MAINE, USA — With the weather becoming nicer as spring approaches, your all-terrain vehicle (ATV) may be calling your name. However, patience is key because trails are still closed for the season.
Most ATV trails in Maine won't open back up until late April or early May.
If driven on too early, these trails can become damaged due to mud after the snow has melted.
"Riding on trails before they are open for the season can cause significant damage and can result in landowners permanently closing trails to all users," the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (MDIFW) said in a Facebook post.
Sergeant Kyle Hladik, with the Maine Warden Service, said most likely there isn't a decent place in the entire state to ride at the moment. And, with his department reporting that 80% of Maine's ATV trail network sits on private land, maintaining healthy relationships with landowners is critical.
"In most cases, the landowners aren’t really getting anything out of that deal," Hladik said. "They’re not getting paid for the use of their land, for the trails, or anything like that. They’re doing it just out of the tradition in Maine of allowing use of private property."
In the meantime, you can focus on enjoying the great outdoors in other ways, or you can even get a head start on registering your ATV.
According to the MDIFW website, ATV registrations expire on June 30. You can renew your registration online here, or if it's a new registration, you can visit your local town office or the MDIFW main office in Augusta.
For information about ATV registration fees, safety courses, laws and rules, and more, click here.