Prison Hill OHV area ready for Bronco summit

With a big winter in the rearview mirror and an upcoming event planned for its many trails, the off-highway vehicle section of Prison Hill Recreation Area is looking good in the eyes of Carson City’s Open Space Advisory Committee.

“I just wanted to say I think the city is doing an incredible job. I know that this is an unusual thing to have within a city, an OHV area,” said OSAC member Mary Berge. “Most cities do not have anything like this, and your staff has put together a plan, which the supervisors agreed to, and have done just incredible work with hardly any staff through COVID with all of the challenges.

“I am stunned to even say that anything has been done out there. And there has been a complete 180-degree turnaround from what it used to be. It used to be a mess, roads going everywhere.”

OSAC met Sept. 18 and heard a report on the Prison Hill OHV area. Since taking over the 2,500-acre recreation area in 2015 from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the city’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space Department has monitored the 900-acre OHV area in the south, decommissioned some trails, strengthened designated routes, added signs and implemented revegetation measures and erosion controls like check dams.

The north section of the recreation area is designated for nonmotorized use. In May, the Carson City Board of Supervisors approved the Prison Hill Master Plan for the entire area. This summer, OSAC members toured the OHV section. Member Samuel Mozingo described observing balanced management.

“The areas that you opened and closed and reopened, the signs — just what everyone else has said — it really shows that you guys carry that balance very seriously to the community,” he said. “There are a lot of people that just want to roam free. And there are a lot of people that also care about the way that that area is cared for and monitored and watched over. I think you do a great job. And I think it’s just a testament to the leaders that we have in place in that department.”

Carson City Trails Coordinator Gregg Berggren and Open Space Manager Lyndsey Boyer presented the monitoring report of the area to OSAC on Sept. 18. The city initiated the annual reports even though the BLM performs its own monitoring stemming from a conservation easement between the city and the federal agency.

“2023 experienced record snowpack in the Carson River watershed, and the resulting runoff had erosional impacts region-wide,” reads the 2022-23 Carson City report written by Marenna Lovejoy, senior natural resource specialist. “Despite this epic winter, the OHV improvement and stabilization project appears to have had a positive impact and reduced some stormwater runoff as demonstrated by the amount of sediment captured by check dams or redirected by lead-off ditches.

“Check dams also helped to reduce stormwater velocity and scouring in some washes. Introduction of signage and trail cameras to the staging area appear to have reduced incidences of vandalism and damage. Carson City will continue to address and monitor over time the available resources in the Prison Hill Recreation Area Off-Highway Vehicle Area and implement additional improvements to the conditions on the property as needed.”

OSAC Chair Mark Kimbrough said the OHV area is a model for other communities.

“I made testimony at the Board of Supervisors on the plan,” he said. “The fact that I have been involved with two planning areas for OHVs in other places in the state, Southern Nevada and kind of central Nevada … nothing compares to what you guys do for this OHV park. It’s phenomenal. It’s a national model. It has to be a national model because there’s hardly any other models like this in the nation … within the city where the locals can take their kids out and learn how to ride OHVs and be safe.”

The area is also a draw for visitors. Bronco Driver Magazine’s Bronco Super Celebration, drawing Ford Bronco enthusiasts, is slated for Oct. 4-7 at Mills Park. The Prison Hill OHV area will be used for the event.

“Carson City will be the fourth annual stop in the yearly cycle of Bronco events that Bronco Driver Magazine presents,” said David Peterson, executive director of Visit Carson City.

The four-day event will offer activities, awards and vendor booths at Mills Park. Off-site drives will be part of the celebration, too.

“As you can imagine, there is a contingent of Bronco owners who do like to recreate beyond the pavement,” Peterson said.

Visit Carson City worked with the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Department to follow rules of the Prison Hill OHV area and cap the number of Broncos to 25 for each trip — twice a day over two days.

“In working with the event owner, responsible recreation came up multiple times,” said Peterson. “Leave No Trace Behind is at the core of their events.”

According to Thomas Broberg, owner and publisher of Bronco Driver Magazine, the event could bring an economic impact to Carson of about $250,000. This amount is typical of first-year Bronco events, while established Bronco events can generate millions. Generally, a registered Bronco attendee stays an average of four nights in an area and spends about $750 or more on lodging and about $125 a day, or $500, on food, gas, snacks, souvenirs and other items, according to Broberg.

Peterson was pleased Carson was chosen as the West Coast location for the celebration.

“We look forward to this inaugural event and being an annual event here in Nevada’s capital,” he said.

For information or to register, visit https://visitcarsoncity.com/events/bronco-super-celebration.

Trail system for the Prison Hill OHV area.