_neenah

gary_in_neenah

Super Moderator
Staff member
Something we can all agree on is that there is NOTHING cheap or inexpensive when it comes to snowmobiling. I didn't realize permits were that much in Canada, that's kind of stiff if you're just passing through.

This is the first year for the permit here in Wisconsin, let's see how things go. I like the idea that the money from snowmobilers will be used for snowmobiling and not a Warming House in Madison or a Trolley Car in Milwaukee which often happens when the politicians get a whiff of the cash.

On another note, I saw the first snowflakes in the air today for our part of the country and let's hope to see a lot more in the months to come.
 
1

1fujifilm

Well-known member
Throw this in the mix too.. I recently purchased a new aluminum 7x19 foot inline Stealth trailer and if I use it strictly in WI (I live in Green Bay), I do not have to title and put a plate on it because it is so light. But since I will leave the State and go to Watersmeet to unload a few times to ride up to Copper Harbor, I have to title and put a plate on it. Freeken silly Government bologna.

Frank
 
F

frnash

Active member
1fujifilm said:
Throw this in the mix too.. I recently purchased a new aluminum 7x19 foot inline Stealth trailer and if I use it strictly in WI (I live in Green Bay), I do not have to title and put a plate on it because it is so light. But since I will leave the State and go to Watersmeet to unload a few times to ride up to Copper Harbor, I have to title and put a plate on it. Freeken silly Government bologna.

Frank
Click to expand...
Easy!

  1. Drive up to the Michigan state line with your trailer.
  2. Back 'er up to drop the ramp right exactly on the state line.
  3. Ride the sled off the ramp into Michigan, so it never touches Wisconsin.
  4. Park the sled.
  5. Button up the trailer.
  6. Move the trailer a tad further down the road and park it in Wisconsin.
  7. Done!
  8. Take that, you politicians! :p
Yeah, right! :cool:
 
C

catalac

Active member
frnash said:
Easy!

  1. Drive up to the Michigan state line with your trailer.
  2. Back 'er up to drop the ramp right exactly on the state line.
  3. Ride the sled off the ramp into Michigan, so it never touches Wisconsin.
  4. Park the sled.
  5. Button up the trailer.
  6. Move the trailer a tad further down the road and park it in Wisconsin.
  7. Done!
  8. Take that, you politicians! :p
Yeah, right! :cool:
Click to expand...

Yes, you could park right at the Doo dealer in Lando and ride to the hotel or whatever right from there. Haha
 
eagle1

eagle1

Well-known member
1fujifilm said:
Throw this in the mix too.. I recently purchased a new aluminum 7x19 foot inline Stealth trailer and if I use it strictly in WI (I live in Green Bay), I do not have to title and put a plate on it because it is so light. But since I will leave the State and go to Watersmeet to unload a few times to ride up to Copper Harbor, I have to title and put a plate on it. Freeken silly Government bologna.

Frank
Click to expand...
Hmm, I never put plate on my 7x21" listed as 2200#. Been lucky I guess, have been Michigan many times since i bought it. Lol
 
eagle1

eagle1

Well-known member
As far as trail permits my only problem with them is where they expect you to put them. Have they not seen a current sled? There's not a flat piece of real estate. not to mention multiple permits.
 
H

Hoosier

Well-known member
I'm probably going to take two trips this year - one to the Eagle River Wis area and one to Ontario. Probably go to Eagle River for 4 days and Ontario for 5. The Eagle River trip will cost $95 for permits (WI + MI) and the Ontario trip will cost about $100 (daily permits are $25/day up there now and the Canadian dollar is about $0.75 right now).

When we ride out of Eagle River/Phelps, we split the time between Wis and the UP. If the snow isn't good in Wisconsin we'll just keep on driving and skip that permit.

I don't have a problem with the permit prices in general but they need to come up with a weekly or 3 day pass.

Be nice if the gas taxes you buy on the trail stayed in the trail system too. Not sure how that could be administered or estimated.

If El Nino has the impact it is supposed to, I bet Wisconsin permit sales will be very low this year.
 
G

groomerdriver

New member
Been saying it for a long time.....I'd be very happy if WI charged what Ontario charges. More money = better trails, trail systems and people PAID to do it.

I don't think Ontario's trail system is run by volunteers like they are in WI. Everybody is PAID to "run" the trail systems there. I wouldn't be surprised given the aging volunteer population in WI that we are forced to go to an all paid system.
 
ddhanna

ddhanna

Active member
Hoosier said:
Be nice if the gas taxes you buy on the trail stayed in the trail system too. Not sure how that could be administered or estimated.
Click to expand...

They do in Wisconsin. Current tax (.309 I think) X 50 gallons per registration, plus 40% tourism factor on 50 gallons.
 
E

ezra

Well-known member
same deal in MN a tinny percent of gas tax goes to the trail system . but on a side note they( the sleazy politicians ) attempted to steel that money this yr burred in a few pages of non related legislation.
brig your sled to the black hills no cost for trail sticker and the best grooming in the country hands down . the feds can piss money away like no other
 
H

Hoosier

Well-known member
ezra said:
same deal in MN a tinny percent of gas tax goes to the trail system . but on a side note they( the sleazy politicians ) attempted to steel that money this yr burred in a few pages of non related legislation.
brig your sled to the black hills no cost for trail sticker and the best grooming in the country hands down . the feds can piss money away like no other
Click to expand...

That's good to know about the Black Hills, especially if snow is bad in the midwest this year.
 
T

towtruck

New member
I am going to reduce my costs by taking more trips to the UP - if you ride 45 days up there it's only a dollar a day!
not even sure if my MN stickers are up to date but Mich DNR is only looking for their money (sticker) and the odds of good snow in southern MN is not good- to say the least- we have enough snow to groom about every 4 years and then your are mostly running across plowed corn fields all day. The UP has spoiled me -- am I a UP snob? could that even be a thing?!
 
C

caged_beagle

Member
1fujifilm said:
Throw this in the mix too.. I recently purchased a new aluminum 7x19 foot inline Stealth trailer and if I use it strictly in WI (I live in Green Bay), I do not have to title and put a plate on it because it is so light. But since I will leave the State and go to Watersmeet to unload a few times to ride up to Copper Harbor, I have to title and put a plate on it. Freeken silly Government bologna.

Frank
Click to expand...

1fujifilm said:
Plus about $88.50 for the required title if you have to pay the registration.
Click to expand...

Actually you would only have to register and title that trailer if you were a MI resident with MI plated vehicles. Vehicles plated in WI pulling WI trailers with no plates is absolutely legal as long as that trailer does not need to be plated in WI. Now, if you have a MI plated truck and pulling a supposed trailer from WI, you will more than likely be ticketed.

That was explanation to me from a MI State patrol last year when pulled over for exact thing. If you have MI plates on truck how do they know that you "borrowed" a WI trailer from Uncle Louie, the neighbor or your really really, really, nice dealer?

_______________________
swmpdky[1].jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top