Where can we wheel????(kinda long)

[xjoffroad]

Ive got a question about where we can and cannot wheel.I know that goverment roads are public and can be used but where do you find them?Any maps available for these?Private property is another but permission is needed.My inlaws have a 250 acre plot of land and would make for some great wheeling but i seem to be having trouble with the inlaws about this.They have no problem with me but are afraid others will go there when im not around.I explained that know one would do that without permission.The trail i was working one there is on hold until i convince them otherwise.But anyway,where else is there?I seem to have trouble triing to figure this out.I love wheeling but cant always get the time to come up the line to go.When i was in P.E.I last year i ended up asking a cop this same question.She told me that any road or trail was considered public access,wether your walking or driving,unless it was posted with signs stating otherwise.Im not sure how the law works here but i certainly would NOT just go on someone elses property unless i had permission.The last thing you need is for a landowner,badmouthing the nsjc.Not good for the club.Anyway,i guess ive babbled on enough,so post up and let me know i you could.Im real curios about this.later steve Oh by the way.Ill keep at the inlaws about there land and making new trails.ill let ya all know.

[jjcan]

To help with the relatives, I have a a number of trails on my land that get used fairly often by the Jeep Club, Jeep Jamboree and the Land Rover Club.
There are very very few people who drive these trails without asking. Those that do are much more likely to be hunting than wheeling.
John

[tazblazer]

Yup I agree that is why my website is created to make sure people off-road in designated areas and no who owns what property. Maybe who they could contact to use the land or trail. Also to get the goverment to help make trails in Nova Scotia and help support the off-road groups and clubs in Nova Scotia as a whole community. The goverement and people try and banned against the off-roaders of today. I want to join clubs, trails together so people can enjoy nature, trails, in a diffrent way before we are not aloud. Hopefully a site like mine will stop people from using land with out the owners consent. If no ones post a place to go off-road then people will just look and find a place to go and that may be your land. If you do not want them to use your land you should post that but say where the land is and how to contact you. You know some 4x4 people just see look their is a trail and just go. I am tring to prevent that. I am working on finding who owns what land and posting that with the trails that I no off hand. I need peoples help to do this I hope I got your support to do this and others.


Thank you for your reply.

[diablojeep]

N.S is unlike most places in Canada. The province is not large per say, but it has a huge amount of private land.

I've spent many,many hours checking out the trails we run in the Valley. It gets easier the more you work at it. Basic map books often show Crown land in darker colors etc. Parks are shown and the good old Wilderness Protection Area's are also shown.
One big area system, often taken for granted are Power Lines. N.S Power really don't own a lot of land around power lines. They do lease miles and miles of right away "OVER" private lands. We don't have airplanes only Jeeps so often find ourselves on private lands.

I hear it often said, we ran a new trail, on NS Power lines and it would be OK to wheel there. Thats not the case!
Two years ago I tried with out success to get permission for us to wheel in an area. It covered almost 4 miles of trail and had 26 land owners! Twenty Five said yes and one said NO. He was never asked before and when asked said people had been wheeling without asking for years and he was going to start taking plate numbers and having people charged.
The mans mother really owns the land and was fine with us running there. Not much we could do but say OK we'll stay away. thier land thier right.

I find if there is doubt then ask someone! It's real hard to get permission after offending a person.

Finding new trails is easy to do. People go out and just run up and down some road. If it's a J Class road then fine. Private and you have now created an issue.

Finding new trails, researching the owners and getting permission takes time and money. Most new trails cost about 50-75.00 to research. Thats search fee's, visits to the land office, visits to land owners and many,many long distance calls. It's amazing how much land is owned by people who don't live in Nova Scotia.

The Jamboree has helped out a lot for trail hunting. We needed new trails and members were willing to work at it. The problem lies in the fact that it's only in the Valley. People in Metro don't get the benifit of local trails being opened up. Just going out and finding a trail is no longer enough. It needs to be done right, so all people can benifit and enjoy.

I'm certain there are some great wheeling area's around metro. It would be a great project for someone in the area to do research. If money can be released or contacts made. Searches can now be done from home on a PC. It's charged by the hour.
It sure would have saved me a lot of money and time had it been available in past years.

Doing the research and talking with the land owners is often a lot of fun. I've found land, people didn't even know they owned!

[tazblazer]

Thank you for your input. I am putting a lot of time in tring to figure out who owns what land. This is why I have asked for other clubs and Off-road people in Nova Scotia to try and come together to teach and show people in Nova Scotia we care about who's land we use and make sure their are designated trails to use in Nova Scotia. I am tring to work with Nova Scotia Goverment to open up trails for all to use. I hope I can get as much help with this very big project and will work with as many people as I can over the next couple years to make a good website for all to use.

[xjoffroad]

So,i assume then the powerlines should be considered as private property,good to know that.What about crown land now?Would this be considered a public access area?Is crown land a place to wheel with no real issuses other then to Tread Lightly wich we do anyway whether private or not,and finally,anyone ever deal with Irving Oil?They own a huge amount of land in my area,which is Digby by the way,and thought with permission,would open miles and miles of trails.Oh,one more question,any good websites regarding maps which seperate private,crown and corporate owned property and show the goverment roads.Anyway,thanks again. later steve

[jjcan]

In dealing with the provincial enforcment officers it seems that individuals can wheel on crown land outside protected areas without hinderance. However any organized event requires prior consent in writing, needless to say that consent will depend entirely on the officer dealing with the request and how they feel about the activity. The particular person I was in contact with would deny any event connected with the word Jeep just because he could.

Now the question arises what is an event?. A few guys meeting for coffee and then deciding to go wheeling cannot be considered an event but anything previously arranged and given a name definately is.
So who wants to meet for coffee?


John