A Brief History of the Trail Ranger Program

Idaho has one of the largest systems of single track trail open to off-highway motorcycles in the United States (9,000 miles). Many of these trails are managed by the United States Forest Service. Unfortunately, the Forest Service in Idaho has rarely had enough funding to adequately maintain these trails. Many trails would go without maintenance for three or four years.

In Idaho when trails go without maintenance for that long, downed trees can block the trail, making it impassable for motorcyclists, equestrians, mountain bikers, and hikers. In addition, small sections of trail wash out, water bars fill with sediment, and brush blocks the trail.

In 1986, William Uhl, expert motorcyclist and long time Idaho trail user, noticed many of his favorite trail systems in Idaho disappearing because of a lack of maintenance. Chuck Wells, OHV Program Coordinator for the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, through his on the ground inspections of the trail system in the state noted that many of the trail systems were lacking in maintenance.

Chuck was looking for a way to both improve Idaho's trail system and improve registration compliance for off-highway motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles by funding the program with the $10.00 registration fee for off-highway motorcycles and ATV's. William Uhl offered his services to maintain trails. That was how the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Trail Ranger Program was born.

In order for the program to be effective, many miles of trails needed to be maintained on a limited amount of funds. The most effective way that this could be accomplished is through the use of a trail bike. Trail maintenance should be thought of as a series of tasks located along a linear corridor. Sometimes the tasks would only be 25 yards apart, which walking would work fine, but if a downed log is two miles down the trail, a motorcycle is the quickest way to get there.

William and Chuck developed a mounting system for a chainsaw, Pulaski, shovel, and tank bags for a Honda XR200. The system worked so well, that very little modification was done to the bike. A rack was developed to carry the saw on the back of the bike. The Pulaski was carried on the left side of the bike with custom made brackets and the shovel was carried on the right side of the bike with some PVC pipe held together through a series of rubber bands cut from old tire tubes.

That first year, working by himself, William maintained 240 miles of trail. Registrations increased a little, so another employee was hired. The next season with the first two-man crew, the trail ranger program maintained 468 miles of trail. In 1989, registrations had increased to 9,300 so a second crew was hired enabling the program to maintain 684 miles of trail. In 1994, a third two man crew was hired enabling the program to maintain 1,432 miles of trail.

Trail clearing priorities are determined by when the trails are free of snow, how much use an area receives, and the availability of housing. The major goal of the trail ranger program is to make more miles of trail useable earlier in the year by removing downfall, turning out water and removing other debris from the trail. By making more miles of trail available to trail users, users are dispersed, environmental impacts are minimized and user conflict is reduced.

In 1995, IDPR Trail Ranger Program expanded once again to add a trail cat to its arsenal of trail equipment, the SWECO 450 is a 4 cylinder diesel with a 5 foot blade on the front and a set of rippers on the rear built for rapid trail construction. The trail cat is capable of building approximately 4 miles of trail a day given a skilled operator and the right conditions. With the speed that the cat builds trail, the Forest Service as well as the users have come to realize the great value our trail cat program is to construction and reconstruction of trails.

The Trail Ranger Program is one of the most cost effective light trail maintenance program developed. A major reason for this cost effectiveness is the hard work of the Trail Rangers. Trail Rangers should strive to be thought of a SWAT team type of a trail crew. The number one goal of the Trail Ranger Program is to open the most miles of trail in a season while at the same time improving the trail system so all users can enjoy Idaho's trails.

1998 Trail Ranger Program

The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Trail Ranger Program, funded by the $10.00 registration fee for off-highway motorcycles and ATV's, maintained 1,519 miles of trail last summer on 26 Ranger Districts in 8 National Forests located throughout Idaho. The crews removed 4,818 downed trees, cleaned or installed 404 waterbars, and rehabilitated or relocated 1.75 miles of trail.

The program is organized into three two-man crews. Each crew member carries a chainsaw, Pulaski, and shovel along with tank bags that carry gas, oil, and tools for the saws mounted on a trail bike. Every spring, the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation invites land management agencies around the state to participate in the program. There is no cost to the agencies that participate. The only thing that our department requires is that the participating agency provide temporary housing, as close as possible to the trail system. Housing is usually rustic - a Forest Service Guard Station, but includes a sheltered sleeping area, cooking facilities, a clean drinkable source of water, showers, and refrigeration for food.

Trail clearing priorities are determined by when the trails are free of snow, how much use an area receives, and the availability of housing. The major goal of the trail ranger program is to make more miles of trail useable earlier in the year by removing downfall, turning out water and removing other debris from the trail. By making more miles of trail available to trail users, users are dispersed, environmental impacts are minimized and user conflict is reduced. This program is totally funded by user fees.