The Grand Forks ATV Club

WELCOME TO THE GRAND FORKS ATV CLUB WEBSITE
MORE INFO Gilpin Grasslands Recreation Areas Meeting Minutes May 3rd 2008 May 24th 2008 September 11th 2008 August 8th 2009 December 8th 2009 April 10th 2010 May 8th 2010 September 25th 2010 April 9th 2011 September 17th 2011 December 3rd 2011 February 4th 2012 Be Safe & Responsible Always wear a DOT approved helmet Wear protective clothing and footwear Ride at a safe speed Road conditions can suddenly change Respect and follow rules of the road Never ride alone Keep our forests clean Membership Info CLICK HERE	The Grand Forks ATV Club is active in preserving the environment and wildlife habitat, protecting our rights and privileges to access crown land, promoting safe and responsible operation of ATVs, and planning events, rides and meetings for every ATV enthusiast to attend. We aim to keep the information on this website current and correct. Please inform us if you notice information that is incorrect. info@gfatv.ca.
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	ATVs and... The Grand Forks Area The Trans Canada Trail Forest Service Roads Access to BC Parks	Local Issues The Wildlife Management Area Young Riders ATV Safety Safely Re-Fuel Your Tanks Safe Transport
	ATV Riding in the Grand Forks Area Grand Forks is located in the the southern interior of British Columbia. When it comes to riding your ATV in the Grand Forks Area, there are many options. Ray Johnson, a local member of the Grand Forks ATV Club, has offered his knowledge of the area to assist you in finding a suitable place to ride your ATV. Email Ray Johnson - granby@shaw.ca Trail Maps - The Grand Forks ATV Club offers trails maps of the area. ATVs on the Trans Canada Trail The Trans Canada Trail (TCT) goes through several different land use areas: wilderness, rural, residential, industrial, urban. In each area, the permitted users can change and there is no clear answer. In urban Grand Forks there is a ban on motorized uses. Between Grand Forks and Eholt motorized use is permitted if the driver is licensed, and the ATV is insured. Between Grand Forks and Castlegar the owner is Tourism BC and they have declared those lands off limits to motorized vehicles. Some land owners in those areas have also requested secure gates and as much as possible they have been installed. Generally the TCT is open to hikers, bikers, horsemen, skiers and where permitted recreational vehicles such as ATV's and snowmobiles. How the trail is used in a specific area is often up to the adjacent land owners. If provincial legislation requiring the registration and insurance of ATV's as well as a licensed driver, ATV access would be greatly improved. Lobby your MLA and the provincial government for that improvement, which is actually endorsed by the ATV association of BC. Incidentally, while ATV's do keep the weeds down, they do spread them as well. Insurance for a trail that allows motorized use is also 5 to 7 times more expensive. On the other hand, some of the best trail stewards over the years have been ATV Riders. ATV users are also encouraged to become members of Trails BC. The Grand Forks ATV Club is working to come up with a solution to this subject and one suggestion was to have the trail open during early spring and late fall to ATV access and closed in the summer during peak season. Members of the ATV club are interested in having access to the trail during these times and it would do wonders for the overgrowth benefiting all users. ATV's on Forest Service Roads Forest Service Roads (FSR's) are classified as public roads, thus a valid Drivers License and Third Party Liability are required for all ATV's. Discounts on insurance can be acquired by becoming involved in your local ATV Club, and registering with the Quad Riders ATV Association of British Columbia. ATV Access to BC Parks The Grand Forks ATV Club is interested in working to allow better ATV access to Provincial Parks in the area. In particular, the Jewel Lake Provincial Park Campground. There are excellent ATV riding opportunities right from the campground. Many members can't hike or mountain bike and ATVs are their means of accessing the parks in this province. LOCAL ISSUES The Wildlife Management Area Many members of the Grand Forks ATV Club are opposed to the establishment of a Wildlife Management Area in the Gilpin-Morrissey area. Instead members have brought up the idea to increase education and public awareness of the delicate environment we have in out backyard. Not only within the purposed WMA, the Grand Forks area offers a great opportunity for educational and recreational activities. The more popular might be hiking, cycling, mountain and dirt biking, ATV riding and rock climbing. As well as water sports including swimming, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, tubing, boating and fishing. The entire community could benefit in many different ways by enhancing areas that offer these recreational activities. The questions is will the the government be willing to continue to fund projects to do this? Young Riders The following e-mail was sent to ATV/BC: Hello, This letter is in regards to young riders (under 16) and their eligibility to ride on Forest Service Roads in British Columbia. Being the president of the Grand Forks ATV Club, I have been looking in the Motor Vehicle (All Terrain) Act www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/M/96319_01.htm and it seems to put most of the resolution on another act or code. What I came up with is that ATV riders are required by the Forest Service Safety Council to have at least $200,000 Third Party Liability and hold a valid Driver’s License to ride on FSR’s as stated in the following document; www.for.gov.bc.ca/hth/engineering/documents/brochures/Guide-for-Safe-Travel.pdf. Any light that you can shed on this subject would be greatly appreciated. I am wondering if there is some sort of aptitude test that a young rider could take to become eligible to ride their ATV on the FSR’s? Young Riders are a big part of our Club and having them out on family or club rides would be awesome. Cody Zorn – President Grand Forks ATV Club I received a reply from ATV/BC, who has been digging into this situation. There is not an aptitude test that young riders can take at this time. This seems to be a very sensitive subject as back east provinces have banned young riders from riding on crown land with the exempt of closed courses. As ATV Clubs in BC, we need more young riders to step forward and demand that something be done about their eligibility to ride on FSR's. With proper training young riders should be able to ride on these roads. ATV Safety Safely Re-Fuel Your Tanks You are allowed to fill your ATV tank while in the back of a pickup. However, you cannot fill you tank if your ATV is under a canopy or in an enclosed trailer. Portable tanks have to be placed on the ground for filling. Grounding strips are available at card lock but not retail locations. Safe Transport Did you know that majority of quad accidents happen while loading and unloading a quad onto a truck or trailer? Be sure to use extra caution when transporting your machine. The ramps should be secured to the trailer or vehicle with a strap or chain and should be able to support the machine being loaded or unloaded. If you have 4x4, use it to maximize your traction. Use at least two heavy duty tie downs and inspect them before each use. You should secure at each end of your machine and apply the emergency brake. When transporting long distances, stop often to inspect your tie downs and be sure nothing had shifted.