Date of Report: December 14, 2022
Area Report:
Winter ATV Trail Use:
All official Washburn County ATV trails are considered open to year round use, with the exception of the spring closure from April 1 through the first Friday before Memorial Weekend.
Most snowmobile trails, on Washburn County Forest lands, are open for motor vehicle use under 900 pounds from December 1 through April 1. This means that ATV’s are permitted on snowmobile trails that are not on private lands, during the winter months. UTV’s are allowed on these same trails ONLY during non-groomed conditions. The Washburn County portion of the Wild Rivers Trail and the rail grade to Shell Lake are now open for UTV use during snow groomed conditions; these are the only trails open to UTV use once trail grooming is commenced. Please note that the April 1 closure is flexible, trails may close earlier depending on conditions.
Land use agreements with private landowners for snowmobile trails do not permit the use of ATV’s at any time of the year.