Snowmobilers in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the Upper Peninsula. Michigan’s snowmobile trail permit fees will increase from $52 to $65 effective Oct. 1 to ensure funding keeps pace with inflation. The new annual fee will remain in place for the next five years. (Michigan Department of Natural Resources photo)

A required five-year adjustment for snowmobile trail permit fees will increase the price from $52 to $65 and will remain in place for the next five years, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said.

This change follows a statutory requirement — Public Act 400 of 2008 — to adjust snowmobile trail permit fees every five years based on the Consumer Price Index as determined by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Specifically, the adjustment accounts for a 25.1% increase over the previous five-year cycle, the DNR said in a news release Monday.

“The adjustment helps offset the rising costs of equipment and maintenance,” said Tim Novak, DNR state trails coordinator. “It ensures we can sustain our vast snowmobile trails system, which supports a $1 billion economic impact for the state and fuels the work of 67 volunteer clubs maintaining 6,300-plus miles of trails.”

Michigan consistently ranks among the top 10 snowmobiling destinations in North America and the state also boasts the fifth-largest trail network in the nation, the DNR said. Michigan’s network of designated trails and authorized public lands officially opens for the season Dec. 1 and runs through March 31. Trail grooming occurs when there is enough snow on the ground.

Trail permits go on sale Sept. 1 each year and are valid from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. They can be purchased online through eLicense, online via the Michigan Snowmobile ORV Association or in person at a number of DNR license agents and dealers.

Michigan’s snowmobile program is entirely funded through snowmobile trail permit and registration dollars. Every dollar is directly reinvested into the program through snowmobile clubs and DNR program support, the agency said.

Operations include:

— Trail brushing and grooming by 67 snowmobile clubs.

— New equipment grants for snowmobile clubs.

— Trail signage and maintenance.

— Trail bridge and culvert construction.

— Trailhead amenities, such as restroom maintenance and plowing of parking lots.

— Other snowmobile-related expenditures.

Residents must also register snowmobiles with the Michigan Secretary of State — unless sleds are used solely on private property. Nonresidents must display a valid registration from the operator’s home state or province. Michigan registration is good for three years, and those dollars support the purchase of trail easements, law enforcement on trails and safety education.

“Our snowmobile clubs are paid through the snowmobile program and are a vital component of successful, quality operations,” Novak said. “The revenue from every trail permit sold is funneled directly into the snowmobile program, providing essential funding needed to groom and maintain these sought-after trails.”

The DNR annually offers a Free Snowmobiling Weekend, when the requirement for a trail permit or registration is waived on DNR trails for two days.

To find information on snowmobiling in Michigan, go to Michigan.gov/Snowmobiling.