What up with Turkey Bay

[smr]

Anybody that has been riding at Turkey Bay for last few years then you have noticed a big change. Well here is my story for anybody that will listen.

I started going to Turkey Bay as a child. I thought it was the coolest place in the world. When I became a reponsible adult I would return to Turkey Bay almost every weekend. I did this for many years having a blast on my ATC 200X. But something happen in the late 80's that everyone just couldn't believe. They closed down everthing from the creek to Collison Holler. (we still had the creek) This took out some great hill climbs. (anybody remeber cemetery hill). Everybody thought that would be the end of the changes until the mid 90's. They started charging to ride and camp. Now this is land the goverment took away from the locals (some I am related to) and started charging them to come in and use the land (wich they promised to never do) Then in the late 90's the mighty National Forestery Service took it over. This is when things got real bad. Did you ever come up on a road block in the middle of the woods. I have, more than once. I'm just glad that the rangers don't ride sport bikes. I know this sounds crazy but I swear it's true. After the forest sevice ran it for a few years it was decided that there should be a fence around the inside of the flat track. They also put up finces on some of the best hill climbs.

Last year they decided we had too much room and closed everything north of the main trail..owe did I mention that everything south of the parking lot is also out of bounds. But just wait it doesn't stop here. They put up speed limits on the flat track and the drag strip...go figure.

Just when I thought things can't get much worse..check this out. We was crusing the main trail last Saturday looking for road blocks and fence post when we arrived at a place known as the alligator pit..(or the field for us old timers)..we had one in the group that was riding a grizzly with brand new tires. He drops off in the pit and from out of nowhere comes a ranger screaming and shaking his fingure. "get your @$$ out of the mud" I know this sounds crazy but I swear it's true. They acctually have outlawed riding in the mud at Turkey Bay :eek2: I promise this is a true story. Well they didn't impound my buddies quad they let him off with a hard warnning and informed him that if he did it again then he would be fined.

I don't know about everyone else but man this is crazy.

Is there anything we can do about the place I love?

im fed up with turkey bay...its end is coming near i suspect...my final straw with them was the 10mph speed limit in the drag strip...that was the most fun i had there and got to meet new people when I beat them

[400ex28]

Yea it has changed alot....but a heard they put that 10mph limit thing is cause some kid on a 450r hit a tree full speed and got killed instantly :(

they told me it was cause a drag racer hit a dune buggy and got "seriously" injured...i was there when they put the signs up...they told me to keep the drag racing in t e trai s:rolleyes:

[400ex28]

Originally posted by MixMasterMike
they told me it was cause a drag racer hit a dune buggy and got "seriously" injured...i was there when they put the signs up...they told me to keep the drag racing in t e trai s:rolleyes:

idk, who knows what "acually" happend....but it sucks....man some one could hit that sign thats in the middle of the feild!

[jcsact]

When we went down in November they told us to stay out of the Gator Pit and also stay on existing trails when we signed up at the Gate house. Things are changing but most of it has to do with EPA/Goverment and the water shed that comes off the property. I know here in Indiana if any water (i.e. creek or a stream) leaves the property you are riding you are not allowed in it ,unless they do something to keep the silt from moving down stream.

[watts16]

yeah my dad used to always go in the mid 80s then he got out of it for a while and i started riding about 5 years ago and he couldnt believe how much it had changed

[parkers30]

everything they have done has been to improve the sedimentation problems that they are facing and to improve the outward appearance of the part, I must say that some of those changes dont make me happy but I can understand why they have done all of them, I learned to ride there in 90 and it is a very different place than it was then

[pug288]

I ride at a place not far from turkey bay it is a blast to ride at they don't care what you do as long as you keep it safe. Go to www.paddysbluff.com and you can find out where it is and all the cool stuff they do.

[jcs327]

Man, I hate to here that about turkey bay. I have been riding there since I was a kid. I am stuck in Iraq now but I was planning on hitting turkey bay when I get home on leave. I imagine It will be closed for good if the liberals keep getting their way. I have been to paddy's bluff a few times and it is well worth the drive.Not as big as turkey bay, but better trails, a few good hill climbs, and all the mud you want.

[300ex13]

get fined for playing in the mud??? what has the people done to the parks? shoot im gonna go there this summer and im gonna have to worry about getting fined for riding....makes me wonder if its worth goin there anymore

[Aarons 01 400EX]

Where is Turkey Bay? My buddy mentioned that we needed to go riding at Land Between the Lakes. Are these near each other?

[smr]

Turkey Bay and Land Between the lakes is the same....turkey bay is just the name of the campground.

