With state-designated snowmobile trails set to open Dec. 1 – trail grooming occurs when there is enough snow on the ground – now is a good time to prep for the season, starting with purchasing your snowmobile trail permit.

Michigan is home to 6,100-plus miles of DNR-designated snowmobile trails, public roads and public lands (only where riding is authorized).

Did you know that nearly 1,900 private landowners allow use of their land to create the trails network? Their generosity allows the DNR to offer trails that connect communities and bring snowmobilers to places of interest that otherwise wouldn’t be available to them.

“We’re incredibly grateful to these property owners and their partnerships with their local snowmobile clubs,” said Ron Yesney, U.P. trails coordinator for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division. “It’s important for all of us to give thanks to these landowners and to remember to be respectful of the land, wherever we ride.”

Keep in mind this ride-related info:

• Your?$52 snowmobile trail permit?is valid for one year, which begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30 of the following year. Buy permits online through?eLicense?(your sticker will be mailed within seven to 10 days) or the?Michigan Snowmobile and ORV Association?(which processes permit orders daily Monday through Friday) or in person at DNR license agents and dealers.

• Always Ride Right: Ride sober, ride at safe speeds and ride on the right side of the trail. Get more tips at Michigan.gov/RideRight.
• Residents must also?register snowmobiles with the Michigan Secretary of State?(unless sleds are used solely on private property). Registration is good for three years, and those registration dollars support the purchase of easements, law enforcement on trails and safety education.

• The snowmobile program is 100% funded by trail permit and registration dollars that are directly reinvested into the program to benefit snowmobilers. The funds pay for grooming, signage, maintenance, bridge and culvert construction, purchase of new equipment, liability insurance, maintenance of trailhead amenities (signage, bathrooms, plowing of parking lots) and other snowmobile-related expenditures.

• Remember that some snowmobile trails may not be open Dec. 1 due to trail conditions or other factors such as in-progress maintenance projects or landowners wanting solitude during the muzzleloading deer hunting season, which takes place Dec. 5-14. Know before you go by checking the DNR’s closures webpage.

Learn more at Michigan.gov/Snowmobiling. Questions? Contact Ron Yesney at 906-228-6561.?