From the Trails
June 2021:
Current Trail Report: (Updated May 23, 2023)
Trails are all open now.
We can only ask you to always monitor the WEB page and Facebook. for trail openings and closings.
May 8th, the Timberland Dirt Devils “Ditch Cleaner-Upper Crew” added more community service points to its resume for cleaning up 2 miles on State Hwy 64 just outside the Stompin’ Grounds Camp entrance.
This is a bi-annual task the Club takes on in conjunction with MNDOT… and the crew even made a little work on a sunny Saturday fun.
Congratulations to Tayden George. Tayden is the 2021 winner of TDD Education Scholarship
Meet our 2021 Scholarship winner, Tayden George. Tayden graduated from Park Rapids High school. Tayden is on the PR high school trap team, he also participated in the choir. He is also a Ducks Unlimited volunteer, NRA Volunteer, and a Park Rapids Fishing Derby volunteer.
He will be attending Minnesota State Community and Technical College, in Wadena, to become and Electrical Lineman.
Tayden here standing with Club President; David Suker.
Congratulations Tayden!!!
We were remarkably busy this spring and now, going into the start of summer, with our trails projects as well as other club functions.
All of the early season work is paying off. The first seven weeks of the season we have seen above average ATV usage as well as weather [for the most part] and the trails are holding up as well.
Some of the early work completed was to recondition a section of trail off the north section of our Sec. I, of the East Steamboat ATV Trail.
This work included about a ½ mile of trail recapturing, replacing some missing and broken signage, and entrance rocks, and cleaning the trail of downed trees.
One our major projects of the seasonal start was to drain and repair damaged trail sections of the easterly portion of this north section.
This section is currently closed while we coordinate work with logging crews in the area and put finishing steps to the construction.We hope this is all coordinatated and complete later this season.
As a club, our requirements are not only overall safety of our user group but, to become good stewarts of land management.
Two of our Club’s volunteers that were up early and in the field working most days of April prior to the season opening are: David, our President and Trail Adminstrator and Mac, our Trails Manager and Treasurer.
To the right, is the start of one of the numerous sections where we had a water, trerrain and soil issue. With a little work and coordination with Forestry, and Parks and Trails of the MN DNR.
With a few days of work on this 1 mile section of trail, we got most things completed. With one more round of maintenance this summer we should have this all completed by the end of the year.
Major reshaping of corners concentrating on improving“water runoff”… Checking our work… with a lazer. We still “eye ball” most things…
Our finished product:
We are now ready to cap it with some good soil to hold it, and place markings and barriers…for safety and maintenance. After our numerous logging crews retreated from those sections of trail, we finished our pre-season work by placing 40 new sign posts with signs, culvert markings, and touched-up and checked our ditch trails.
Now that we are in our start of summer green-up. With coolness under the canopy, please come and visit, and ENJOY our trails!
The section Sec. I of the East Steamboat ATV Trails from Parkway Forest Road-west to MMR 249A is closed. A signed Reroute will be in place starting May 1st.
Our recommended Speed Limit on Forest Road.
Our Forest (the Paul Bunyan State Forest) has the majority of all its logging completed in the summer, except areas that need frozen grounds to access.
ATV’s, as a user group must utilize narrow forest roads in a high activity time for both logging operations and hauling and animal movement.
Simply: They are BIGGER than you. Keep Speed down and to the RIGHT at all times.
Please drive carefully and to the right…we try to mark heavily used haul roads.
Keep in mind that these haul trucks will use all the road around corners, and they are
b i g g e r than you.
With logging activities, a priority in the forest, while traveling on Forest Roads:
- Please keep your Speed down
- Have escape routes/zones in mind
- Always keep to the right
As a Club, we have responsibilities for public education and reminders of how to preserve your trails into the future. With that mission, we have placed a big blue sign in front of the Stompin’ Grounds entrance.
After every Saturday morning Club Membership meeting, we have scheduled a trail ride, [usually short, 25-40 miles, usually returning in 2-3 hours].
PLAN A MEETING AND A RIDE AND SEE THE TRAILS
Our Trail Ambassadors have planned 5 rides for the 2021 Season. We have currently 4 members on this Team. Check it out!... we can always use more. And you get to ride a lot of different trails with your special skills & objectives.
Plus, we get to hear about some interesting stories with their skill development. These efforts help support all of our Youth Education Programs.
Please take one of our trail maps. We have them at numerous locations around the Forest. Akeley, Park Rapids, and Walker. They have addition information printed on them to help you with our Trail System. Or drop us a line.
Also, we have added updated “Downloadable KMZ-gpx files”[2021] of our map to load into your GPS/Garmin devices and have provided it to Polaris “Ride Commander.”
See at all the activities that the Team at TDD supports annually.
The Timberland Dirt Devils ATV/UTV Club annually sets up goals with objectives, coordinated with the MN-DNR Park & Trails and Forestry Department.
Things to know:
- We have a trail crew of 2 people [with social distancing if required] that run our 42 miles of ATV/UTV trails, minimum maintenance roads [MMR] and forest roads almost every week, prior to weekend traffic. We will then send out our 2021 Trail Maintence Crew Guidelines, provide you with an educational operations overview and get you going with things.
- All our Trail maintenance crew members are members of the Club, so if you would like to help with trails, please join.
- Annually, we spend 18-20 full days reconditioning, routing and keeping trails in good environmental condition so we can all enjoy now… and in the future. “We Work!-We Ride!
- Our Statewide ATV organization is online and have a group hard at work moving us forward to the future. If you get a chance check them out and consider joining.
Come see us on our Trails… Take Care from the Trails!
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