[duke416ex]

It has been a year or so since I was down there, but when I was , I saw no chance of saving any of the place from erosion. Alot of those hills were sofar gone that shutting them down wouldn't even help, but I don't understand why you would just about shut down the whole park. Where that pit is wouldn't matter anyway, it's on top of a hill best I remember and it's a pit, not like there would be runoff. I guess with the north of the main trail shut down you can't go to the lighthouse now? Mna, that does suck, if anyone figures out what to do, a petition or whatever, post it, I'm in.

[smr]

Actually you can still go to the silo....I was talking about the area on the north east side.

[hardkoratvmxr]

turkey bay is getting rediculous it used be fun now it is worthless and wow you cant ride in the mud well then forget them i bet if enough people sotp going there then they will have to change some rules to get people to go back there

[jesshamner]

I have only been riding there in the last year and a half. I did notice that there were more places to ride during my first trip. The last time I was there it seemed like a pretty good chunk was still there to ride. As for the erosion problem...it can't be stopped. It can't be stopped no matter what the landuse is unless the pave it all. Its all loose. The water is going to move it no matter what. They can't stop mother nature. I'm sure it would look like that even if they didn't let anyone on it. We might have increased the rate of erosion some but I just don't see the difference between quads and horses when it comes to this. We beat down the trails....and so do horses. I don't understand the mud thing at all. I guess nobody can ride there if its raining? As a geography major I feel qualified to say that the earth is a neverending recycling process. There will always be erosion and there will always be creation. The soil will always flow down streem and deposit to create a new land. The earth is constantly balancing itself out. If they want to preserve some land....they should do it. There is plenty of land to preserve that hasn't been ridden on. You can't preserve land that is already been changed. :rolleyes: I'll get off my soapbox now.

[jcsact]

If you quit going they will just close it. They just don't want people wallowing out big mud holes... no big deal. I would rather ride the trails myself and it's not like there aren't trails every where.

[jesshamner]

Originally posted by jcsact
If you quit going they will just close it. They just don't want people wallowing out big mud holes... no big deal. I would rather ride the trails myself and it's not like there aren't trails every where.


I agree.

[duke416ex]

As for the ersion, no it can't be 100% stopped, but it can be 90% stopped. I do agree they are ruining things, and they probably would shut it down if you stopped going. I don't know how it is where everybody else is from, but it seems like here the law is getting more and more against atv's.

[CAIN730]

By the way, they do shut the place down when it rains heavily. No riding when it's muddy.:(

[300ex13]

well what are the jeeps and trucks going to do when they wont be allowed to ride in the big mud holes???? they gonna stop going now because they cant play in the mud? i agree mother nature is a big recycling process and erosion cannot be stopped but hey whats happened happened. They cant stop it now

[smr]

Originally posted by 300ex13
well what are the jeeps and trucks going to do when they wont be allowed to ride in the big mud holes???? they gonna stop going now because they cant play in the mud? i agree mother nature is a big recycling process and erosion cannot be stopped but hey whats happened happened. They cant stop it now


Here is something that alot of people don't know. Only ATV's and Dirtbikes are restricted to Turkey Bay at LBL. If you have a street legal four wheel drive or dual sport bike then you do not have to stay in the bondaries. This rule is still true today as I run with the four wheel drive groups from time to time. The only rule is...it must be a marked road. You would be suprised at how many marked roads there are at LBL that are dirt roads.

So the answer to your question is....if turkey bay is closed then they just head down any of the back roads they want and have a blast.

[exrider505]

Where did you find this out at? It seems like the place just keeps getting smaller and smaller.

[250R]

Same problem everywhere.......all the good private riding spots (power lines, gas lines, etc.) have been shut down and all the once good public spots have too many restrictions, too many people, and too many idiots there now. That is why my '88 250R that I have had since 1990 and used to ride EVERY Sunday has now been sitting in the garage for the past two years. I can count on one hand how many times I have ridden it over the past two years. The starter of this post is like me, kinda old school and got spolied because in the past there USED to be some awesome spots to ride. What makes it worse is the manufacturers are making some of the best sport quads ever produced right now....I want the way it used to be back!

[eldercyclerep]

I go up to turkey bay quite a bit and i have noticed that there are fewer and fewer riders everytime i go. I really like the trails there good hills and good jumps. I feel that turkey bay is having to compete with Paddys Bluff. Paddys Bluff will get more people becuase you don't have to have a helmet there and you can ride passangers too, Turkey Bay Requires Helment and no Passengers. I think Turkey Bay is a more serious riding area while Paddys Bluff is more of a Party Spot to ride.