JEROME, Idaho — Off-roaders now have new terrain to explore at Snake River Canyons Park, where members of the Southern Idaho Off-Road Association have spent years developing trails and an obstacle course on public lands north of the Snake River Canyon.
Ray Sheen, Skyler Nelson and Jeff Trammell are among the association members who helped build out the park's newest features, including a marked obstacle course where drivers follow white lines through a series of challenges.
Trammell said the first trail has been in the works for about two and a half years.
"Rough and tumble was our first one. Ray said we marked it 2 and a half years ago," Trammell said.
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Nelson added that the park stands out from others in the region because of its open access.
"A lot of the other off-road parks are more on private owned land where you either pay money to use or have a membership to be in that park," Nelson said, "I think this one is one of the largest ones that is open to the public."
That public access was not always guaranteed. In the 1990s, the area was plagued by illegal dumping, and the Bureau of Land Management was considering fencing it off and closing it to the public. The off-road association responded by launching an annual spring cleanup, which helped build a lasting relationship with the BLM.
"As a group, we decided that we can show that we can be good stewards, and so we started our first cleanup and that also allow us to have a really good relationship with the BLM," Trammell said.
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Over more than 25 years, the cleanup has drawn multiple groups who work together to haul out trash — including, in past years, freezers full of meat and entire car bodies.
Sheen said the effort has paid off.
"From what I understand, when it first started, this was a multi- four- or five-day thing. Now we've got it down to a half a day," Sheen said.
The annual cleanup is Saturday, May 16, from 8 a.m. to noon. The Southern Idaho Off-Road Association will provide lunch.
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