With some snow that recently fell in the Greene County area, snowmobiles have been used in various areas.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Aron Arthur advises that snowmobiles need to stay on the designated trails in the county.

“The one complaint I had was people getting off the trail and riding through people’s fields. We have really nice groomed, marked out trails for great riding. Stay on the trails and we won’t have any issues.”    

Arthur reminds snowmobile operators of a state law that you must come to a complete stop when approaching a road crossing from a trail.

“So for example, if you’re riding on the Raccoon Valley River Trail you’re coming to several roads (crossings) and you have to stop at each one of those. And it’s there, ‘A’ it’s the law because it’s for safety, so people don’t have accidents. So every time they come to a road to cross, they must stop the snowmobile and then they can go. They cannot operate on the roadway, including the shoulder, they can only operate in the ditch or designated trails.”          

Arthur adds that snowmobiles can be operated on icy surfaces, such as the Raccoon River, but to use caution as the river is not quite frozen over yet. He recommends using the website, iowasnowmobilers.com to see where all of the trails are found in Greene County and across the state. 

Arthur reminds operators to renew their registrations for this year, as the previous one expired on December 31st, along with having valid liability insurance, a snowmobile safety certificate for operators who are 12 and older, and individuals that are 16 and older must have a valid driver’s license.