History
Valley County Grooming Program has approximately 500 miles of groomed trails. The program grooms in Valley, Adams, Idaho, and Gem Counties. It ranges from the Smiths Ferry area in the south to Burgdorf, Secesh, and Warren in the north. From Landmark and Deadwood in the east to Lost Valley Reservoir and Price Valley in the west, as well as all points in between. Grooming is done on private land, Idaho Dept of Lands property, Payette National Forest, and Boise National Forest. It can start as early as late November and go as late as mid-April. There are 5 separate snowmobile clubs within the grooming program area.
The grooming program is supported 100% by tag fees that snowmobile owners pay to Idaho Dept of Parks and Recreation(IDPR). In general, there are no county tax dollars utilized by the grooming program.
All snowmobiles in the state of Idaho are required to purchase a “certificate of number”, or tag through IDPR. When this “certificate of number” is purchased there is a declaration made by the purchaser as to area of the state they prefer to have their fee dollars go to. Each county of the state is considered a separate area with a unique number. Valley County is Area 43 but is also broken into multiple sub-areas due to the size of the program. Example: 43A(Valley County north), 43B(Valley County south),43C(Valley County East), 43D(Valley County/Cougar Mtn).
McCall and Donnelly areas are funded by 43A dollars. These 43A funds support the grooming of over 200 miles of trails. This also includes the snow removal at 5 different parking lot along with the maintenance, fuel, and operator wages for 4 different grooming machines, not to mention the maintenance and upkeep of 2 grooming sheds. There are no county tax dollars utilized to support the snowmobile grooming program.
In 2017, In order to estimate the economic importance of snowmobiling in Idaho, the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) contracted with the Department of Economics at Boise State University to perform a study of snowmobiling on a county-by-county basis and statewide. The information was gathered utilizing information from the 2015-2016 winter
season. The study produced some eye opening information. For the state as a whole, the 18,023 households that owned one or more snowmobiles spent approximately $197.5million. Valley, Fremont and Ada Counties were the top 3 counties in terms of total spending. Ada County experienced $22.1 million, Fremont County (Island Park area)experienced $25.4 million, and
Valley County experienced $32.8 million. Where Ada County’s financial input was due to initial purchases of snowmobiling equipment and supplies, the other 2 county’s results were due to lodging, meals, fuel, and other purchases in which to enjoy the experience. By utilizing projected numbers for upcoming seasons it was determined that Valley County could easily experience an annual economic impact of $37 million, or more. So, as you can see the sport of snowmobiling contributes greatly to the local economy. More than one might realize.
On any given winter weekend it is not uncommon to have all of the McCall area snowmobile parking lots completely full. This consists of approximately 400+ vehicles. With every vehicle averaging at least 2 riders that puts over 800 snowmobiles a day on our trail system. As mentioned earlier, in the northern portion of the county we have approximately 200 of our 500 miles of trail.
Currently, the McCall area has 4 different snowmobile rental companies. CM Backcountry, Mountain Meadows, and Brundage Mountain all offer sled rentals along with guide services while Cheap Thrills offers only sled rentals.
The local McCall Snowmobile Club is active in the McCall Area Winter Recreation Forum. The club has been a viable partner in the organization since it’s inception in 1997. This is when the Payette Forest Supervisor, at that time, advised Brundage Mtn leadership and the local and state snowmobile leadership, along with local business owners, to work together toward the establishment and boundaries of Brundage’s Cat-ski areas along with a high-elevation snowmobile parking area. Out of this collaboration came the current Granite Mtn Closure decision for cat-skiing and the Gordon Titus Snowmobile Parking Area. After all these years, even with several other entities joining the forum, the main goal of the organization has always been the enhancement and success of winter recreation as a whole in the McCall Area. It was the Winter Recreation Forum that put together the “4-Rs” for initiating the attitude of working
together through mutual respect.
RESPECT OTHER USERS • RESPECT REGULATIONS • RECREATE SAFELY • RESIST THE URGE
The club has been supportive of the Payette Avalanche Center, along with the Friends of the PAC, with helping set up an “avalanche beacon training park”. The club also has several “avalanche beacon testers” at different trailheads which verify that one’s beacon is transmitting. The club currently has 2 warming/safety shelters on the Payette Forest that are located along a couple of the main trails within the system. One is located at the Hard Lake Trailhead on the Hazard Lake Road and one is located along Warren Wagon Road near the North Fork Meadow area which is just north of Upper Payette Lake. These 2 shelters are maintained with firewood and are permitted as temporary facilities. They are on wheels
and are moved in and out of the forest at the beginning and end of each winter season.
For over 10 years the McCall Club has hosted a barbecue for disabled veterans at the Francis Wallace Grooming Shed. A VA representative puts together disabled veterans with chaperone snowmobilers with extra sleds so that a veteran can experience the thrill of riding a snowmobile.
The McCall Snowmobile Club has a program called “Adopt-a-Trail” in which businesses, and folks personally, can donate to a separate fund which is used exclusively to financially assist the grooming program north of McCall. This is a particular destination area within the grooming program and is used extensively by back country riders(boondockers), property owners, and business owners. It is definitely one of the most utilized trails of the grooming program. This area includes Burgdorf, Secesh Cabin Area, Warren, and the South Fork of the Salmon River Cabin Area.
A couple of the back country areas that are great to visit are the Cary Dome and War Eagle Lookouts. This program has been utilized to financially assist with additional fuel purchases as well as repairs to groomers such as final drive replacements, track replacements, and major engine repairs. Most of the time these repairs are in the $6k-$10k range. This way grooming seasons are not cut short due to finances. In a nutshell, this hopefully explains the significance and benefits of snowmobiling in Valley County.