01-10-2013, 03:31 PM
[#0000FF]I sent an email to Jeff Rasmussen, in admin for the Utah State Parks. I asked about the regs for ATVs on Willard and other State Park waters during the winter. Here is his reply.
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I found rule (R651-411-2 OHV Use Restrictions) in our State Park Rules in the Utah Administrative Code that outlines which State Parks allow OHV's on the ice and which ones that do not. Here is how it reads:
R651-411-2. OHV Use-Restrictions.
(1) OHVs are to be used only in designated areas.
(2) Designated ice areas for OHV use are only those ice areas that are accessed via the boat ramps to public ice fishing areas. These areas are at Bear Lake, East Canyon, Escalante, Hyrum, Jordanelle, Millsite, Otter Creek, Pali
e, Piute, Red Fleet, Rockport, Scofield, Starvation, Steinaker and Yuba state parks.
(3) Responsibility for any accidents or problems while using OHVs in state parks rests with the user.
Please keep in mind that this only applies to State Parks. Many popular ice fishing destinations in Utah fall under different jurisdictions. As you can see, Willard Bay is not included in the list of State Parks where you can operate an OHV on the ice. The decision to not allow OHV's to operate on the ice at Willard Bay was made because of the high unpredictability of the ice there. The South Marina does not have predictable ice thicknesses because of the water inflow there and many other areas within Willard Bay are weakened by "warm -water" springs. Basically it was determined that Willard Bay has a higher probability of safety concerns than other water bodies that have ice fishing.
I plan to get with our current administrative staff and re-examine this policy to ensure the current restrictions make sense. If any changes need to be made, we will need to get them approved by the State Parks Board.
[signature]
[/#0000FF]
I found rule (R651-411-2 OHV Use Restrictions) in our State Park Rules in the Utah Administrative Code that outlines which State Parks allow OHV's on the ice and which ones that do not. Here is how it reads:
R651-411-2. OHV Use-Restrictions.
(1) OHVs are to be used only in designated areas.
(2) Designated ice areas for OHV use are only those ice areas that are accessed via the boat ramps to public ice fishing areas. These areas are at Bear Lake, East Canyon, Escalante, Hyrum, Jordanelle, Millsite, Otter Creek, Pali
e, Piute, Red Fleet, Rockport, Scofield, Starvation, Steinaker and Yuba state parks.(3) Responsibility for any accidents or problems while using OHVs in state parks rests with the user.
Please keep in mind that this only applies to State Parks. Many popular ice fishing destinations in Utah fall under different jurisdictions. As you can see, Willard Bay is not included in the list of State Parks where you can operate an OHV on the ice. The decision to not allow OHV's to operate on the ice at Willard Bay was made because of the high unpredictability of the ice there. The South Marina does not have predictable ice thicknesses because of the water inflow there and many other areas within Willard Bay are weakened by "warm -water" springs. Basically it was determined that Willard Bay has a higher probability of safety concerns than other water bodies that have ice fishing.
I plan to get with our current administrative staff and re-examine this policy to ensure the current restrictions make sense. If any changes need to be made, we will need to get them approved by the State Parks Board.
[signature]