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Local businesses are losing money because of less visiters willing to pay the fees. They are hurting our communitee. Less visiters = Less money

EFFECTIVE    1 OCTOBER, 2007


This is the offical Ocala National Forest website with the fees and rules

http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/florida/recreation/ocala_ohv.shtml

Ok, Now some of the local businesses are seeing the effects from the fees and less people wanting to come and visit the area now. The fees are making the local businesses lose money.

Lisa, what can I do to help out!!! I Work god Awfull hours but I would like to look to see if I can help you, not ONFA, to stand for what we truly deserve. Please give me a Web Address or something, because I don't want to go through the ONFA forum to talk to your organization. Thankyou. ---OUTLAW---

Ok, the rules and regulations state that if a road is not marked consider it closed. Now here is a twist in the minds of all that is trying to understand and keep up with all of the rules and regulations. The forestry service is marking all the roads that are closed on the Norwalk area leaving supposably open roads unmarked. Thus, the rules state that if a road is unmarked consider it closed. So, what do we do? I think they are just trying to confuse people so they can ticket them. I think it is just all about the money and that is it. I think it was pretty sorry that they started inforcing these rules in the middle of hunting season too, when people had taken their tree stands in the woods by vehicle. Now they have to carry it out by foot or get a ticket. I know alot of you don't hunt, but this is something we hunter's used our atv's for also. Now, we can't take our atvs or our licensed vehicle off the "designated trails" so people are going to be piled up hunting also. I've been running these woods for 27 years and am now ashamed to say I live in the forest and still can't ride my atv or my licesed vehicle thru the woods from my house.

As of today, posts are in all along the east side of the pit, seperating it from FR 88.  DO NOT ride on FR 88. Putham County Sheriff's deputies would love to give tickets, along with Forest Service LEO's.  Also, be very careful in the pit,  there are some very big donut holes all over it, and last weekend, someone who was racing in the pit was seriously injured.  Remember, this pit is not really open, as the environmentalists would not let it be included in phase I as they do not want any problems if they ever get the dam torn down and need to use the pit to put the material in.  Any excuse could lead to its closing.

Yeah, well that solves my theory! All these people are doing is funneling the riders to a smaller condensed area. Before we were able to be spread out and not confined to such a small area. Now the trails and trail heads are going to be so full of riders that more accidents are going to happen and that will be their excuse to close it all down for good. They have a plan and these people know excactly what they are doing to get it closed down for good.

I want to know if we can park at the OHV center on forest road 88 where the grand opening of the trail system was held ? Also are there any other trailheads that do not charge to park ?

What you have to pay to park? Then they are going charge a fee to ride the trails in April?

Big Scrub is in Phase II and no trails have been designated.  The area is still open.  The area east of hwy 19 north of Salt Springs was in phase I.  Trails are designated, and if it is not marked as a trail or road, then considered closed.

There is nothing marked at all on this area. Some intersections in this area has the brown marker holders in the ground but no path explanation on them. I was wondering if something was planned in the near future.

I live in the ONF East of 19 and Delancy. I cannot even keep up with all the restrictions that are coming out lately. Does anyone know if riding trails in this area will be opened in the future. I also believe that access from the comunities to these trails should be opened. Alot of us have moved here just to have access to riding trails from our property. Now even the locals have to trailer their bikes and using your ATV to get to your hunting areas is pretty much out of the question.

This weekend FWC was fining several riders for riding in the area east of Delancy Unit on the other side of 19. There are no designated trail system in this area so I guess you are not allowed to ride there. They were also giving citations to licensed vehicles which were not on numbered roads. I have not seen anything that states that you are in violation for having a licensed vehicle off a numbered road but several people got citations for doing so. I feel this is taking it a little too far, especially for us that hunt. If there is any other information on this please reply.

Now don't get me wrong, my whole family and I LOVE ONF, but the marked trail system is a mess!  I took my boys to the ONF for 4 days of riding, we hit Delancy loops, LL, Pipeline, HV, and TP trails.  On the maps, they look like a continous trail, but inside they're all hacked up, with unmarked branches, and crosses, also areas where the trail is marked and splits into 2 trails(you have no idea which way to go)?  They're all whooped out....It was posted months ago that they had machines to take care of this?  The whoops were sooo much worse on the marked trails.  I really wanted to park the truck, go into the forest on one side of the street, follow the loop(like the map shows), and come out the other side.  Once on the trail you'll come to branches that are unmarked and have no idea which way to go.  I always have the GPS, but the map would lead someone to believe that you don't need one, and they could be lost for days.  A hint would be to find the whooped out trails, and chances are good that you'll be back on the marked trail system. 

Another question:  Why are the trails 2 ways?  Many times we almost got slammed at 40 by an oncomming quad or bike.  It was a little freaky knowing that at any min someone haulin azz around that blind corner could kill you or your kid.  At least on the unmarked trails there's less of a chance of a head on with another OHV.  With the marked trails you will encounter (many times) others haulin azz straight at you comming from the other direction.  Unfortunatly it's only a matter of time.  Tell everyone that they have to use these trails, in either direction....more riders...it's gonna happen, and more bad press.

This is going to be a big problem with the designated trail system. Riders now are confined to a lot smaller area to ride so more traffic in these areas will be a problem. It will probably end up being a reason for them to shut the ONF down at a later time. They will use the excuse that there are alot of ATV accidents in the forest to have a reason to close the trails more than likely. Be carefull because this trail system is causing a hazzard to us as riders.