Stanislaus National Forest

Record of Decision Signed July 13, 2021

Winter Travel Plan Completed; OSVUM Now in Effect

After six years of meetings, field trips, 670 individual comments from individuals and organizations, dozens of maps, reams of documents, and more meetings, the Stanislaus National Forest completed its Over-Snow Vehicle Use Designation Project on July 13, 2021. The Stanislaus now has a winter travel plan. Publication of the Record of Decision on the Stanislaus website is a somewhat anticlimactic end to a long process, but we’re really excited to see the very first winter travel plan completed since the Over-Snow Vehicle (OSV) Rule was published in 2015!

Importantly, under the new plan, OSV use on the Stanislaus National Forest is only allowed in areas or on trails that have been designated for OSV use. All other areas and trails are closed by default. This is a significant paradigm shift: instead of assuming OSVs can go anywhere unless an area is specifically closed, the Forest Service must identify where OSV use is appropriate and can occur with minimized impacts to wildlife, forest resources, and other winter recreation uses.

An official Over-Snow Vehicle Use Map (OSVUM) is now available at Stanislaus National Forest offices or online here. The OSVUM shows where and when OSV use is authorized, including designated cross-country OSV areas, groomed and ungroomed OSV trails, seasonal restrictions, and minimum snow-depth requirements. The OSVUM will contain specific information to educate all winter recreation users regarding rules and regulations governing winter recreation on the Forest.

Airola Peak, Carson Iceberg Wilderness, Stanislaus National Forest. Photo by Alex Dodov.

What the Plan Does

The new plan continues to provide thousands of acres for OSV use on the Stanislaus National Forest, including all of the areas and trails that currently receive high snowmobile use. At the same time, it creates clear, enforceable boundaries for where OSV use is allowed and where quiet recreation and wildlife habitat are protected.

This is an important example of what winter travel planning can do: provide certainty for all winter recreationists, protect high-value non-motorized areas, and ensure that OSV use occurs only where the Forest Service has determined it is appropriate.

As the Stanislaus plan demonstrates, winter travel planning does not automatically translate to the closure of popular snowmobiling routes and areas — unless closure is determined to be required in order to minimize impacts to resources or wildlife, or to minimize conflict with other winter recreation uses. In fact the majority of acreage closed under the new plan is below 5,000 feet in elevation, where there is not generally adequate snow for operating OSVs.

Litigation Update

On October 13, 2021, the Sierra Snowmobile Foundation, Blue Ribbon Coalition, the American Council of Snowmobile Associations, and others filed a lawsuit challenging the United States Forest Service’s decision. Click here to see the complaint. Conservation groups also intervened in the case to help defend important parts of the plan.

In August 2025, the district court upheld the Forest Service’s Stanislaus OSV decision, finding that the agency complied with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) in issuing the Stanislaus Over-Snow Vehicle Use Designation Record of Decision. The travel plan remains in effect, and we are working with forest service staff to ensure its effective implementation.

Here’s a brief rundown of some of the details in the new plan:

What We like:

Protects important non-motorized winter recreation areas accessed from Highway 108: the Dodge Ridge cross-country ski and snowshoe trail system and the Herring Creek area
Protects areas for quiet recreation near Bear Valley, CA: Round Valley, much of the Big Meadow campground, the west side of Osborne Hill, and the Lake Alpine area.
Prohibits OSV use along the majority of the Pacific Crest Trail as it travels through the Stanislaus National Forest
Limits OSV use in Stanislaus Meadows and Highland Lakes to times when there is at least 24 inches of snow present in order to protect the endangered Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog and the threatened Yosemite toad
Closes the Sonora Pass OSV play area on April 15 annually to reduce the risk of OSV use disturbing Sierra Nevada red fox den establishment or facilitating disturbance or predation of fox pups once they leave the den
Requires a minimum of 12 inches of un-compacted snow before OSV use is allowed in designated areas or on designated trails (and requires at least 18 inches of un-compacted snow on trails prior to initiating grooming each season)

Major Disappointments:

Designates OSV use in 3 high-value quiet recreation areas near Bear Valley: the east side of Osborne Hill, Mattley Ridge, and Cabbage Patch/Black Spring.
Designates OSV use adjacent to the Pacific Crest Trail at Sonora Pass, in clear violation of the PCT’s comprehensive plan.
Designates a 410-acre OSV play area at Sonora Pass, in critical habitat for the incredibly rare and endangered Sierra Nevada red fox.
Amends the forest plan to reward decades of illegal snowmobiling by designating open areas for OSV use in the Pacific Valley and Eagle/Night Near Natural Areas, which were closed to motorized use in the 1991 Stanislaus Forest Plan.

What comes next?

The Forest Service will also need to install new signs in some places to help people understand travel regulations, and follow through on monitoring commitments made in the new plan. In addition, the Forest Service will be able to provide better OSV use enforcement, including enforcing illegal OSV use outside the established designated OSV areas and trails.

Project Links:

Stanislaus OSV Official Forest Service Project Page includes Final ROD, ROD Map (Alternative 5-Modified), and Final Environmental Impact Statements.

Stanislaus National Forest Over-Snow Vehicle Official Forest Service Project Page

Implementation

Now that the travel plan is complete, implementation matters. We continue to support clear visitor education, accurate signage, monitoring, and enforcement so that all winter recreationists understand where OSV use is allowed and where areas are managed for quiet recreation, wildlife, and other values.

We are working with the Stanislaus National Forest to help develop visitor education materials. For example: