| How-To - Project Vehicles
So you want to start your own off-road park? Great! We need more of 'em. The more the merrier, as they say. To help you accomplish your dream, we contacted a number of off-road park owners and asked them to give us a basic overview of what's required to start a park from land acquisition to day-to-day management.
Owning an off-road park is gravy. You simply acquire a chunk of land, charge an arm and a leg to get in, and let the users go hog wild and make the trails. While they're 'wheeling, you oversee the expansion of your private runway so you can buy a bigger jet ...
Um, right. Now, we know you don't believe a word of that. The stark reality is that developing and managing an off-road park is a gargantuan task that will swallow money, test your patience, and consume your time. Sorry to be so blunt, but you need to know that right up front.
Interestingly, even with the sacrifices required, every park owner we spoke with seemed genuinely happy with their ventures, and all were enthusiastic. If you're thinking of starting an off-road park, here are a few things you should know.
The number one recommendation that park owners offer is to ensure that you have a clear business plan in place before you even attempt to start a park. This is good advice considering that ORV parks are indeed a business and can fail just as quickly as any other business.
Controlling costs and creating a steady revenue stream are paramount to success. The vast majority of privately owned parks are open on weekends only. This means that you, as the owner, probably won't be generating a full-time income from the park, yet the property may require your every spare moment when you're not at your real job. Park owners tell us that spooling up a park most often takes years and not weeks or months.
Heck, the state or local red tape can take years to cut. This means that being "in the red" financially is standard operating procedure for the first few years. Many park owners also told us that they ended up injecting much larger amounts of cash into their park than they originally projected.
Some park owners told us that, due to sheer numbers, the vast majority of their income is generated by ATVs and not four-wheel-drive rigs. Thus, your business plan should address whether or not you can afford to allow or not allow ATVs to ride on your property. Allowing ATVs may be out of your control, however, because there have been many instances where neighbors object to the noise associated with ATVs.
This brings us to another point: public relations. If you're not a "people person," you'll be in a pickle because owning an off-road park requires a significant amount of public relations savvy. The reality is that local governments and neighbors react favorably if the park is a professional organization that has the local community in mind.
Sometimes, though, even professionalism and a good plan won't help. More than one park has been forcibly closed after politics reared its ugly head, even after the proper permits were issued. Public relations with paying customers is also important. Be prepared for the fact that eventually you'll make someone mad and they'll talk smack about you and your park on some Internet message board. This is where having a "thick skin" comes in handy.
A good business plan will dictate that the closer your park is to a population center, the better chance you'll have at drawing 'wheelers and generating revenue. Some potential park owners go so far as to hire a consulting service to analyze potential draw. The trick is to purchase land that is close to a town, but not too close to densely populated suburbia inhabited with people who may get annoyed when the park gets spooled up (neighbors can either be your biggest foe or your greatest ally). It's wise to stay away from state or national parks where politics is always in play.
Also remember that if the land you're considering is surrounded by open land where 'wheelers can ride for free, they may not pay to ride on your land.
Two prime (but certainly not the only) examples of ORV parks in a good location are the Badlands in Attica, Indiana, and Superlift Off Road Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Lodging, food, fuel, and parts are close, but the parks are removed from town. If your land is close to town, consider creating a buffer zone around the park to insulate it from the city. If your park is far removed from a town, consider offering amenities such as camping with showers and restrooms to facilitate visitors.
The more land the better, though we've seen some amazing things done with a minimal amount of real estate. You'll need to plan to set aside a large chunk of land for check-in, parking, and restrooms, not to mention the almost-mandatory campground. Some of the people we spoke with said that if you want to own a park, the fastest way is to buy an existing park as a turnkey investment.
This allows you to step right in and go to work. If you want to start from scratch, the most popular method is to purchase land. Of course, this means that you will either need cash, excellent credit, or a group of investors. If land is $3,000 per acre and you want to buy 1,000 acres, simple math shows you'll need to generate $3,000,000. Add to that the cost of improvements, permits, property taxes, and so on. Another method is to lease the land, but this is often tricky because even seemingly iron-clad leases can be circumvented and leave you hosed (the closing of Paragon Adventure Park in Pennsylvania shows what can go wrong with a lease). However, with that said, today many parks exist using leased land, and everyone is happy and the parks are very successful.
Finally, there are various government land grants or money grants available, but these vary wildly from state to state, so you would need to check with your local government to see what's available in your area.
When it comes to actually choosing the land, abandoned stone quarries seem like the most natural land to use for a park, and they do work, but these often sheer-walled properties may require a significant amount of expense to render them safe and usable for four-wheel-drives. Park owners tell us that they look for land that contains a variety of types of terrain. Rocky soil works well because it isn't as susceptible to rutting after precipitation. Also consider that runoff and things of that nature are monitored by local government and the EPA, and they won't hesitate to enforce existing laws.
Ultimately, you want to create a park that people will want to come to again and again. Tom Wombles, who with his wife Debbie, owns Hannibal Rocks in Hannibal, Missouri, said it best when he noted that each ORV park has its own personality.
Park owners tell us that insurance is their biggest expense and there are only a couple of companies willing to underwrite ORV parks.
If you can qualify for insurance, we're told that annual premiums for a full-time park range from $20,000 to more than $50,000. Figuring a $20,000 annual premium and a $15 per-vehicle day rate, this means that it'll take well over 1,300 paying customers to meet your premium. Speaking of the premium, it's all due at one time. There are finance companies that you can utilize to spread out the payment, but then you're incurring interest charges. If your park is only open on select weekends, your insurance premiums will be lower, but so will your income. We're told that some states have laws that shield operators of off-road motorsports venues from most litigation; however these do not always shield operators from true negligence. Another thing: One successful, experienced park owner told us that it's a good idea to see if liability waivers have withstood the test of time in the state you are looking to operate in.
Set 'em and enforce 'em. A few park owners told us that they were too lenient with rules at first and it came back to bite 'em.
If rules say that alcohol is prohibited, vehicles must stay on trails, and everyone must wear seatbelts, then it must be enforced. Rules require constant enforcement, so this means that the owner of the park has to be the mobile enforcer or one has to be hired. And remember, park owners and friends fall under the same rules as paying customers.
You're a 'wheeler, so you know what 'wheelers want. A successful park has a variety of 'wheeling options that integrate all 'wheeling disciplines. Something to remember is that guests won't be familiar with your land, so make sure all of the trails are clearly marked and rated. Detailed maps will also ensure that customers have a good time. If possible, create an infrastructure of easy roads that allow access to the entire property. Challenging trails can simply branch off of the main roads and the wider roads will facilitate recoveries. When it comes to building trails, many park owners have partnered with family-oriented off-road clubs as a source of volunteer labor.
These clubs often donate their time for trail building, and in return for their labor, the park owners often trade out trail time to the club. If you don't want to go that route, you can build the trails yourself; though creating trails often requires the use of heavy equipment which must be rented. If you don't have experience in operating heavy equipment, you'll need to rent an operator too. Remember: Fresh new trails keep people coming back.
As more and more public land is closed, ORV parks fill the gap and give people what they want. Naturally this is a good thing. Now that you have a basic idea of the commitment a park requires, you can decide whether or not to take it to the next level.
S. in 2022Starting an off-road park isn’t the easiest business idea in the world, but it’s certainly possible with the right strategy and resources.
To start an off-road park, you’ll need a detailed plan and a suitable piece of land. The location should be close to town but out of zoning restriction areas. You’ll need to design engaging but safe trails and spread the word throughout the local off-road community.
In this article, we’ll go over the main steps required to start an off-road park. We’ll show you how to choose a plot of land, how to design the best trails, and how to spread the word about your new off-roading location. Additionally, we’ll go over some strategies for designing a park that’s safe, easy to maintain, and sustainable.
We created this article and these tips from analyzing the best private off-road parks and how they got started.
Finding some land for an off-road park is a little more difficult than finding a building lot. It’ll need to be accessible, affordable, and in a location where building an off-road park is allowed. Here are a few considerations for choosing land.
The best place to build an off-road park is in an area with limited red tape. States with too much oversight can make it financially impossible to construct a simple off-road park, as can areas too close to cities.
A good workaround is to find a location in an unincorporated rural county. These areas often have very little zoning or none at all, which allows you to do almost anything with your land.
The vast majority of the physical landmass in America is like this. You can call county offices to find out what the permitting and zoning requirements are before purchasing land.
Land access is also a very important fact to consider. Since you’re running an off-road park, you’ll need to make sure drivers can actually get to the property.
Some plots of land are not accessible without traversing someone else’s private road, and a long train of off-road vehicles likely won’t be welcome. Be sure to find a property with direct access from a public road or highway—preferably one that’s paved.
A good off-road trail shouldn’t be too far from where people live. Try to get as close to a town as possible, so people can visit in their afternoons instead of making a whole day trip.
This may increase costs, but it’s worth it if you want a greater number of visitors.
Wooded lots are the most fun for off-roading, as are areas with dramatic terrain. Try to find a location where the cool spots are accessible (IE no random rock cliffs in the road) but also not too easy.
If it’s a wooded lot, you might have to clear trees to make room for the trail. This increases cost and time significantly, as clearing trees is a difficult task that usually requires heavy machinery. Just keep that in consideration when choosing a plot of land.
Designing the park is the fun part of the process and also one of the most important. You’ll want to design the trails to be as consistent as possible—IE, a difficult trail is difficult, and an easy trail doesn’t have any serious challenges.
If you’re on a smaller piece of land, you’ll have to make sure that the trail eventually loops back. All trials should reach an exit at some point—you don’t want two-way traffic on a narrow off-road trail.
Here are a few more points to consider when drawing up your park plan:
Designate trails by vehicle type (trucks, ATVs, dirt bikes, etc.)
Make sure a fire truck or ambulance can access the parking area
The primary consideration for designing your trial should be traffic flow. As we said, you don’t want two vehicles meeting each other nose-to-nose in the middle of the trail. One-way trails that return are the best option, especially for high-traffic parks.
You should have multiple trails with multiple difficulty levels, and they should be well-labeled, so people know what they’re getting into. These trails can intersect if people want a more challenging road, but there should always be another route that beginners and unmodified vehicles can take to get out.
Safety is an important factor to consider when designing an off-road park. If possible, ensure that there’s enough dedicated room in the parking area for emergency vehicles like fire trucks and ambulances. Also, install an emergency phone somewhere near the main area.
You can do a lot to prevent accidents, such as clearly marking trail directions and vehicle rules. For example, include periodic signage indicating which direction the trail travels and the difficulty of intersecting trails. Don’t forget to point to the quickest way off the trail as well.
Test each trail yourself before opening it to the public. Avoid designing trails that come too close to natural hazards, such as deep rivers or cliffs. If there is a water crossing, check the water after storms to make sure it hasn’t gotten deeper than the posted depth.
Additionally, establish a first aid station near the entrance and exit of the trails in case somebody needs emergency medical attention.
These things will help make your park safer, and it will also put insurance companies at ease when you go to insure your business.
Maintenance must also be considered when designing an off-road park. Maintenance activities like inspecting the trail, filling in holes, and grating out washboards must be performed periodically due to regular wear and tear on the dirt road.
Come up with a system for removing stuck or broken vehicles from the trail. Any trail where automobiles operate should be accessible to towing equipment, and it helps to have a tractor on-site in case someone gets stuck and blocks off the trail. You can charge an extra fee for recovery services as well.
You should also consider investing in an ATV for the park. These vehicles can access almost every trail, and you can use them for quick road inspections or assessing a situation when someone reports a problem.
Once you’ve established your park and a way to monetize it, you’ll have to find a way to spread the word.
Word-of-mouth is the best way to get more people to your park, and it has to be good and affordable to get popular organically. But that takes time, and there are a few strategies you can use in the meantime.
Start a social media page for your trail and feature people and their vehicles. People love getting their cars featured on someone else’s page (provided you obtain permission first), and it’s a great way to spread the word.
Social media ads are very inexpensive and highly targeted. You can target people in your area who are already interested in off-roading, and they have a good conversion rate.
Posting flyers on local bulletin boards and telephone poles is another way to spread the word. Another place to post flyers is at local auto parts shops, car dealerships, and mechanic shops. It sounds archaic, but these things actually work.
Giving away free stickers, sweatshirts, and hats is a great way to spread the word.
If someone wears free merchandise or puts a sticker on their car, they become a walking advertisement for your off-road trail. Eventually, you can sell merchandise instead once people begin recognizing your park.
In our age of high technology and innovative discoveries, a variety of vehicles are of genuine interest, the list of which is represented by cross-country motorcycles, ATVs, mountain bikes, SUVs. ATVs are among the most convenient means of transport for overcoming mountain, water, forest and other difficult road sections. This all-terrain mode of transport is much more compact than cars, more stable than motorcycles and much more powerful than bicycles.
But there are very few owners of four-wheeled all-terrain vehicles. This is due to the high cost of ATVs. For such a price, many fans of extreme competitions will give preference to cars. On one side of the scale is a great desire to become a member of the off-road team, and on the other, the investment of a large amount of money to purchase an expensive all-terrain vehicle.
This dilemma provides an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs and businessmen to set up an ATV rental business.
The presence of a genuine interest in this type of movement on difficult sections of roads, the desire to overcome the difficulties associated with off-road, to increase adrenaline provides quite broad prospects for the development of this type of activity, which will occupy a worthy niche in the industry of extreme sports. In addition, the existing demand for this type of outdoor activity also provides an excellent opportunity for the development of a business related to the rental of ATVs, on which many people have a desire to overcome off-road.
Any type of entrepreneurial activity requires a competent approach, serious attitude and strict accounting of funds. ATV rental as a business is represented by two formats that will allow you to determine the initial capital required to create a rental point, and relate to the first stage of starting a business.
The first format provides for the creation of a traditional rental point, which will operate according to the traditional scheme of providing a vehicle to customers and receiving a certain profit for the service provided.
This is what a full-fledged ATV rental base might look like.
