Avoid Silverton Colorado

[azdryheat]

If you RV and own or rent an OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) you can take Silverton Colo. off your list to visit as the town council voted yesterday to BAN ALL OHV traffic inside the city limits. I'm just trying to get the word out as Silverton is a very popular destination for RVers with OHVs.

We were in Silverton last September and fell in love with the town and surrounding area. Friends and us have toyhaulers and OHVs. We enjoyed driving our OHVs around town to go to restaurants, shopping, and to get to the outstanding OHV trails leading out of town.

Our basecamp was Silver Summit RV park, in town, and it was packed with campers and most had an OHV. The ban will not allow OHVs from this park to access the riding trails. During our stay there we saw all the other RV parks and boondocking sites were also full. Most of these campers were also OHV owners.

I don't know the rational behind the city council 4-3 vote yesterday to ban OHVs but it seems to me there is going to be a huge loss of revenue with the absence of OHV people. Time will tell.

[deltabravo]

JIMNLIN wrote:
They will just use the tow vehicle to go to town.

Hard to do for a majority of folks from what I saw when I was there last year. Motorcoaches with enclosed trailers won't break camp every day to head up to Eureka to unload and hit the trails. Toy haulers won't either.
Nor will people like me that had a truck camper and a cargo trailer for my toys, though last year I was a dual sport motorcycle, not my UTV.

A very small percentage of SxS owner I saw double towed and could hook up their utility trailer and head to the drop off locations and hit the dirt roads. Some had racks on the bed over the truck that went over the cab.

In a lot of cases, people come as a big family / friends group and not all of them would be able to tow to the ATV staging areas to unload and ride out.

Silverton used to be huge for the Jeeping crowd, which was the case when I was there in 2009 and 2010. Not so much anymore after the UTV / SxS thing has gotten so big, and then Silverton allowing them in town and select city streets.

[Grit_dog]

On the flipside, I read a few opinions on, where else, but ADV and SXS forums, lol.
Not surprising, the few seem to ruin it for the rest.
Although that makes enforcement easier if it’s only the few ...

[Grit_dog]

^ Like button. Well, don't like the situation that the hardware store owner may be in due to this, but like that you shared the post....

Seems maybe the hardware store could put in some EV charging stations and charge (no pun intended) an exorbitant rate for those...
Oh wait that's not sustainable either. Maybe in the summer when the rich leaf lickers show up in their Teslas for a couple days each, but last I went to Silverton, it wasn't a Tesla kind of town or territory.

That train sure is stinky though. And loud and visible noxious fumes. Last time we rode it, it was also not offensive, but in todays world, who knows....

[EYEMLOST]

For your reading consideration:


Silverton Hardware

My wife Dana and I purchased our store in 2017, unlike the latest influx of new comers to town we moved here because we loved Silverton. We didn’t come here with the attitude that the town should change to meet our wishes. We have spent the last four years expanding our inventory to diversify our customer base. We love all of our customers! We have taken feedback and try to carry items that are needed by the majority of town folks along with the handful of builder and carpenters in Silverton.

Last year we made a large investment expanding our store and product selection to fill the void left by the loss of Outdoor World. The summer tourism economy is what allows us to be a year round business in Silverton. We earn 70+ percent of our yearly income in about a 4.5 month period. I respect the concerns of the people wanting to ban the OHV’s from town, but the timing of this vote was a very shelfish decision that should have been sent to a vote of the people at the end of this tourist season. If at that time the voter’s decision was to ban the OHV’s from town, the businesses and our guests could have made plans accordingly.

With historically high lumber prices we would have a difficult time being competitive with the bigger players in the building materials world, so we feel that our decision to take our business in a different direction was a gamble that has so far paid off. The human powered user groups that the anti-OHV crowds are campaigning for spend little to no money in our establishment. The year round population of Silverton is not large enough to sustain our business on its own. Without some form of tourist dollars we will have a difficult time remaining a year round business.

In the short time we have been here the train has not been able to travel to Silverton 2 of the 4 years due to fires, mudslides, and Covid restrictions. This motorized user group has carried this town’s economy! We can spend a year trying to expand the ski area but we can’t expend any effort to fix this problem. The lack of any plan to accommodate these guests with an adequate staging area would lead me to believe that the overall goal is to remove this tourist group from town all together. My question is what is the next item that is affecting someone’s quality of life the noisy Harleys, the Train?

