First Phase Of Mississippi's Rattlesnake Bay OHV Trails Reopens

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

All to often we hear about closures of more and more OHV trails. It’s nice to hear news of one that’s reopening. Find out more in the full press release below from the AMA.

About 25 riders and supporters celebrated the re-opening of phase one of the Rattlesnake Bay OHV Trails in Mississippi’s DeSoto National Forest on Saturday, the American Motorcyclist Association announced today.

The Friends of Rattlesnake Bay off-highway-vehicle group joined U.S. Forest Service officials for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for 9.5 miles of trails in an area that has remained “temporarily” closed for more than 11 years.

“We are elated that the Forest Service has begun the process of re-opening these trails, and we want to thank the Forest Service officials and the Friends of Rattlesnake Bay member volunteers for their hard work that made this day possible,” said Dale Tallman Jr., volunteer coordinator for the Friends of Rattlesnake Bay.

The AMA became involved in the effort at Tallman’s request. Steve Salisbury, AMA government affairs manager for off-highway issues, assisted Tallman, Fred Pittman, Robert Rockco and other Mississippi riders in forming the Friends of Rattlesnake Bay to facilitate Forest Service negotiations with a unified voice.

The initial reopening was made possible by the February approval of a recreation fee structure from the U.S. Forest Service Southern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee and cooperation between the USFS and Friends of Rattlesnake Bay. Volunteers from the OHV group helped USFS crews complete the needed repairs to the trails in late August.

The trails reopened Saturday consist of a 7.6-mile loop and a 1.9-mile loop. A second section of trail, encompassing nearly 28 miles, is in the planning stages and may open in the spring or summer of 2015.

“This is, indeed, an important milestone for the individuals and clubs that ride in the Rattlesnake Bay area,” Salisbury said. “And it is equally important to keep the lines of communication open between the riders and the Forest Service as we all work toward the goal of reopening all the closed trails in the DeSoto.”

The Rattlesnake Bay trail system is in the special use permit area for the Camp Shelby Military Training Site near Hattiesburg, Miss. Mississippi Tourism, a division of the Mississippi Development Authority, supported the reopening of the trails.

Trail rules include a 1-inch maximum tire tread depth and an OHV sound limit of 96 dBA.

The approved fee structure provides for the continued maintenance and operation of the trails. The fee includes a $10-a-day per person fee for trail use and a $60-a-year annual operator fee, which will be valid for all OHV trails on national forests in Mississippi. The annual pass is expected to be available early in 2015.

Trails covered by the fees include Rattlesnake Bay, the Little Tiger ATV Trail System, the Chickasawhay ATV Trail System and the Bethel Motorized Trail System, which includes a motorcycle loop and ATV trail.

Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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