This kind of destruction at McLean was not caused by responsible OHV users. For the most part, ATVs don't have a wide enough wheel stance to fit into many of the ruts. Generally ATVs don't have wide enough and large enough diameter tires to carve out these massive ruts. ATVs can't even climb up out of many of these ruts, period.

Some of the nicest trails at McLean have been utterly ruined this summer by irresponsible OHV users. Irresponsible ATV use can be destructive, but it would appear to me, personally, that the dramatic increase in other kinds of less benign off highway vehicles using McLean, after being rather forced out of IG and Ghost/Waiparous, is having the effect of essentially devastating this entire single OHV use area.

It's like McLean is the OHV sacrificial lamb.

I can't wait for winter riding when these horrid scars are hidden beneath snow and ice.

Thats one of the reasons why I cant stand going there, these ruts are murder on a quad.. virtually impassable.. Unfortunately the bad side to that is a quad has to cut around this stuff to make it through damaging areas off the path.

These bogs will only get bigger and deeper, which will force them to go around and create a bigger and wider rut like the one in pic 4.

These guys should go back at the end of the year with a bunch of dump trucks full of dirt and start filling these in at the end of the year prior to winter closure.. I know im speaking from one side of the fence but its the side of the fence Im on. Come winter time and the quad guy goes over this when its covered in snow its like a death trap..

MeYammy wrote:

It's like McLean is the OHV sacrificial lamb.

I agree with this statement, Im seeing more and more trucks at Mclean, and it probalbly the smallest area making the impact on the trail very noticeable. It is also quickly becoming my least favorite area to ride.

Everybody knows that if you cut the trails in one area, use will increase in another. Ohhh except our government. Not to mention atv use in this province has probably doubled. They should be increasing areas if anything. If there was oil under there..... well you know what would happen.

Later
Molsondrinkr

The area in the last pic. We were down there about two weeks ago and there was a line up of about 5 huge jeeps that were bombing through there. It was pretty sad to see, this is a great activity i just don't understand why people can't enjoy this park on an atv sxs or a dirt bike instead of pounding the guts out of their truck jeep etc....

I thought that trucks and jeeps were not allowed at McLean anymore? I was out there on the weekend and saw a few still. I agree the area is getting wrecked!

" I knew it was bad but I had no idea it was that bad." Anybody want to bet weight restrictions go in at McClean Creek?

We called this last year. Not surprised at all.

SD90 wrote:

I thought that trucks and jeeps were not allowed at McLean anymore? I was out there on the weekend and saw a few still. I agree the area is getting wrecked!

Quite the opposite. It was Indian Graves area where the weight restrictions came in just before the Canada Day long weekend. No restrictions at McLean, which is why it is being wrecklessly devastated from concentrated over-use and abuse by heavier big wheeled OHVs.

Next will be trail closures and a management plan after the area is wrecked in stead of before. Typical Tory reactive measures.

IMO Maclean has been a mess for years (which is why I rarely go there except for winter) so I'll be surprised if they jump on it now. I was always under the impression that it was basically an offroad park and pretty much anything goes. Its always seemed to me to be the sacrificial lamb, as MeYammy puts it. Maybe it was cleaned up at some point but those pictures could have been taken years ago.

Those pictures above were taken on Friday, August 24, 2007.

It has received very little by way of attention and clean up. Any efforts to fill in the huge holes etc... would be fruitless because it would take mere days to trench them out again so long as it remains a free-for-all OHV use area.

Just my opinion but you cant ride an atv and complain about another form of motorized vehicle doing damage. It goes both ways. Everyone does damage and unfortunately the only way to cure it is to get every individual to respect the area. That isnt going to happen. Too many yaahoos out there vs the people that get out a repair trails. There is an area out at cadomin I helped with a long time ago when I was helping with Jeep Jamboree. We built some bridges accross and area that was going to get closed down. At that time is was the quads doing the damage. They couldnt make it across the mud so they kept going further out around it. Soon that trail got too muddy so they made a new one and so on. It went out more then 100' in either direction around the first hole.

I saw pictures while we were building the bridges. They had been taken about 5-6 years prior in the same spot. There was a small mud hole and the spot looked like an ordinary cut line. Big change from what it had turned out to be. The area has grown in alot since then and I imagine looks good now.

My point is simple. Dont throw stones when you live in a glass house. All I have in this post is that point. I dont have a solution.

Actually you did Keith, the solution is to respect nature and to do as little damage as possible. There is a big difference between going for a ride in the bush and looking for a place to rip up. Since I bought my first 4X4 I quit sneaking around mudholes. If the holes are in the trail I ride thru them Even pack a shovel from time to time to fill some back in. Somewhere though somebody has to take the lead and say hey guys it's to wet to cross let's turn back and go somewhere drier.Bigger tires and stronger winches isn't the answer. Timmie if Mc is gonna be the truck park then so be it. We'll let ya ride out at G/W, Burnt Timber or places North.

Sorry Tim, I wasn't doubting when you took the pictures I was trying to say that out at Maclean, there's been areas that looked like that for years now.