This page is for trail riding tips. Signage, trail placement, do’s and don’ts, etc.
Stay on the trails, especially in towns. We have seen people trying to ride in towns like Solon and Shueyville off the assigned routes. This is not appreciated by the residents and the city will react.
Link to Iowa State Laws that govern snowmobiling
When riding over concrete or asphalt please be careful not to spin your track – especially with studs. Leaving marks after the snow melts is an easy way for the towns or residents to justify the eliminating of snowmobiling on these routes. This light surface damage may not seem important to you but is often referenced in city council meetings and is often effective in closing trails.
Please be especially careful in North Libery as new concrete bike paths have been built.
When ditch riding always assume the driveway you are about to cross has a culvert in the middle of it. Signs sometimes get knocked down by snowplows or fellow sledders and the tube may not be marked. Swing to one side or the other to go over it.
Here is an example of what not to do when crossing a road. The trail is in blue.
There is a No Snowmobile sign clearly posted so sleds do not go into the field.
Sleds had been blazing across the road, overshooting the turn into the ditch and just running out into the field where the red line is. This is wrong. Control your machine or STAY HOME.
This is the correct way to cross. Sleds crossed and stayed on the trail. They did not overshoot or drive up on the side hill. Well done.
Classic example of a sled not watching for signage or riding too fast and loose. The red arrow shows the direction they went. The red circle shows where the sign marking the culvert was until they ran it over. The sled had to have hit the concrete, stopped, then burned out up over the hill. They then set the sign leaning against the culvert and went on their way. The blue line shows where the trail is. The picture was taken while the post was being replaced.
This trail ran further up last year but due to high water and a damaged bridge the trail had to be moved. This is clearly a closed trail yet several sleds went arround the barricade and went where it was last year. The blue is the trail. The red is wrong!
A closer view. You can see they clearly hit the concrete block that was hidden by the snow shown by the green arrow. Riding past barricades and No Snowmobile signs is wrong and can be very dangerous. DO NOT DO IT.
