The following letter was forwarded to me from an Arizona Naturals Group:

Hey folks.  Okay, this sucks, but it's a necessary evil.  Some of you may already know that the requirements for the State Land Use Permit for the State of AZ have changed.  This is a very big deal and must be taken seriously.

In order to ride on ANY state land in Arizona, you MUST have a permit.  Those of us who live in AJ, this means riding the Power Line Trail, the trails around Goldfield Ghosttown, the equestrian area out east of Goldfield Road, Usery Park (including everything north of Lost Dutchman Road at Signal Butte), and even that silly plot of land on the southwest corner of Tomahawk and Lost Dutchman Road.  Wherever you see a State Land Trust sign, that is an area that you must have your permit with you to be allowed to ride.

It used the be that permit was $10 for an individual, $20 for a household per year.  Now they have changed it to the following (all are yearly prices).  These fees apply for all travel on State Land (including motorized vehicles and bicycles), hiking, and camping.

$50 for an individual
$75 for a family (haven't found out what defines a "family" yet)
$50 for a non-commercial/non-competative permit (say you're going to have a group ride hosted from your house or hosted by a non-profit organization--you must pay this fee to cover the whole group)
Special Land Use Permit for Commercial and Competative Events (this includes any type of event that gives out prizes, including money) - varies depending on location and how many people will be riding.  There is a $300 processing fee on top of the permit fee.

I URGE EVERYONE TO BITE THE BULLET AND PAY THIS MONEY.  Why?  Two reasons.

1) If you get caught (and they ARE actually patrolling the areas now--I've seen patrol cars in the Usery Park area) the fines are astronomical.  It can include terminating your right to ride in the area permanently.

2) MOST IMPORTANTLY: We have to support the recreation departments by paying the money.  Otherwise, we WILL lose our land for riding.  They decide what areas of land are being used most by recording how many people have state permits and what kind of activities they are doing.  If they see that not many people are getting their permits for the area, then they will assume no one is using the land and will start selling the land for various commercial uses, including more housing, which means less chances for horses to be kept on our own land.

Please note that these monies go to our gov't to keep our lands open for riding.  It pays for the Forest Service to patrol the areas and keep motorized vehicles, hunters and paintballers out of areas where they're not supposed to be.  It pays for cleanup, putting up fencing, and various other needs that we know are essential to keeping our lands open for riding.  Yes, the prices are steep, but sometimes we have to pay extra money in order to preserve our rights as Arizona citizens.

All of the information about permits is available at this link:  http://www.land.state.az.us/programs/natural/recreation_permit.htm  Applications can be downloaded here.  Please take the time to read everything and learn what the rules are.  We must do this to continue to be able to enjoy our trail riding!

Thank you, and remember: leave only hoofprints!  (And horse poop!)