This is an off-highway vehicle (OHV) success story in progress. And a prime example of how local governments can use the many NOHVCC “tools” and resources to build an OHV park in a large metropolitan area.
Oakland County, in southeast Michigan, is part of Metro Detroit, which has six counties and a population of more than 4 million. As in many states, a large number of owners of OHVs live in Michigan’s major metropolitan area, and must drive 3 to 4 hours to get to the nearest, designated trail system on public lands. But that will change in the near future.
Oakland County is moving forward to create an OHV park that will provide a new riding opportunity for enthusiasts of ATVs, side-by-sides, motorcycles and full-sized vehicles, including rail-built rigs and dune buggies. And judging by a recent county meeting, where more than 300 people showed up to support the project, they are very enthused enthusiasts.
“This area represents the core of OHV registrations statewide,” said Dan Stencil of the County Parks and Recreation Commission. “The population is largely in southeast Michigan. So this park will give enthusiasts the opportunity to spend a weekend or a week in the area. It’s located next to three major campgrounds, and it gives families an alternative to the long drive to northern Michigan.”
Discussions by Oakland County with local townships and state agencies to create an OHV park, and where to build it, have been ongoing for decades. The chosen location, 215 acres purchased by the Michigan DNR, consists of two sand and gravel operations along Interstate 75. “It’s been a challenge finding the location,” said Melissa Prowse, Supervisor of Planning and Resource Development. “People don’t want an OHV park in their backyard. So when this property came up, bordered by a highway, it was perfect.”
County Credits NOHVCC Workshop For Valuable Insights
In May, 2014, four Oakland County Park officials got in a car and drove 700 miles to attend a NOHVCC OHV Park Development Workshop, held in Fort Dodge, IA. They joined a large group of land managers, recreation planners, State Recreational Trail Program (RTP) committee members, trail builders and OHV enthusiasts from six states. Over the course of two days, they discussed the proper way to plan, design, construct, operate and maintain an OHV park that would provide a fun experience for riders and be sustainable economically and environmentally.
“Up until the workshop, I thought of trails as mini roads,” said Jon Noyes, Principal Planner with Oakland County Parks. “For the most part, that’s the way we’ve built trails in our area. But they aren’t meeting the needs of OHV riders.”
During the OHV Park Workshop, special emphasis was placed on the history and steps it took to build the nearby, 800-acre Gypsum City OHV Park, which today features 60 miles of trails, three motorcycle tracks and a campground, and is the largest and most popular of Iowa’s eight OHV parks. As luck would have it, the park, a former gypsum mine, was undergoing an expansion. Everyone attending the workshop was able to ride ATVs and ROVs (Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles, also called side-by-sides) on the new trail section prior to it opening, and observe on-the-ground application of the principles and practices discussed during the classroom sessions.
They watched first-hand as members of Trails Unlimited, an Enterprise Unit of the U.S. Forest Service, demonstrated how OHV trails are built, using a trail dozer and mini-excavator, following a route flagged by a professional trail designer. Many hadn’t witnessed trail construction prior to the workshop. They listened closely as professional trail builders explained the techniques and equipment they use to build trails, and the science behind trail construction they incorporate to create a fun riding experience, and at the same time shed water and minimize maintenance.
“The idea of working with the landscape, and with the folks who are building the trail, to make sure that what is being built is done with maintenance in mind, and the geology of the site, that blew me away,” said Noyes. “I was introduced to all of that for the first time at the workshop, and I can’t say enough about how important that was for our team’s evolution of thought on our OHV park project.”
A recurring theme throughout the workshop was the importance of developing partnerships to improve and expand OHV park recreation opportunities. The Gypsum City OHV Park in particular has many partners, at the city, county and state level, as well as local OHV clubs and the Iowa OHV Association. “They talked to us about how they sign the trails, the numbering system they use, even things like how to save money on the sign decals they ordered. All of that was very helpful to us,” said Noyes. “We were also able to speak with the recreation agencies about incorporating a campground into the site, with OHVs as a recreational amenity.”
Also helpful, adds Noyes, was the fact that they were able to ride the trails to experience the fun right along with the science of trail building. NOHVCC and ATV manufacturers provided vehicles and safety gear. “NOHVCC works with public recreation planners who might not be familiar with off-highway vehicles, or are as skilled in using them. So by providing that equipment and guides on the trail, that really introduced us to the experience that we’re hoping to provide to our guests.”
Oakland County is still in the planning stage for its OHV project. It is working on a partnership agreement with the Michigan DNR, planning stakeholder meetings, and brainstorming what to name the new OHV park. In the meantime, it is using knowledge gleaned from the OHV Park Development Workshop, the “Great Trails” guidebook and other NOHVCC “tools” to build an OHV park, and eventually add more family activities to create a major, outdoor adventure park that’s a true destination in the Detroit area.
Oakland County Parks held a demonstration at a nearby gravel pit, inviting OHV owners to show the public what a park could include. It hopes to have a soft opening of its OHV park later this year to introduce preliminary features to politicians and government agencies, and have the park open to the public sometime in 2019. Said Noyes, “We’re putting our best foot forward, and we’re going to grow over time. I’m confident we can make something pretty special out of this.”
