Bonneville County see’s increase in drivers needing rescuing on closed roads
It’s not uncommon for backcountry roads to close in the winter. Many of these roads aren’t maintained after a certain date and are closed when they’re deemed unsafe by local government. That hasn’t stopped some people from ignoring the “road closed” signs, meaning search and rescue agencies have seen a surge in rescue calls for stranded drivers.
“A lot of people try to get past those road closed signs,” said Sgt. Bryan Lovell with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s office. “They get back into a spot where they get stuck and stranded, and they have to be rescued.”
Lovell said the county see’s a surge in rescues every year around this time. Many of these people are looking for ideal snowmobiling spots. Just in the past month, the county has saved over half-a-dozen drivers. Lovell said driver often underestimate the snow, or overestimate their truck’s capabilities.
“We have to go out and rescue people who are often very unprepared for the weather,” said Lovell. “It can be very tricky and dangerous up there in the back country.”
The problem gets compounded as more and more drivers drive past a road closed sign. Drivers see other tire tracks and assume the road is safe even if it gets dangerous later on. “We’ve seen multiple rescues from the same location before,” said Lovell. “We just want people to be safe.”
Besides being life threatening, People who deliberately ignore a closed road sign and then need rescuing can be fined. “We just cited a guy the other day for ignoring a road closed sign and trespassing,” said Lovell.
That doesn’t mean snowmobile enthusiasts are out of luck in Bonneville County. The Parks and Recreation Department grades dozens of snowmobiling trails that are accessible from regular roads. A map of these trails can be found HERE.
