Can You Ride an ATV on Snowmobile Trails? State Rules, Trail Damage, and Why Track Kits May Not Help

Snowmobiles and ATVs are both great for traveling backcountry, getting into rugged areas cars can't reach, and having fun outdoors. Need to take extra caution when riding though. Even motorsports legends aren't immune from accidents, like when Hoonigan Industries co-founder Ken Block was killed in a snowmobile crash at just 55.

Before heading down the trail, keep an eye on how it's designated or you could get in trouble with authorities. Some backwoods tracks are classified as shared-use and permit both ATVs and snowmobiles, though it might depend on local conditions. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says trails in St. Croix State Forest are among those allowing ATVs on snowmobile routes but only when temperatures drop to 30 degrees or lower.

Way more common to find four-wheelers banned from most snowmobile trails though. In New York and Maine it's generally illegal and if caught you could face fines or worse. Not just snowmobile trails you need to avoid on a quad in some areas. Riding an ATV to a gas station in Ohio could get you fined, and the store clerks too. But what's the big deal if other off-road vehicles use a snowmobile trail?

Why Snowmobilers Don't Want Your ATV

Creating a proper snowmobile path takes serious work. Fallen trees and debris must continually be cleared, areas graded or leveled, trail bridges repaired, among tons of other ongoing projects. That's just for an already-existing route. Brand-new trail includes clearing land and coordinating with property owners plus state and national governments.

According to The American Council of Snowmobile Associations, North America has around 230,000 miles of maintained snowmobile trails developed by passionate volunteer groups working with government. Whole lot of hard labor keeping these trails navigable and safe for snowmobiles.

When ATVs go tearing through these dedicated routes they create deep grooves that destroy the trail surface. Requires even more volunteer hours and effort to correct and level the uneven terrain. One poster on dootalk.com explained their frustration at ATVs and UTVs on snowmobile trails saying "they chew the crap out of them and then we need 4x as much snow to fix the holes." Which is a shame because riding Ski-Doo snowmobiles kicks ass.

What About ATVs with Track Conversion Kits?

Obviously one of the biggest differences between an ATV and snowmobile is one moves on wheels while the other has a large track. But there are mods available that replace your quad wheels with tracks. Could put your ATV in a different category right? Maybe those snowmobile trails won't be off limits after the ATV gets a set of tracks?

Not so fast. In New York even if your quad's running tracks instead of wheels the state still considers it an ATV and using a snowmobile trail is still illegal. New York isn't alone. Minnesota also has rules on the books about track-equipped ATVs. According to Minnesota conservation officer Mathew S. Miller per the Duluth News Tribune, "The legal definition of a snowmobile states that the machine must be 'originally manufactured and designed for travel on snow steered by skis or runners.'"

Might be for the best since these track kits have downsides. Entry price for a kit is around $2,700 and goes up from there. Plus they can put more strain on the vehicle.