****PRESS RELEASE**** Elmore County Sheriff Dept

We are still in the season, so please be respectful of the recreation opportunities we have in our area. Remember, there is a place for snowmobiles, ATV’s, 4-wheelers and off road vehicles BUT they are not all the same place. Be aware and let’s utilize the designated areas as they are posted.

Brenda M Fincher~Publisher

02.24.2020

We want to take this time to remind the public about driving on groomed snowmobile trails in our county. This past season we have already had about 7-8 incidents with full sized vehicles and non-authorized vehicles driving on the groomed trails and getting stuck. In the past 2 days we have responded to 2 stuck vehicles on the groomed trails. Not only is this a citable offense (infraction), but also can be very expensive to have a vehicle towed. We do not have the resources or capability at the Sheriff’s Office or the County to tow the vehicle; it would have to be done by a private tow company. We are strictly enforcing this offense.

Below is the state code.

67-7112. GROOMED SNOWMOBILE TRAILS. Counties shall have the option to allow all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles over one thousand (1,000) pounds unladen gross weight, if numbered as a snowmobile, to use snowmobile trails in the county. No other vehicles shall operate on groomed snowmobile trails unless specifically allowed by the county. Any all-terrain vehicle and snowmobile over one thousand (1,000) pounds unladen gross weight operating on groomed snowmobile trails during the winter snowmobiling season when the trails are groomed shall be numbered as a snowmobile under the provisions of section 67-7103, Idaho Code. Violation of the provisions of this section shall be an infraction.

To clarify, we do not have a county ordinance to allow anything different than what the state has in place. Meaning we enforce the state code only.

Sheriff Mike Hollinshead