General ATV Trail Guidelines
1) All trails must be established in accordance with M.R.S.A. Title 12 Section 1893 Paragraph B and section 1893 paragraphs 2A & B., Laws pertaining to All Terrain
Vehicles.
2) The trail corridor is a strip or parcel of land in which
the trail is to be located.
3) The trail will consist of a treadway from which hazardous
obstacles such as, stumps and large rocks will be removed,
severe depressions will be filled in, side brush removed at
least one foot outside the established treadway and overhead
brush and limbs will be cleared to a minimum of (7') seven
feet. All brush, trees, stumps and rocks removed from the
corridor should be disposed of in a way not to detract from
the aesthetic interest of the trail.
The established treadway should be maintained a minimum
of:
-
Class I - Two feet for two wheel vehicles including
dirt bikes, off-road bikes, fat cats, etc.
-
Class II - Five feet for three and four wheel vehicles
50 inches or less in width, dry registered weight of less
than 750 pounds traveling on low pressure tires of 6 pounds
or less designed to be straddled by the operator.
-
Class III - Eight feet for vehicles greater than 50 inches
in width, greater than 750 pounds registered dry weight,
traveling on Multi-wheels or tracks not limited to but
including 4 X 4 trucks, dune buggies, coots and amphibious
vehicles.
4) Marking the trail will be consistent with established
Bureau guidelines. Signs to be used will be provided by the
Bureau or will be of equal quality and design. Signs will
be attached to trees or posts with aluminum nails at eye level.
5) Trails will be established only on land where written
landowner permission has been obtained. If written permission
is unattainable, oral permission will be accepted with a written
affidavit from the club President confirming permission was
obtained and the date it was obtained.
6) Trails should pass through variable terrain to hold users
interest and create a reasonable degree of challenge. Established
routes will avoid critical wildlife and ecological areas and
areas of anticipated serious user conflict such as, tree plantations,
dwellings, agricultural land or other recreational user areas.
7) Highway crossings should be avoided whenever possible.
When necessary, crossing should be made as near right angles
to the travelled roadway as possible at locations providing
clear visibility along the highway in both directions, to
assure safe crossing. (There is a process where you can have
Department of Transportation install highway signs notifying
traffic of the trail crossing. This may be advisable in areas
where visibility is bad.)
8) Trails should not be routed parallel with steep side slopes.
Sustained perpendicular slopes should not exceed 30%.
Bypass trails should be provided around grades exceeding 25%.
Approaches or exits to slopes and grades should be straight
for a sufficient distance to make a safe entrance and exit.
9) If it is necessary to bulldoze or grade the trail surface,
precautions should be taken to eliminate future erosion.
10) Streams and rivers will either have bridges or culverts installed in compliance
with all environmental regulations. Bridges will be a minimum
of (5') five feet wide for Class I and II trails, Class III
trails designed for dune buggy or off-highway four wheel drives,
will be a minimum of (8') eight feet wide.
11) Trails will not be established in the stream bed, parallel
with the flow of current, on dry or wet channels. Crossing
fords are allowed, if they are located on a hard rock or gravel
bottom so as not to cause sedimentation and if approved by
the landowner and appropriate environmental agencies.
12) Remember that wetlands are protected and permits may
be needed to cross them. Trails across wetlands will only
be approved if the trail hardening techniques such as courdroy,
turnpike or puncheon are used to protect the soils.
13) Crossing active railroad tracks will be only at authorized
crossings clearly approved by the appropriate Rail Line.
14) Trails should be maintained sufficiently to allow reasonably
safe operation of off road motorized vehicles, considering
some operators will be less experienced than others. When
an approved trail is abandoned or discontinued, the Bureau
should be notified immediately in writing.
15) It is of utmost importance that all trails be monitored
on a regular basis in order to assure they are kept in reasonably
safe usable condition.
16) Trail signs and bridges should be removed completely
from trails that have been discontinued or abandoned.
17) Trails should not be routed over frozen bodies of water.
(We are aware that use occurs on the ice of many lakes and
rivers in the winter, however this can not be signed as trail.)
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