[upthesaukee]

...even if it by relatively few riders.

Riding along Rte 11 in New Durham, that trail has signs all along to stay on the trail.

Riders ride up and down hills on the side of the trails, trampling vegetation, run over and around fields in the Valley Rd area, and further east.

Last year, a rider left Rand Hill Rd (town had given permission to use a section of the road due a change in landowner for part of the D trail) and made a loop through private property, running over natural bushes (as opposed to planted bushes), and the landowner reported it to the town. Almost lost the use of the road over it, and this year's use is pretty much predicated on no problems being reported.

Worst case I have personally seen was about 5 years ago. My wife and I snowshoe, and we broke a trail off our property to a nearby snowmobile trail. We had used it a lot, but always walking in the same track. We sat in our living room one afternoon, and heard a couple of snowmobiles, which was not unusual. However, they got louder and louder, until we saw them coming up our leach field into our front yard. They apologized and said they thought they were following a trail. I told them that they had just run over my leach field and to go across our lawn to the street to get back to the trail. Fortunately, no damage. We put some sticks across the "trail" and accessed the trail from a different, and hopefully less obvious spot.

As others have indicated, it seems that a few people will pay a license fee, and they feel they are entitled to do as they damn well please. You see it snowmobiling, boating, hiking, fishing, etc.

Hopefully, those who break the rules will get caught, and perhaps there will be some enhanced penalties to make them think twice about putting their own selfish interests above the rules that are made for all participants.

End of rant.

PS. I don't snowmobile anymore, but have allowed access for a trail to be built through our back woods to aid in the continuation of the D trail on Rand Hill Rd.