Jerry Chambers

[dedmiston]

Grit dog wrote:

JIMNLIN wrote:


Its the same every where. The few slugs regardless of vehicle types ruins it for everyone.

THIS can be an issue and one I agree with. However, make that a + for the community. It's a small town, they could use all the revenue they could get. Go deputize Cletus, paint a star on an old public works truck and slap some gumballs on it and after posting the noise and route ordinances on a small yet legible regulatory sign under the "Welcome to Silverton" sign at the city limits and go hand out local ordinance violations.
It's not about the 4 wheelers near as much as it is about censorship.
Limit one person's options or rights in favor of another's....

Off roaders are in a constant battle with the (apparently majority) Eco/Enviro crowd to at least maintain some ability to enjoy their passion despite increasing, sometimes unfounded regulation.

He!!, me an my family are offended by the smell of weed, when we're walking down the street. It's stinky too and it has arguably worse connotations than riding an atv.
I bet there's a pot shop or 3 on main drag and someone with BO and smelly clothes toking up outside. Tell me what's the difference, hippies...

(Not directed at you Jimlin)

It's all about choices...

[Grit_dog]

JIMNLIN wrote:


Its the same every where. The few slugs regardless of vehicle types ruins it for everyone.

THIS can be an issue and one I agree with. However, make that a + for the community. It's a small town, they could use all the revenue they could get. Go deputize Cletus, paint a star on an old public works truck and slap some gumballs on it and after posting the noise and route ordinances on a small yet legible regulatory sign under the "Welcome to Silverton" sign at the city limits and go hand out local ordinance violations.
It's not about the 4 wheelers near as much as it is about censorship.
Limit one person's options or rights in favor of another's....

Off roaders are in a constant battle with the (apparently majority) Eco/Enviro crowd to at least maintain some ability to enjoy their passion despite increasing, sometimes unfounded regulation.

He!!, me an my family are offended by the smell of weed, when we're walking down the street. It's stinky too and it has arguably worse connotations than riding an atv.
I bet there's a pot shop or 3 on main drag and someone with BO and smelly clothes toking up outside. Tell me what's the difference, hippies...

(Not directed at you Jimlin)

[JIMNLIN]

And they are stinky. Not an issue out in the boonies, but downtown it sucks.

Yeah like old Harleys with lots of miles the 4 stroke OHV with blow by issues can smell much worse than the two strokes.

And its not just old worn out OHV smell issues.

The last time we stayed in Silverton the camp ground owner had to make a call on a group of TX OHV owners that many had aftermarket exhausts that were loud.
The problem was they couldn't just ride in like most others with OHV vehicles but had to rip it up and see how much noise they could make with constant throttle wacks.

I doubt the new rules will hurt the city. OHV owners are there for all the trail riding in the mountains. They will just use the tow vehicle to go to town.

Its the same every where. The few slugs regardless of vehicle types ruins it for everyone.

[dedmiston]

Grit dog wrote:

Reisender wrote:

mr_andyj wrote:
One down.
Have you been to Sedona? The worst thing about Sedona is those side-by-sides! They suckk. Noisy, and totally trash the dirt roads. They are rented by vacationers that shoulda gone and rode the roller coaster. They treat this nice peaceful wonder like a race track and think they are not annoying.
Did I mention that the dirt roads are destroyed all the time because of these side by sides?
Worst thing ever!

And they are stinky. Not an issue out in the boonies, but downtown it sucks.

Stinky?
Now I know you’re just being dramatic. As there isn’t a SxS made that is a 2 stroke and nary a quad made that is still a 2 stroke, maybe none.
Therefore, they are all 4 cycle save for maybe the odd person on a classic race quad like an old Banshee, and many of them have catalytic converters to boot.
Sarah Bernhardt would be proud!

Look who posted it though. If you aren't driving an EV powered by good vibes and unicorn vapors, then you're the enemy.

[Grit_dog]

Reisender wrote:

mr_andyj wrote:
One down.
Have you been to Sedona? The worst thing about Sedona is those side-by-sides! They suckk. Noisy, and totally trash the dirt roads. They are rented by vacationers that shoulda gone and rode the roller coaster. They treat this nice peaceful wonder like a race track and think they are not annoying.
Did I mention that the dirt roads are destroyed all the time because of these side by sides?
Worst thing ever!

And they are stinky. Not an issue out in the boonies, but downtown it sucks.

