Fox Valley sprawl threatens to stall snowmobile clubs

If you see a snowmobile riding through the frosty fields of Gilberts this winter, take a picture of it. It may be the last time you see one.

The residential building boom in the rural village may soon make snowmobile riding a thing of the past.

It already has thawed hopes to continue the 30-year-old trail system. And it is threatening the future of the local club, the Snow-Hunters.

Snow-Hunters' trail boss, Mark Woodbury, said without the trails, there's no sense in keeping the club going.

"It will be hard to keep members with no local trails," he said.

"Right now, we have about 25 families who are members. They'll have to go to Huntley or Elgin to ride."

They can't use the paths they have been using for years because employees of Neumann Homes told Woodbury their property near Freeman Road is no longer available. The company would not explain why, and it could not be reached for comment.

"We could come up with another trail system, but that would take time. We'd have to contact all the owners for permission," he said. "We were using trails in (roadside) ditches, but the fire department installed fire hydrants in them."

Gilberts trails are an important link from Elgin to McHenry County, said Peter Dall, president of the Huntley Penguins snowmobile club.

"Oh, this is going to cause a problem. It will break up the (trail) system we have," Dall said.

"But (maintaining trails) has been a constant struggle ever since building has been going on.

"There was a time when we had a trail system east of Randall Road. Then, when it got built up, we moved it west of Randall Road. Now, we have to move it out to Route 47."

Huntley Penguins club members have had to change their trails in the past because of land sales. The most significant was several years ago with the sale of a farm along Route 47, which was developed into Sun City.

Riders who don't respect public or private property, drive recklessly and don't obey local ordinances, usually don't belong to the club.

Most of the times they live in suburbs closer to Chicago, and drive to the wide-open spaces of Northern Kane and McHenry counties to run their sleds.

"Some people just ruin it for the rest of us," Dall said.

"They ride where they're not supposed to, or damage property, and the owners won't let us use it anymore."

The next few weeks are critical for snowmobile clubs. Members contact owners for permission to use property. They look at trails to see if there have been any changes made. And they inspect bridges and make needed repairs.

In November, club members put up signs, telling riders where the trails are.

But that seasonal tradition may end in Gilberts, this year.

"Right now, we're probably going to disband," Woodbury said.