Over the years, select towns in Vilas County have voted to open town roads and sections of county highways that pass through their towns to ATVs and UTVs.
It’s created some confusion for riders about which roads they’re actually allowed on.
“Oneida County has had their county roads open for a bit, I don't know exactly how long, but people would come up to Oneida County, and then they would, want to come up into Vilas County, but got confused and sometimes got in trouble for being on a county road that was not open because we were real mixed match,” said Gary Penner, President of the St. Germain ATV Club.
He’s hoping opening up county highways will lead to less confusion.
The Vilas County Board voted to open most county highways during a January meeting. Signage went up opening the highways at the end of March.
Now, all county highways, except those in Lac du Flambeau, are open to riders.
While there are some exceptions, the general rule of the thumb is if the highway is lettered it’s open to ATVs, if it’s numbered, it’s not.
“Just because the county roads are open doesn't mean that all the town roads are open, we ask that they [riders] check with the town clerks in each individual town where they’re at, where they're staying at, to see what the conditions are or what the roads are open what aren't,” said Todd Bierman, the Vilas County Forestry, Parks, and Recreation Department Director.
Town roads in Winchester, Manitowish Waters, and Boulder Junction are not open to riders.
Dennis Duke hopes to change that in Boulder Junction. He’s president of the Musky Riders ATV club.
Duke and others in the town have been working for eight years to open town roads and get ATVs to and around the town, even though he doesn’t own an ATV himself.
“It's all about helping the economics of the town through outdoor recreation, because that's the engine of our economy,” said Duke. “At the end of the day, the more things there are for people to do in Boulder Junction, the more apt they are to come and spend some time here.”
St. Germain opened up town roads and section of highways a couple years ago.
Penner said it’s been appreciated by local businesses, especially after the back-to-back low snow years the Northwoods has experienced.
He’s hoping with the county highways now open they’ll see even more business.
“Being able to get to places like Plum Lake area, again, across to the Mercer area, on up Northwest, to the Winchester, Manitowish Waters, and then just get on up into the U.P. and allowing them to get down to into our trails as well,” said Penner. “The way it has opened things up has really been beneficial.”
Duke said since the county board voted to open county highways there have been positive talks about opening town roads to ATVs and UTVs in Boulder Junction.
He hopes that will happen this fall.
Duke encourages anyone with questions to feel free to ask.
“We want people's feedback, we want dialog. We want to mitigate concerns. There's obviously a solution to be had. We just need to work at it,” said Duke.
He’s also been trying to work with the Wisconsin DNR about open trails within the Northern Highland American Legion State Forest, but said that’s a longer process.
To be proactive about safety, the Musky Riders ATV Club is holding an ATV/UTV Safety Course on June 9. People can sign up through the DNR’s Go Wild website.
County highways, expect in Lac du Flambeau, will be open to ATVs and UTVs year-round.
The Vilas County Forestry, Parks and Recreation Department encourages riders to check with local towns or ATV clubs in that area for information on trails and town roads that may be open.
Bierman reminds riders to stick to the right and on the pavement, travel in the direction of traffic, and the speed limit for ATVs and UTVs is 35 miles per hour.
“We've had many county roads already open in the county, and we haven't had any issues to date with them, or any accidents, which is great, but just be respectful and watch your speed,” said Bierman.
