USFS reworking where to play in Sierra snow
By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette-Journal
There’s a reason why during winter it can be hard to find a parking place along Mount Rose Highway near the Tahoe Meadows and Chickadee Ridge.
The short stretch of road is the best place to access some of the most scenic backcountry in Nevada, an area that includes snow-covered meadows, alpine peaks and Lake Tahoe views.
It’s also the epicenter of a debate over winter access to public land in the Sierra Nevada as U.S. Forest Service units throughout the range are in the process of reworking their winter travel management plans.
Six separate Forest Service units, Lake Tahoe Basin, Tahoe, Eldorado, Lassen and Stanislaus, and Plumas are in varying stages of reworking their plans, some of which haven’t been updated for decades.
The result could be new boundaries that limit where people can ride snowmobiles and set aside areas that are restricted to human-powered recreation such as snowshoeing and backcountry skiing.
“People don’t want to recreate with the snowmobile noise and don’t want to recreate with the snowmobile emissions,” he said. “You get one snowmobile in there and it ruins the experience for everybody.”
Yet, go out there, and where are the skiers and snowshoers actually travelling? In the snowmobile tracks!
D’oh!!
Not everyone ‘shoes in snowmobile tracks, Dogula. I wish the plan included Hope Valley as there are few places where people can go without being around snowmobilers. They take the parking with their trailers, take down barbed wire fencing even though they have the whole Blue Lakes road and beyond as a designated snow park. How about sharing but separating our recreational space. The guy in the article is dreaming when he says we can all enjoy the same space.
Also, when we stomp out a new snowshoeing track, we NEVER make it back to the car before someone else is parked and gearing up to go. I’d say snowshoers love to shoe already laid track regardless of who puts it down. On that note- grab the ‘shoes and let’s go!!
There are many more acres in the hope valley area for non motorized than motorized. Yes there have been no improvements for parking for non motorized users. Many of the improvements for parking in hope valley have been done with registration fees for offroad vehicles. It is sad that the millions of acres of wilderness are not enough for non motorized users. There is one snow park in the area that allows snowmobile use and that is blue lakes. There are other snow park areas at carson pass, the red lake area is offlimits to motorized when Blue Lakes is open. The entire north side of Hwy 88 in hope valley is non motorized. So snowmobilers have one place to park and use, non motorized have the entire rest of the county. Hard to swallow the idea that motorized are ruining your experience. You are going to the one place within 30 miles to ride snowmobile and complaining that you see and hear snowmobiles. That’s an interesting situation
Oh,I dunno, Littleone. I don’t think snowmachines have a monopoly on rude behavior. I’ve gone snowmobiling up Angora Road, when the skier and snowshoers have massively blocked up the gated road (Ummm, you NEVER block a gate with your car. Not even a Forest Service gate in winter. Emergency crews might need to open it.) and I’ve always been respectful to slow down and pass the foot traffic carefully, and wave, trying to be friendly. They glare and flip us off. They think we don’t belong there. IT’S A ROAD! Our green sticker fees pay for trail maintenance. What do THEY pay for?
They tend to be a lot more intolerant than we are.
They paid for the road you are using.
so did I Cosa with the fuel tax that I paid to put fuel in my Snowmobile and in my truck to haul my snowmobile to where im going riding. So I am actually paying a higher percentage
Great. Thanks. There are also people in Rhode Island who helped pay and will never use the facilities you use. Slow clap for all. Everyone shares. I don’t have a sled. One day I hope to, and appreciate that owning and using one is a possibility. Why is setting aside a quiet and peaceful place for people who aren’t interested in snowmobiles and don’t want to be near them such a big deal? Give them an option. Sharing isn’t always easy. You need to understand that the noise of your recreation ruins the experience for others. Go watch the south park episode on motorcycle riders for some perspective.
I understand that and really respect that. All I am saying is there is actually way more acreage for non motorized than for motorized. I have no desire as a sled owner to use the areas that are off limits from us all I am asking is that they do not take any more land away as it is getting smaller and smaller area for me to enjoy.