- Utah rangers report cars on snowmobile trails due to low snow levels.
- Vehicles over 800 pounds create hazards by getting stuck or creating dangerous ruts.
- Rangers urge the public to avoid trails; violators face citations and legal actions.
PARK CITY — State law enforcement officers called for safety in Utah's outdoors Monday, saying the lack of snow has led drivers to take their cars and SUVs onto groomed snowmobiling trails, creating unexpected hazards.
Red signs that read "no wheeled vehicle over 800 lbs." were posted near multiple trail entrances Monday at the Soapstone Complex off the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway. Despite this, forest ranger Riese Lutz said, that was one area of concern recently, along with other snowmobiling hot spots in Wasatch County.
"Because we have such little snow levels right now, people are seeing these trails that are usually groomed by the groomers," Lutz explained during an interview with KSL. "There have been individuals taking wheeled vehicles in excess of 800 pounds on the groomed trails."
Lutz said the problem is that those vehicles often get stuck farther along the trail, or they create ruts that can be dangerous to snowmobilers.
"That creates a hazard for snowmobilers if there's a car in the middle of a groomed snowmobile trail," Lutz said. "Also, the ruts that they're creating on their way to getting stuck can alter the path of the snowmobile as it's going. A ski can catch one of those ruts and throw a rider off, and create hazards and accidents for snowmobile users on the trail."
Lutz acknowledged the lack of snow has made it a "crazy" winter.
"A typical winter would probably see 3 to 5 feet of snow at this elevation," he said. "I've been out on the boat in February more than I've been out on a snowmobile, so it's been a strange year for sure."
He said the message from rangers is simple.
"We would like to urge the public not to bring their wheeled vehicles in excess of 800 pounds on the groomed trails," Lutz said.
According to Lutz, state law enforcement officers are actively citing drivers for this type of behavior, and he said they would even pursue offenses and complaints after the incident.
He urged people to record vehicle makes and models and license plate numbers when possible. That information could be passed along via the state's UTiP hotline at 800-662-3337 or via anonymous text to 847-411.
