Thursday, March 14, 2019

Come Ride With Us In Pennsylvania

I've been riding in the dirt now for nearly 50 years. Up to just a few short years ago, my entire life has been spent riding on two wheels or covering two wheeled competition events as a moto journalist.



Over 60 club members participated in our recent Hobo Soup Ride at Bloody Skillet

Most recently however our family has discovered the fun and adventure in OHV or UTV / ATV riding, especially in what I call "destination riding". It takes me back to my child hood where you could just open the garage door and go, the days gone by where you could spend a day riding and actually go somewhere, can anybody else relate?

Last year we joined and got involved with the Central Mountains ATV Association and I'm so glad we did. I became aware of this group due to my event coverage work in the Motorcycle and ATV industry and I knew they were making great strides in helping “open up” riding areas in the state of Pennsylvania and we wanted to learn more about that.

It was here that we did our first "destination riding" in many years and we were hooked instantly.


Our first long distance ride with the group on New Years Eve - 2018

Our first big journey with the group took place New Year’s Eve of 2018 when we covered 90 miles in three-degree weather to ring in the new year. We departed the Quiet Oaks Campground in Clinton County at 7 pm that night, stopped for dinner at Debs Cross Fork Inn and ended up riding in three different Pennsylvania counties before we returned to our cabin rental to thaw out by midnight- what a blast, literally.

Last Labor Day weekend we wanted to introduce more of our family to the experience, so we invited our daughter and her son along who celebrated his 7th birthday with his first side by side ride in the great outdoors of Potter County Pa that is also known as Gods Country.

Our destination ride wasn't as long that weekend as it is on some others. Number one we were introducing a young seven-year-old to his first off road experience, and number two, he knew there were gifts waiting for him back at the cabin. 


Riding with the family last Labor Day weekend in Potter County.

From our location at the Potter County Family Campground we could have picked a few different destinations to travel too but as I mentioned on this day we were out for a short trip. We loaded up our Yamaha Wolverine X4 and headed for Lyman Run State Park.

There are over 40 miles of trails between the campground and the State Park where you and your family could spend the day doing any number of great family outdoor activities. The park offers swimming from a sandy beach, canoe rentals, fishing, hiking, a snack bar and the best part, it's available from any number of locations from around a tri county area in your OHV vehicle.

As I mentioned we could have chosen many directions that weekend to ride. We could have headed north towards Genesee and the NY State line, we could have headed east and enjoyed a great dinner at any number of good restaurants in Tioga County or we could have headed further south from Lyman Lake towards Cross Forks in Clinton County. 

www.cmatva.org

Click Here  to get more info or to join the fun.


As a matter of fact with the Fiscal codes that Governor Wolf has recently signed by spring of 2020 we’ll have a connector trail in Renovo, Pa that connects the Bloody Skillet to the Whiskey Springs State Trail system and by spring of 2024 law dictates that the DCNR and Penn Dot need to work together to have legal trail from Clinton County the whole way to the NY State Line. Even as we speak many townships upstate are opening their areas to OHV riding to help bolster their economies which is great news for us.

As these different groups work together our trail system continues to grow. At this printing we have very close to 700 miles of legal riding in central to upstate Pa and within the next five years that mileage will double.

As you can see the fun is endless here and there is nothing like getting your family out in nature to leave the hustles and bustles of daily living behind. Please subscribe to our blog or our newsletter at: www.brappmag.com if you'd like to learn more and keep up with the many Outdoorz adventures that we plan to embark on.  

You can also check out the North Central ATV Initiative at:

http://cmatva.org/nv/index.php/ncpa-initiative for more info and detailed riding maps.


http://cmatva.org/nv/index.php/ncpa-initiative

Click Here  to see maps for riding locations in Pennsylvania



After we arrived home from our trip, I asked a young man who celebrated his 7th birthday in the Pa Wilds what his favorite part of the weekend was. I was expecting this gift or that, maybe the Foxes Pizza we found in Galeton or the new friends he played tag with from the cabin next door.
Nope, it was none of that - he simply said, riding the side by side pap.


One of our monthly group rides - this one was summer 2018 at the AOAA


www.cmatva.org

Click the link below the above image to get more details on the CMATVA


About the Central Mountains ATV Association (CMATVA):

CMATVA is a 1700 plus member not for profit association who is always looking for new members interested in all the fun and excitement our club has to offer. We are a group dedicated to help provide and protect riding areas in our state and beyond. We ride twice a month every month and we would love to have you join us. Come ride with us and never ride alone again.

Our Mission Statement
1.)   Abide by Federal, State, Local Laws and Ordinances.
2.)   Promote A fraternal Spirit among All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) riders and other outdoor enthusiasts.
3.)   Promote the development and enhancement of ATV Riding Trails for the Benefit of all ATV riders.
4.)   Help Development of Tourism in Pennsylvania Wilds by developing programs and working with both the community and state leaders.
5.)   Defend ATV’ers against discriminatory legislation, regulations and unfair taxation by working with legislators.
6.)   Provide a medium for the Exchange of information and ideas among ATV Enthusiasts.
7.)   Provide sources of ATV Training and Education for both young and old enthusiasts as well as the general public.
8.)   Promote and support the preservation and protection of our natural resources through responsible ATV riding.
9.)   Make donations to and support local area causes/charities as deemed appropriate.

10.) Operate as a non-profit organization with no portion of the net profits benefiting any individual member.

Please find more info or join the association at: www.cmatva.org 

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2 comments:

  1. Is there any printed maps of the trails that are open ? If so how can i get a copy ? Thanks. I know they opened the roads by my camp . Just wondering how far we can ride from there

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Jesleh, thanks for reaching out. You can get printed maps at any of the DCNR forestry stations for the state ATV trails. THE CMATVA has maps posted on their website of all the township roads etc that are open but I don't think they supply those anywhere other than at their rides. There should be a contact button on their website at: www.cmatva.org you may want to reach out to them as well. I think that as we elvolve as a club those kinds of things will become available. Happy Trails

    ReplyDelete

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