Klamath National Forest Off-Highway Vehicle-OHV Use - Northern California Hiking Trails

Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use of Klamath National Forest roads has been controversial, as it has been in other national forests. Hikers and OHV users don’t always get along.

My Sunday Post about Ken Decamp’s Redding Record-Searchlight opinion article about OHV abuses of trails in Shasta County and Trinity County generated several responses, pro and con.

Camp for Free in California National Forests

California’s national forests and BLM lands have thousands of miles of dirt roads with lots of spots for dispersed camping (boondocking). My book provides all the info you need to get started (but is not a guide to specific sites):

Researching the best locations
Finding the best camping spots
Backcountry safety and ethics
What to take

Buy it on Amazon
Buy it on Apple, Kobo, and Nook

Klamath National Forest Off-Highway Vehicle–OHV Use

Klamath National Forest is in the comment stage of creating its own plan for road use. The final day for comments is December 12. Here’s the complete text of the recent Klamath National Forest press release about off-highway vehicle–OHV use:

Travel managers on the Klamath National Forest have begun to receive comments on the Forest’s proposed action to make changes to the Forest’s transportation system. As a result of the interest shown in the Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), the Forest Supervisor has extended the comment period to December 12, 2008. Comments received before December 12, 2008 will help resource specialists to develop alternatives to the proposed action that will be included in the Draft EIS.

While extending the comment period, forest specialists have also created revised maps of the proposed action that are easier to read and more user-friendly. The project maps will be available for viewing at local libraries in Siskiyou County. Call your local library for hours, and to ensure that maps have arrived. Maps and tables describing the proposed action are also available for viewing at U. S. Forest Services offices in Yreka, Happy Camp, Macdoel, Fort Jones and Orleans. The NOI and associated maps and tables are on-line at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/klamath/projects/ohv/index.shtml Copies of the NOI will be provided upon request.

The proposed action prohibits motorized vehicle travel off designated National Forest System roads, trails and areas by the public except as allowed by permit or other authorization (excluding snowmobile use), in order to conform to the 2005 Travel Management Rule. This action will amend the Klamath NF Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP.) In addition, the proposed action adds some existing unauthorized routes to the National Forest System open to the public for motorized vehicle use.

Written comments may be sent to: Route Designation Team, Klamath NF, 1312 Fairlane Rd., Yreka, CA 96097. Electronic comments may be submitted to: comments-pacificsouthwest-klamath@fs.fed.us. Please put “Route Designation” in the subject line. For more information, or to request further updates about the route designation process, contact Emelia Barnum, project leader, phone: (530) 841-4470.