St. Joe State Park, 1hr South of St. Louis, MO- June 4th 2011

[fomocoguy]

Hello all! For anyone who is interested I am planning a ride at St. Joe State Park as stated on Saturday, June 4th. It's located in Park Hills, MO, which is just about an hour south of the St. Louis city limits off Highway 67. There is 2000 acres of sloppy mud, deep water, trails, sand, and pretty much any terrain you can think of to test out your machine. It's almost as if the place was designed for the amphib enthusiast. Anyways, it would be really great to ride with some other amphibs so if any of you are interested consider yourself officially invited! I'm going to do what I can to spread the word to the two nearest amphib dealers from me to see if we can get a group going.

The only rules at St. Joe are a helmet and an orange flag on a mast (and no alcohol- sorry). They sell them there for $20, or you can use one from a place like Wal-Mart that is for bicycles for about 5 bucks. Bikes, jeeps, trucks, atvs, and side by sides are also allowed if you have other machines to bring.

It's a nice place with a bike wash area and bathrooms and a nice campground with showers for anyone interested. Hope to see some of you out there!

Park info:
2800 Pimville Road
Park Hills, MO 63601
(573) 431-1069

[MaxRules]

St Joe is not that far from me yet I've never rode a 6x6 there. I had a dirtbike there about 15 years ago. I'm not sure how much mud there is for a 6x6 but maybe they'll have some good stuff. If I have a Max to bring at that time I'll probably be there. I'll make some phone calls and see who else might be able to go.

[fomocoguy]

I went down there twice last year and both times there was a ton of sloppy wet stuff to get into. I actually got mine stuck twice and had to bust out the winch to get me out of a jam. On top of there being a number of nasty areas there were some spots that were like very large ponds (probably almost half a footbal field). On top of that, we've had record rains for the month of May and April is usually our wettest month so it should be seriously wet down there. I know it's still a month away, but I doubt anyone will be dissapointed.

It would be great if you could come! It should be fun.

[Bud]

What kind of helmet is required?

[fomocoguy]

Here's a link to the rules page: Off-Road Vehicle Riding Rules | St. Joe State Park | Missouri State Parks

It says DOT or ANZI Z90.1 certified, but I can tell you that as long as it looks like any old motorcycle helmet nobody will mess with you. An obviously novelty type helmet like the thin skull caps the Harley guys wear or a football helmet may not fly.

To tell you the truth, I've rode there about 15 times over the years and I've seen rangers out in the riding area one time. They don't mess with you unless you're doing something really dumb.

[Bud]

Thanks.

[Bud]

I am going to try and make it for the ride on June 4.

[fasteddiesllc]

what about the ORV permit...I haven't found any info on it...

[MaxRules]

I think the ORV permit mentioned on their website is the one you buy for $5 to ride in the park.
Fomocoguy, do they check your ATV for any type of state registration?

[fasteddiesllc]

according to the dept. of revenue all amphibs in missouri fall under boating and vessel registrations. Hence...

"Titling and Registering Boats/Vessels and Outboard Motors

You have 60 days from the date of purchase to title your newly purchased boat/vessel/outboard motor. If you do not title the boat/vessel/outboard motor, there is a title penalty of $10 on the 61st day after purchase. The penalty increases another $10 for every 30 days you are late with a maximum penalty of $30.
•An original (or copy) paid personal property tax receipt or a statement of non-assessment from your county of residence (or city of St. Louis) for the previous year must be presented when registering or renewing a boat/vessel registration.
•All motorized boats/vessels and any sailboats longer than 12 feet must be titled and registered. Click here for a list of boats/vessels that do NOT need to be titled and registered.
•Amphibious vehicles are considered boats/vessels.
•All outboard motors, except trolling motors, must be titled and registered.

When the boat/vessel is titled and registered, you will receive:
•"MO" number
• Decals
•Pocket card
cited from >http://dor.mo.gov/motorv/watercraft/#register<

[fasteddiesllc]

st. joe state park

Okay fellas, just got off the phone with Judy at st. joe...only requirements for the 6 wheeler's, no riding into the lakes, doesn't matter if you are registered as a watercraft or not, helmets are mandatory along with the flag, ORV sticker is $5.00, they do not check for state registered or titled buggies.. website is St. Joe State Park | Missouri State Parks

[fomocoguy]

I just got home so sorry I couldn't answer earlier. As you found out, they don't care about titles or registrations or any of that business. You could be riding a go kart and as long as you've got a flag and helmet you are good to go.

[fomocoguy]

I am going to try and make it for the ride on June 4.

Awesome!

[Bud]

The missus and I will be there late morning on the 4th. I assume that there is an obvious parking area, and that I will eventually be able to find y'all, probably somewhere in the mud.

[fomocoguy]

The missus and I will be there late morning on the 4th. I assume that there is an obvious parking area, and that I will eventually be able to find y'all, probably somewhere in the mud.

Yessir, when you approach the riding area there is a large well organized parking lot with a bike wash area, concrete ramps in case you are unloading from a pickup truck, bathrooms, and a little lakeside picnic area. It's a pretty big place; if you like I'll pm you my phone number and if you let me know an ETA once you get on the road we will come back for a break and try and meet up with you. If not I'm sure we will eventually meet up! You can see a pretty good distance across the flats.

Glad you can make it!!!