The second format is represented by a full-fledged entertainment center for off-road enthusiasts, including a service for providing rented equipment to customers and further entertainment for visitors. A larger format of entertainment should be distinguished by comfort, coziness and high quality of service. To create a full-fledged entertainment center, you need to invest more money than the first option to organize a traditional rental point, which is much easier and faster to organize at a much lower cost.
Since we are talking about sports and recreation, I would recommend reading articles about opening a fitness club and a gym.
When creating a full-fledged entertainment center, you will need initial capital to organize difficult sections of the route and an office, which should be located on the territory next to the route. Difficult terrain, including ravines, swamps, hills and uplands, rivers will be the best option to create a route that will satisfy potential customers. The boundaries of difficult road sections are marked with flags or other identification marks. 
In addition, they are additional sources of income. 
Information provided on billboards, electronic billboards, advertisements in local newspapers and commercials on radio and television is guaranteed to help you find your first customers. Read also about the opening of the recreation center.
Author: Andrey Serov Business consultant, chief editor of Ktovdele.
Worked as a lawyer, managed a branch of Sberbank, invested in the construction and retail business.
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Tours and tickets
By car
Dune quad biking desert safari. You will ride through the lush dunes, ride a camel, and at sunset you will have a barbecue with a hookah.
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Feel the breath of the desert - ride a quad bike on the sands!
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Feel like a real Bedouin in the sands with an open-air oriental dinner and show program.
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ATV
Experience the adrenaline rush of buggies and quad bikes in the Arabian Desert.
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30-minute desert safari on quad bikes or buggies.
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ATV riding in the desert is a real adventure that will give you the unique opportunity to ride powerful ATVs on your own, without limiting yourself in speed.
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Reviews of tourists
Veronica B.
Evening safari with a visit to the Bedouin village
Promptly responded to the request for an excursion, professionally answered all questions, delivered very comfortably in a transfer jeep and rode it very cool on the dunes, gave enough time quietly enjoy the views of the desert. Slightly chaotic dinner in a Bedouin village in terms of food, queues, performing artists well done
5 days ago
Albina .
Quad biking on the dunes, camel riding and dinner in the desert
The tour is rich and tireless, it all takes place in a comfortable SUV and since its capacity is no more than 7 people, the company is going to be small, which is convenient.
It will not be convenient for everyone that you need to explain yourself to the guide in English. Driving a quad bike on the sands is awesome!
11 days ago
Kseniia F.
Among the sands - through the desert in jeeps!
An excellent excursion that you must visit while in the UAE! Being in the UAE and not seeing the desert means you have not been to the UAE. It should be borne in mind that a ride in the desert can be motion sickness, so it is better to take a pill for motion sickness in advance. In my group, people had this happen, after which they asked the driver to go slower. Why go on safari to ask the driver to slow down? Take a pill and enjoy your ride to the fullest! You didn't go for a ride on the subway, in fact
27 days ago
Oleg F.
Evening safari with a visit to a Bedouin village
The desert is beautiful, the pictures are cool. ATV riding in a fenced area on the sand was offered immediately upon arrival in the desert.
Children or one person - 150 AED, for two adult quads - 250 AED. Skiing time - 30 min. while riding, you can take pictures yourself on quadrics. Further driving in jeeps through the desert, through the dunes, is quite normal. In terms of extremeness, how lucky with the driver. In the desert photo and then for dinner. Dinner and show are complete nonsense. Water on the road is not included…
about 1 month ago
Vadim G.
Evening safari with a visit to a Bedouin village
A good driver, I got a good car, but it is the only one in the entire fleet of cars, as I understand it. Show program is not needed, complete crap. Tiring and useless. Make the safari only option please.
about 1 month ago
Temirbolat .
Evening safari with a visit to the Bedouin village
The choice was in favor of the evening safari, everything was great from start to finish, most likely thanks to our driver Samir, very courteous, and drives great, be sure to ride on the buggies, it's worth it.
In the Bedouin village it is better to pay 50 dirhams as there is no limit on food and drinks, food is for everyone, the show is cool. Only positive emotions remained.
about 2 months ago
Marina Z.
Evening safari with a visit to the Bedouin village
Thank you very much for the trip. Guide Nur did an excellent job of making our evening perfect. Great photos from him, a trip to the Barkhans, he helped us and worried about everything in the village! Very attentive. The desert is also beyond praise. Our driver was Ibragim, he arrived on time, explained everything, everything was clear, drove around the dunes. The show is very interesting, the main thing is to tell everyone what you need for free: a tattoo, a camel ride, etc., otherwise they will take money, this must be taken into account, it is impossible to be in the desert and not go on a safari 😁 I recommend it to everyone!
2 months ago
The catalog contains 6 ATV tours in Dubai with descriptions, prices and reviews of tourists.
