Atvs and the Outdoors

I would say that it is safe to say, 50% of my buddies own and use constantly their all terrain vehicles. Fishing, hunting, trail riding, ...you name it, they're doing it. And the boys that have kids, let them climb aboard as well.

Jessie Gruen of Canyon Honda says there's no limit as to what you can do. "There's a number of different uses here in Idaho for them. Of course, there's a big agricultural and commercial market. You know, the irrigating, the ranchers using a mountain range, things like that. So we would get a lot of lot of demographic from that. But then also huge recreational marketplace. There's more miles of trails and there is highway in Idaho and everybody's big into to getting out and exploring Idaho and hunting and that kind of thing. And so they're just very popular for all those reasons.

Tanya Thrift, field manager for the BLM in Idaho, says ATV trail riding on public land has increased in the last 10 years. But with the public recreating around on BLM land, where there is a whole lot of grazing going on, does that mean problems for ranchers? "I think there's more use of the existing roads and trails that we have, especially probably over the last 10 years. Most of the folks do a really good job, they stay on the trails and are responsible about closing gates and respecting the fact that we've got multiple use uses going out there, especially livestock grazing.

If you're new to this sport. Michael Williamson, BLM public affairs specialist suggests..." one thing we like to do is point people

to some of several organizations that are in the valley of ATV riders, just private clubs. Those people are very knowledgeable about where to go, very knowledgeable about the rules."

Thrift also suggests a visit to local BLM and forest service offices. Before you go.

"Know, before you go, it's always a good idea to stop in at the local office and get any maps or any other information that's available beforehand so that we don't kind of know what you're getting into before you leave and also get maybe some good tips on how to get to some really cool areas that you might not have known about otherwise.