Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Funds ATV Training Track

The southeastern Idaho town of Blackfoot has recently become one of only a handful of ATV safety training tracks in the state. The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation provided funding to the city earlier this spring to renovate an abandoned and run- down BMX track.

The state of Idaho requires all ATV riders under the age of 16 to take an ATV hands-on drivers safety course. Many ATV clubs and organizations provide the required safety training courses for their members.

According to Blackfoot’s Parks and Recreation supervisor Scott Hays, the training track features plenty of dirt and hills similar to the type of terrain that ATV riders will encounter in this area. The new training track will accommodate all types of ATV vehicles and the skill levels of most riders. The track also features a water gun so that the track can be wetted down to cut back on blowing dirt and that more improvements on the track are in the works.

“Plans are underway to build a 6-foot vinyl fence around the area by this fall,” Hays said. “We’ll also build a small shelter close by so that there will be a place to fill out paperwork.”

Blackfoot Mayor Mike Virtue said the proposition from the state to build the training track in Blackfoot was a “win-win”situation for everyone and that the track will be a great asset to the city’s recreational facilities, providing a unique opportunity for ATV enthusiasts throughout Eastern Idaho.

More than 1000 miles of recreation trails for motorized ATVs and mountain bikes are within the public lands of Southeast Idaho. Blackfoot is only an hour way from St. Anthony Sand Dunes, one of the best sand riding areas in the United States; and less than 2 hours from Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.

The St. Anthony Sand Dunes consists of more than 11,000 acres of clear, shifting, white quartz sand dunes up to 400 feet high that move about eight feet each year. They are unique in that the dunes support a high amount of exceptional off-road vehicle use on open dunes inside a wilderness study area, attracting riders from all over the West. Learn more about Southeastern Idaho’s ATV trails.

myatvblog

I have been riding motorcycles since I was 9 years old. I bought my first ATV in 1984. I have been an addict ever since.

I have also been active in Utah's Jeep/Off road communities since 1993.