Off-highway vehicle trail rides new to Septemberfest

RANGELY I New this year at Septemberfest, off-highway vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts will have two opportunities to tour some of the trails around Rangely. Locals Brad and Michelle Casto and Jeff and Rebecca Rector have organized the events on Saturday and Sunday and will serve as guides to some of the best scenery and OHV rides in the western part of the county.

“You will need an OHV of some kind, and want to have a good time and look at some really great views,” Casto said via email. “The rally is free. Just show up.”
Participants should meet at the baseball fields at Elks Park around 9:30 a.m. Saturday and/or Sunday. The rides will begin around 10 a.m.
“We have four trails that we are going to ride on,” Casto said. “They range from 20-70 mile loops.”
According to Casto, creating awareness of what the Rangely area has to offer OHV enthusiasts is one of the goals of the event.
“I feel this is another piece of the economic puzzle that we as a county and town need to jump on to create dollars getting spent in our area,” Casto wrote. “We need to feel proud of what we have and be proud to show it off to the people that want to come see it.”
He thanked the Western Rio Blanco Metropolitan Recreation and Parks District, the Rangely Recreation Center, and county staff for their help and support.
“This would not be possible if it wasn’t for the Rec Center and all the work the county did on this,” he stated, and encouraged area residents to call or write the BLM about area roads and trails.
“They are in the middle of doing their travel management plan for our area. The BLM could be making some big changes if people don’t get involved and make their voices heard. They (BLM) are going to be down in Rangely on Sept. 8 doing some tours for open area riding. Please come if you can,” Casto wrote.
The BLM’s White River Field Office has released for public review preliminary alternatives that designate which areas within the field office jurisdiction would be open to cross-country motorized and mechanized use, which would be limited to designated routes, and which would be closed to motorized and mechanized vehicles. More information, including maps, how to comment, and public meetings and field tours can be found at eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/planAndProjectSite.do?methodName=dispatchToPatternPage&currentPageId=91436 . Public comments are requested before Sept. 30.
Participants in the Septemberfest OHV rides should meet at the baseball fields at Elks Park around 9:30 a.m. Saturday and/or Sunday. The rides will begin around 10 a.m.
All participating OHVs must be registered in Colorado.