Alaska ATV Info

As you drive through Wasilla, Alaska you can see a dirt trail along the side of the road. The ATV trail has been well worn and follows a route along the side of the Parks Highway, mostly between the highway and the railroad tracks, from one end of Wasilla to the other.

City Council members have split opinions on rather or not the presence of ATVs in the city limits is a good thing. Both Anchorage and Palmer have already banned the use of ATVs within the city limits, and Wasilla could soon follow suit. Other perspectives include leaving things as they are, or regulating ATVs in the city by requiring registration and other restrictions.

This controversy is born from riders that ignore the rules of ATV use within Wasilla city limits. Riders that speed through town, raise large dust clouds on roadside trails, cut dangerously across the highway, race along sidewalks or through parking lots. During this summer Wasilla police issued between 40 and 50 citations to ATV riders for violations that included speeding and riding on sidewalks or pedestrian paths.

In an informal survey conducted on the city website, it was shown that 70 percent of the 140 people who took the survey said they owned an ATV. 62 percent identified themselves as living in “the greater Wasilla area”, and 30 percent indicated they lived in the city. Just under half, 43%, were in favor of a minimum age requirement of 15 years old for riders, slightly more (48%) were in favor of requiring some kind of registration by either the city or state Division of Motor vehicles.

Some council members are in favor of some kind of restriction on ATVs, such as requiring registration and a license plate on ATVs entering the city so offenders can be identified more easily, but the general consensus seems to be that they would really prefer not to have to ban ATV use inside the city if ATV riders would simply be a little more respectful about obeying the few rules that are in place.

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Division of Mining, Land and Water (DMLW) held a meeting this afternoon in Anchorage about the Revision of Hatcher Pass Management Plan. The plan covers both the East and West sides of Hatcher Pass (Miles 8 to 37, Hatcher Pass Road), and may include additional areas of state land to reflect new use patterns.