UTVs Part of Minnesota Fishing Opener 2016

The 69^th annual Minnesota Governor’s Fishing Opener weekend is a kickoff for the state’s many tourism opportunities, including ATVing. The Minnesota Governor’s ATV Ride took place Friday, May 13^th, just prior to the official fishing opener. Hosted by the ATV Association of Minnesota (ATVAM) and many local and county-wide ATV clubs in the Aitkin County area, the ride showcased a network of interconnected trails.

Held near McGregor, Minn. on Big Sandy Lake, May 12-14, 2016, the Governor’s fishing opener has been a Minnesota tradition since 1948. The event highlights the importance of fishing and tourism to the Minnesota economy and celebrates the kickoff of the summer tourism season. Each year the “opener” is hosted by Minnesota’s Governor and a different Minnesota community, which gains promotional focus as the host community as well as recreational opportunities statewide.

The ATV ride in Aitkin County followed the area’s Northwood’s ATV Trail system, one of the premier ATV trail systems in the Midwest. The system features more than 220 miles of connected, marked and maintained ATV Trails through northern Minnesota’s forests and lakes region. Riders can experience everything from the former railroad bed of the Soo Line trail to more rugged loop and connector trails on the north and south ends of Aitkin County.

When traveling the trails in this region, you’ll want to keep on the lookout for the wary Big Foot, or so says a recent episode of Animal Planet’s “Finding Bigfoot.” The episode showed Bigfoot Field Research Organization (BFRO) personnel following up with area residents on sightings of the elusive creature in the area.

While no definitive sightings were made during the Governor’s ATV ride, various ATV club members, enthusiasts and guests were treated to a trailside lunch hosted by the Up North ATV Club. Polaris, Arctic Cat and CF Moto treated guests to escorted rides in new UTVs.