As Selimyar posted last week on the other board, Livingston is still open, but only to licensed roadworthy vehicles. I went there Saturday and Sunday and played in the mud quite a bit.

On Saturday, I was told many different stories by everyone at the truck stops ranging from "It's completely closed" to "They'll only ticket ORV's if they are on the main roads" to "You'll be fine - the cops like Toyotas" <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />
I met with US Forest Service men Maynard and Junior <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/notooth.gif" alt="" /> (I'm NOT kidding...) who were friendly as can be and set the story straight. The place has become too popular, and even though it is within the boundary of a US Forest, the individual property owners are concerned with the liability of the frequent injuries/fatalities, vandalism, and potential for serious forest fires. Crime is a big problem there now (I counted 3 burned-out abandoned vehicles - one that Maynard <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/notooth.gif" alt="" /> said was a 2002 Chevy just stolen and dumped last weekend). If you have a road-legal vehicle, you can pretty much go anywhere on the main roads you want, other than the road that leads onto the Shellowtree Trace Trail, which is closed for "improvements". Maynard and Junior <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/notooth.gif" alt="" /> did say that next year most of the main roads would be "improved" as well, but not to look for any lessening of the ORV restrictions. Even if you do have a licensed vehicle, if you are pulling/towing an ORV, or are with a group that has ORV's, you will be told to leave the area or be ticketed. Most of what the group of 8 USFS rangers, 12 KYDNR, and 2 Barney Fifes were doing was "mopping up" - groups were given 30 min notice to leave and ticketed/towed/arrested if ignored.

M&J <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/notooth.gif" alt="" /> did like the Toyota, asking all kinds of questions about the goodies installed. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/coolg.gif" alt="" /> They took some pictures even.. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/coolg.gif" alt="" /> They tried to follow me as far as they could in there pea-soup green Tahoe. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/nana.gif" alt="" /> I even got to pull out a stuck county sheriff in a POS S10 Blazer. He was really a pr1ck, and was hassling me even after I pulled him out - but good ole M&J <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/notooth.gif" alt="" /> came back up behind me and pretty much ridiculed the a-hole Buford Pusser wannabe...
So the final: all the roads and most of the side trails are pretty much OK, but the fun obstacles (such as the "Field" and the "Playgrounds" are off-limits). The "Schoolbus" trail to the river is OK, but any other trail to the river bottoms is off-limits as well. The USFS guys are to be marking the designated trails better in the fall...

Pic of the "Man" at the Field and some light mud shots (the wife didn't/wouldn't get dirty to take any other pics...)