Stinky?
Now I know you’re just being dramatic. As there isn’t a SxS made that is a 2 stroke and nary a quad made that is still a 2 stroke, maybe none.
Therefore, they are all 4 cycle save for maybe the odd person on a classic race quad like an old Banshee, and many of them have catalytic converters to boot.
Sarah Bernhardt would be proud!

[azdryheat]

I'm going to give Colorado the old heave ho and stick to Utah where my RZR and money are appreciated. Frankly, I don't see the difference between my RZR and a jeep. Both are licensed for street use, both have insurance, both are DOT certified.

But enuf of that. The intent of this thread was to warn those of you who might have reservations in Silverton and not know they aren't welcome,

[Reisender]

mr_andyj wrote:
One down.
Have you been to Sedona? The worst thing about Sedona is those side-by-sides! They suckk. Noisy, and totally trash the dirt roads. They are rented by vacationers that shoulda gone and rode the roller coaster. They treat this nice peaceful wonder like a race track and think they are not annoying.
Did I mention that the dirt roads are destroyed all the time because of these side by sides?
Worst thing ever!

And they are stinky. Not an issue out in the boonies, but downtown it sucks.

[FWC]

azdryheat wrote:
I started this thread a dozen pages ago. Here is an update:

I wrote the following to the Silverton Mayor:

I just learned of the city council vote to ban OHV vehicles in town. This news is sad to hear. I guess the townspeople want quiet streets and quiet cash registers.

We were in Silverton last September for a week of OHV riding and spending money in the local economy. It seemed to us that most all the people staying in town at RV parks were also driving OHV vehicles.

We thought we were helping the local economy by eating our meals in local restaurants and shopping in local stores.

It's sad to learn that the people of Silverton no longer want the business of OHV vehicle owners and renters.

My friends and I will no longer be spending our money in Silverton and hope the town can do without us. We will be looking at other towns that want our business.

You had better avoid just about every town in Colorado as well. You can't ride an OHV in Durango, Telluride, Ouray, Ridgeway, Denver, Aspen or 95% of other towns. I am not sure why you are so upset with Silverton. They tried allowing OHVs in town and decided through experience that it wasn't a good idea. With the current boom in visitation to Colorado, they won't notice any loss in revenue and can choose to support forms of recreation that have lower impact on the residents of Silverton.

[dedmiston]

mr_andyj wrote:
One down.
Have you been to Sedona? The worst thing about Sedona is those side-by-sides! They suckk. Noisy, and totally trash the dirt roads. They are rented by vacationers that shoulda gone and rode the roller coaster. They treat this nice peaceful wonder like a race track and think they are not annoying.
Did I mention that the dirt roads are destroyed all the time because of these side by sides?
Worst thing ever!

That’s definitely a minority opinion here in the Toy Hauler Forum.

[mr_andyj]

One down.
Have you been to Sedona? The worst thing about Sedona is those side-by-sides! They suckk. Noisy, and totally trash the dirt roads. They are rented by vacationers that shoulda gone and rode the roller coaster. They treat this nice peaceful wonder like a race track and think they are not annoying.
Did I mention that the dirt roads are destroyed all the time because of these side by sides?
Worst thing ever!

[azdryheat]

I started this thread a dozen pages ago. Here is an update:

I wrote the following to the Silverton Mayor:

I just learned of the city council vote to ban OHV vehicles in town. This news is sad to hear. I guess the townspeople want quiet streets and quiet cash registers.

We were in Silverton last September for a week of OHV riding and spending money in the local economy. It seemed to us that most all the people staying in town at RV parks were also driving OHV vehicles.

We thought we were helping the local economy by eating our meals in local restaurants and shopping in local stores.

It's sad to learn that the people of Silverton no longer want the business of OHV vehicle owners and renters.

My friends and I will no longer be spending our money in Silverton and hope the town can do without us. We will be looking at other towns that want our business.

The Mayor replied:

Thank you for your email. This decision, with the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens at the forefront, was not taken lightly.

I apologize for any negative impact this decision may have on you and your family and we hope to see you in Silverton in the future.


I wrote the following to the owners of the Silver Summit RV Park we stay at:

Just letting you know we won't be returning to your park after your city council just voted to ban all OHV traffic in town. We love Silverton but Silverton doesn't love us.

The owner wrote back:

There might still be a slim chance of overturning the vote, but I don't think that the odds are in our favor.

I don't blame you for not feeling the love. We aren't feeling it either. The mayor and much of the current board are definitely not business friendly.


ME: So there you have it, a BS reply from the Mayor and the reply from a concerned business owner stating the city council isn't business friendly.