09/18/2026
ORV ACCESS ON PUBLIC ROADS — LET'S NOT LOSE IT
100 Mile House now has designated ORV routes and folks are starting to enjoy the privilege. More BC communities open routes and access every year. Every one of those routes exists because a club sat down with a council and an RCMP detachment and made the case that riders can be trusted.
That trust is the whole thing. It gets built one ride at a time, and one rider can wreck it in an afternoon.
BEFORE YOU RIDE ON A ROAD:
- Get the permit. Road access is authorized by an RCMP-issued MV1815 Operation Permit — no permit, no road. In 100 Mile House it's free. Email [email protected] or walk in Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm. Details and a sample application: https://www.108atvclub.ca/access-to-100-mile-house/
- Carry your paperwork. Bylaw 1482 says you cannot operate in the District without both a valid RCMP access permit and the Schedule "A" route map. Along with those: proof of third-party liability insurance of at least $2 million, proof of registration, your owner's certificate, a valid driver's licence, and a displayed plate or decal. Note the insurance figure — $2 million, not the $200,000 minimum you may be carrying for forest service roads.
- Know the route before you roll. The map is in your pocket, so there is no excuse for guessing. Designated means designated: the streets on the map are the streets you're allowed on — not the shortcut, not the ditch, not the sidewalk, not the trail behind someone's fence. Highway 97 is NOT an ORV route.
- Obey the rules of the road. Stop signs, speed limits, signals, single file, no passing on the shoulder. On the road you're a vehicle in traffic, not on a trail.
- Sober. Every time. No exceptions.
AND THE PART THAT COMES DOWN TO COMMON SENSE AND COURTESY:
Keep the noise down. Roll through residential streets at a speed that doesn't make people flinch. No spinning tires in the grocery store lot, no dust clouds, no late-night laps. Wave at the folks on the porch. Thank the driver who waited for you.
Every community that has opened its roads to ORVs is watching what happens next, and so are the ones still deciding. A council that fields complaints for six months takes the routes away — and every club in BC has a harder sell the next time it asks.
Ride like the access depends on you, because it does. Don't be the one who wrecks it for everybody.
Sincerely,
108 ATV Club
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