Colorado Parks and Wildlife offering snowmobile safety course in Walden

Snowmobiling is one of Colorado’s most popular winter activities and continues to attract a wide variety of participants looking for a fun way to enjoy backcountry snow. To ensure that everyone recreates in a safe and legal manner, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will offer the public a free Colorado Snowmobile Safety Course, Feb. 1 at State Forest State Park in Walden, beginning at 9 a.m.

Anyone between the ages of 10 and 16 who plans to operate a snowmobile on public lands must take the course and earn their certificate, or be supervised by someone who is certified.

“Snowmobiles are powerful machines and it’s not an activity that people should attempt without at least a little knowledge about basic safety,” said State Forest State Park Ranger Sam McCloskey. “Each winter, we spend many hours helping people that got into a situation that they might have avoided if they had taken this course.”

McCloskey recommends that adults should take the class, even though it is not required for anyone over the age of 16.

“Even if you have been snowmobiling for some time, you can certainly benefit from this free course,” he adds. “It is worth the time and you will probably learn something new that can make the difference between a day of fun or a trip to the emergency room.”

The Colorado Snowmobile Safety Course consists of six hours of classroom instruction and an additional hour of performance testing on a snowmobile. You do not have to own a machine in order to take the course.

For more information and to RSVP, contact State Forest State Park at 970-723-8366.

Learn more about snowmobiling and safety courses from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Who: Colorado Parks and Wildlife

What: Colorado Snowmobile Safety Course

When: Feb. 1, 9 a.m.

Where: State Forest State Park – Moose Visitor Center, Gould, Colo. RSVP required. Call 970-723-8366