Quote:
Originally Posted by LauraC
Can't they make separate trails for people who mountain bike? Why do walkers and bikers have to use the same trails?
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Laura, you're asking a fair question, and there is a need to minimize conflicts between various user groups. This includes hikers, mountain bikers, dirt bike/atv/utv riders, snowmobiliers and cross country skiers. In my state alone, we have in excess of 4 million acres of designated wilderness. As such, no motorized or mechanized (bicycle) use is permitted by law. So, users are confined into a smaller area, increasing conflict. On the other hand, there is still plenty of acerage available to provide seperation.
As an ORV rider, I agree that there are places they should not be allowed, out of respect for other forest users. Many of our rivers and creeks are public and are popular camping spots for many users. A ATV trail should not run right along the creek bank for example (access to and from a specific camp site is a different story). Around here, I'd estimate that 90% plus of the non-motorized use of the land occurs very near bodies of water. The vast majority of our national forests are mountains, and cover very large areas. The vast majority of the users of these lands (away from waterways) is ORV use of one form or another, with the exception of hunting season. I have passed probably 100+ hiking trail heads in the last 2-3 years, I have seen a vehicle parked at ONE!. Areas near town (and off limits to ORVs btw) are another story, more hikers there.
In the ranger district where I live, there are 35 miles of developed trails open to ATV use. And these trails are used regularly. There are also some 1000-2000 miles of designated hiking and horse trails...see my comments above about trail heads. Given the vast preponderance of trails where other users are allowed and ORVs are prohibited, conflicts should be minimal/non-existant. Yet some non-ORV users choose to use the few multiple use trails open to ATVs and contrive conflict.
I would support more of what you say, designation of discrete trail systems supported by different user groups, in proportion to the amount of users and miles covered by each group. The additional problem is funding. While ORVs pay their own way via registrations, orv tags and off-highway fuel tax, very few areas collect fees from hikers, horsemen or cross country skiers, and I'm not sure about mountain bikers. Hunters are the only other user group that seems to pay their way, yet use very few designated trails.
One of the issues we face in the winter time is that cross country skiers choose to use snowmobile trails that have been nicely packed by the snowmobiles, rather than the vast majority of the forest open to them. Yet then they complain when a sled uses the trail. Some people are just ignorant.
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