Snowmobile trail permit fees will be higher next winter.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is required by law to adjust the cost of the permits to match changes in the Consume Price Index every five years.
The result of the most recent review noted a 25.1 percent rise in the CPI over the past five years. The result is an increase from $52 to $65. That fee will remain in place until the next review, five years from now.
Next winter’s permits will go on sale September 1st. They are required, unless the snowmobile is used exclusively on private property.
All the money collected from the permits is reinvested in the snowmobile system via grants to local snowmobile clubs to provide for trail brushing and grooming, signage, bridge and culvert repairs and equipment purchase and maintenance.
Sixty-seven volunteer clubs maintain more than 6,300 miles of trails in the state.
