In British Columbia a helmet, liability insurance and a driver's license are required to operate an ATV or off-road motorcycle on a Forest Service Road (FSR). But backroads that are not in a Forest Rec Site, Forest Service Road, Public Access Road or highway are a different class of road and are not yet subject to the same requirements.

Therefore no enforcement of the licensing / insurance legislation should occur on these backroads and should provide an opportunity to ride, without fear of a ticket. This should be a good place to go with kids; we have thousands of kilometers of these 'backroads' in the East Kootenays!

Now the problem becomes, how do we figure out which roads are FSRs, and which roads and trails are available to those who do not qualify to operate on an FSR. Here's how you find the FSRs in your area:

1. Point your web browser to http://aardvark.gov.bc.ca/apps/recst/
2. Click on the part of the map you’re interested in (I clicked on Cranbrook)
   (note: make sure your popup blocker is turned off, or add gov.bc.ca to your trusted sites)
3. Zoom way in to an area of interest by clicking on an area
4. Up at the top click “Legend” and make note of the symbol for “Forest Service Road – Maintained”, which is a heavy green line.

Your result should look something like this