ORV licenses sold, but no trails built

Regarding the Reiter Trails question, what to do with all these off-road folks looking for a place to ride in Snohomish or even King County. (Jan. 18 article, “Reiter Foothills trail work delayed, frustrating off-road riders.”)

When Everett Powersports or other stores sell their products, some of these folks ask, “Say, where can we legally ride this thing?” The seller would have to say, “Why, nowhere in this county.” The customer would then wonder why he bought the ORV license.

Since 1970 or so, we’ve been buying these tags and not one inch of trail has been made for this growing user group in two of our most populated counties. As all the existing trails were being closed to all trail riders in the ’70s, our state had a solution to the problem — we’ll license this user group and build trails for them. Didn’t happen; hello general fund. The whole Reiter area isn’t that big anyway and tends to be a bit congested on the weekends. The solution they came up with: Put the off-roaders in a small area and let the fun begin.

Most hikers and horse folks want to be far away from these off-road types. They have access to large areas of this state already, and good for them. All we want is a fair shake. Will that happen? Don’t hold your breath. All these groups getting in each other’s way should be interesting. Count me out.

Richard Keezer

Arlington

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Wednesday, Dec. 17

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Water from the Snohomish River surrounds a residence along the west side of Lowell Snohomish River Road on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025 in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Keep eye on weather and on FEMA’s future

Recent flooding should give pause to those who believe federal disaster aid is unnecessary.

Comment: Shingles vaccine might also help fend off dementia

New research is pointing to a bonus side-effect of the vaccine, leading to further research on other shots.

Harrop: When the lockdown comes in your home town

News of a shooting in Providence, R.I., and the call to lock doors, shatter one’s sense of safety.

Comment: The exclusion behind National Park System’s new fees

Free-pass days were eliminated for MLK Jr. Day and Juneteenth, while foreign tourists will pay a premium.

Comment: Trump, GOP still aren’t getting it on affordability

The Democratic response to Trump’s and the GOP’s struggles to explain their efforts is ‘please, keep talking.’

Comment: How to take Trump at his word when he changes it?

Trump has contradicted himself on release of boat-strike videos, then attacked reporters for pointing that out.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Tuesday, Dec. 16

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

LifeWise’s Bible classes pose no harm to students

The editorial regarding LifeWise Academy’s efforts to broaden children’s education and knowledge… Continue reading

Where’s the controversy in what LifeWise offers to students?

I read with interest the article about the Everett Public School District… Continue reading

Stephens: Sydney shooting is what ignoring antisemitism looks like

The Hanukkah massacre wasn’t incomprehensible, as the Australian prime minister said. That’s the problem.

Comment: Jewish community, Australia again swept into violent world

Bondi Beach, a century-old community, has lived alongside increasing incidents of antisemitism in the last two years.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.