Cancelled: DGATV Last Chance Club Ride (Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017)
Invitation to the Last Club Ride of the 2017 Season!
*** This ride is cancelled due to the arrival of winter 🙁 ***
Grey County has closed Harkaway Forest to ATVs effective October 15, 2017.
Riders, please respect our landowner agreement and keep your ATV out of the forest.
Your participation is crucial in keeping this tract available to us.
Harkaway Forest is expected to re-open June 22nd (in order to accommodate the turkey hunt).
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Ride Co-ordinator: Jamie Thurman, Events Co-ordinator
When: Saturday, September 16th, 2017 – 9:00am registration / 10:00am ride
Where/Parking: CP Trail Parking Lot, 205 Main St. W., Markdale. For more information re: parking, click here.
Be ready to ride at the Markdale CP Rail Trail parking lot (County Road 12 west of Markdale) at 10am (registration 9am). This is a flash ride thrown together by our keen riders to enjoy the trails simply and without much ado. No promises, no formality, just riding.
Trail Route: A mix of public and private properties including the rail trail and some road running.
Participants: This ride is open to OFATV/EOTA members and non-members. A day pass for non-members cost $20. Memberships ($150) and day passes will be available for purchase.
Two-up riding is allowed, and side-by-sides will be accommodated.
For young operators, aged 12 to 16, the ATV should be sized appropriately for the child’s weight. The child must be accompanied by an adult on the trail. Legally, the child cannot ride on the road without a valid Ontario driver’s license (G2/M2). DGATV does not condone young operators riding on the roads.
Other: As with any ride, it is advisable to dress appropriately and have extra fuel, drinking water, snack, drinks, rain gear, bug spray, basic repair tools, bandaids, compass, map and cell phone on hand. Note that there may not be cell service in the area.
We look forward to seeing you on the trail and hope you have a great ride!
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Dufferin Grey ATV Club’s (DGATV) southern trail starts in Orangeville running 110km north to just beyond Chatsworth. The main backbone of the trail is the former CP rail line, known as the CP Trail, which travels through Dufferin County in the south and Grey County in the north. There are many offshoot loops particularly in the north where trails have been longer established.
The rail trail starts at County Road 16 just above Broadway. You will see signs saying DGATV/OFATV maintained trail. It is unfortunate that DGATV does not have a parking area in Orangeville at this time.
Where Jim Brown Trucking (JBT) had provided us with the use of a corner of their property in the past, circumstances have changed and the property is no longer available. Please respect our arrangement with the company because we appreciated their participation in the past and the future is as yet unwritten. If you know of a land owner/property in the area that may be good for parking, please inform DGATV’s Executive. We’d be happy to come to an arrangement.
A permit is required for all DGATV trails as a member associated with the Ontario Federation of ATV Clubs (OFATV). The rail line is limited to straddled ATVs; no side-by-sides at this time as per land owner (Dufferin County in the south, Grey County in the north) policies.
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The Canadian Off-Highway Vehicle Distributors Council (COHV), formerly the Canadian All-Terrain Vehicle Distributors Council (CATV), founded in 1984, is a national, nonprofit, trade association representing the responsible interests of the major ATV, off-highway motorcycle and recreational off-highway vehicle (ROV) manufacturers, distributors and retail outlets of OHV related products and services. The member companies of the COHV account for over 90 percent of all the new OHVs sold in Canada.
The COHV sponsored an independent study of the impact of ATVs and ROVs on the Canadian economy. They found that Canadians spent $6.9 billion on direct activities involving ATVs and ROVs in 2015.
That’s a lot of money. That kind of money gives ATVing and ROVing credibility when it comes to establishing trails for tourism. Talk to your local government representatives, ask for better ATV/Side-by-side trails, and make sure they see this article.