ATV Riding
in the
Northeast Kingdom

With the formation of the  Vermont All Terrain Vehicle Sportsman's Association Inc. (VASA) ATV riding has now come to a reality.

The Northeast Kingdom was the first to have ATV trails open and now have many miles of trails for one to enjoy. One of the first clubs in the area and located in Island Pond is the Tri County ATV Trail Club. The club has more than 25 miles of trails in the Island Pond area connecting to miles of trails in the surrounding area.

To ride the VASA trail system,

There are three components to joining VASA; State Registration, Club Dues and VASA Dues.

1.  You must first register your ATV with the Department of Motor Vehicles. VASA's budget is funded mostly by State registration money, the rest made up by VASA membership dues. Your current State registration is required to join VASA. Remember to bring your State registration papers with you when go to fill out the VASA registration form.

2. Identify a local club you wish to join. There is a map under "Clubs" to help you with this. Each club sets their own dues, and club dues must be paid.

3. For the club you are joining, find a Membership Location where memberships are sold. Visit the Memberships page within each club to find this information. You must identify a local club and join a local club to become a member of VASA. If at all possible, please attend a local club meeting and to get your memberships and get involved!

4. Fill out the membership form in its' entirety. Do not leave out any information and please write legibly (our volunteers thank you!). If you have forgotten your registration information, you will have to come back. Please do not be angry with the person who is unable to process your membership. VASA requires proof of a current legal registration and, with out it you cannot join.

5. Once your form is complete, signed and both the Club and VASA dues paid, you will receive a copy of the membership form along with a VASA plastic white and red plate and a membership sticker. Affix the sticker to the bottom right corner of your VASA plate and attach the VASA plate to the front of your ATV. Your registration plate should be affixed to the back of your ATV. When riding your ATV on VASA trails please carry your membership card and/or form on you.
   Membership runs from February 1st to January 31st.

At this time, VASA is not set up to offer memberships online or by mail. Please contact a local club Most of Vermont's Motorcycle Dealers sell the local club's memberships, as well as VASA memberships.

ATV's have to be registered in Vermont. The only states which offers VT reciprocity are New York and New Hampshire. If you are registered in NY or NH your registration is honored in VT, all others must register in VT with the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles. All out of state registrations pay the higher out of state fee, which allows VASA to capture the trail portion of the registration money we do not receive when a machine is registered in another state.

At the present time the cost (dues) to join a local club varies from club to club. VASA Membership and club Dues are collected at the same time. The VASA Membership is $25 for VT registered ATVs. Out of State registered ATVs are $45.00. The higher rates is because we see no trail building or management funds from the out of state registrations.

Discounts for late season purchases are not available. For local club dues information, please contact the local club or a place where local club memberships are sold.

At this time VASA does not offer family discounts. Some clubs may offer local family memberships , but the fee for a VASA membership is $25.00 per Vermont registered ATV and $45 for out of state.

VASA anticipates having a statewide trail map available for VASA members on or before June 1, 2006. All VASA members will get a copy. Some local clubs do have local VASA trail map available right now. To find out where VASA clubs are, please visit the Clubs page on our website and contact the person listed for the area you are interested in riding in.

ATVs are required to carry insurance, per the VT DMV, because we both cross and use some town roads. When an ATV is on a town road it is a "motor vehicle" and subject to all DMV requirements of insurance.

A. To register an ATV in Vermont Please visit the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles Web Site for complete instructions.