Sharing the trail with hikers and horses

[Andy Mink]

"well it's organic..."

I wonder if she feels the same about dog poop on the bottom of her shoe?

 

[Monique]

I wonder if she feels the same about dog poop on the bottom of her shoe?

Arsenic is also organic ...

 

[cantunamunch]

Arsenic is also organic ...

Nope, ask any chemist, deffo inorganic.

 

[Monique]

Nope, ask any chemist, deffo inorganic.

All natural?

 

[Monique]

Also, yes, major brain fart.

 

[crgildart]

I wonder if she feels the same about dog poop on the bottom of her shoe?

What about velocirapter

 

[Ron]

So, when traveling uphill or downhill the hiker/rider ahead of you has the right of way and it is your duty to avoid them just like the skier's code right? Never ride/run faster than you can stop or beyond your like of sight sounds like the prudent, but far less FUN thing to do.

Right. So technically according to the trail etiquette rules if you are riding a MTB downhill and you come across a hiker in front of you who is also traveling downhill you are expected to get off your bike and walk behind them for the entire rest of the trail. Obviously this is never how it actually works in practice, but if someone was taking the literal interpretation of the rules that is what they say.

not correct. uphill has right of way, and a hiker or biker does not have the right to block a trail or to obstruct others regardless of the direction or if standing still. This is like having two hikers standing talking to each other blocking the trail. they do not have the right to block passage. . its not like skiing at all. skiing rules need to be updated. they cause issues.

 

[Monique]

not correct. uphill has right of way, and a hiker or biker does not have the right to block a trail or to obstruct others regardless of the direction or if standing still. This is like having two hikers standing talking to each other blocking the trail. they do not have the right to block passage. . its not like skiing at all. skiing rules need to be updated. they cause issues.

To the best of my knowledge, here where I ride, hikers always have right of way over bikers. Hikers often step to the side anyway, but that's not what the signs say to do.

 

[JHust]

Heres a funny video a local bike shop posted not to long ago about hikers

 

[Vcize]

not correct. uphill has right of way, and a hiker or biker does not have the right to block a trail or to obstruct others regardless of the direction or if standing still. This is like having two hikers standing talking to each other blocking the trail. they do not have the right to block passage. . its not like skiing at all. skiing rules need to be updated. they cause issues.

Here in Utah it is the same as what Monique describes.

"Bikes, even if traveling uphill, NEVER have the right of way to pedestrians or equestrians."

Trail Etiquette - Mountain Trails

The Golden Rule 10 Seconds of Kindness Trail Access Is a Privilege Not at Right #RutsSuck These are all supremely important concepts to keep at the forefront of consciousness while out on the trails. Remember, trails in Park City are open to all members of the public. This is nobody’s private...

mountaintrails.org

 

[mdf]

Here in Utah it is the same as what Monique describes.

"Bikes, even if traveling uphill, NEVER have the right of way to pedestrians or equestrians."

Trail Etiquette - Mountain Trails

The Golden Rule 10 Seconds of Kindness Trail Access Is a Privilege Not at Right #RutsSuck These are all supremely important concepts to keep at the forefront of consciousness while out on the trails. Remember, trails in Park City are open to all members of the public. This is nobody’s private...

mountaintrails.org

As a kid riding a bike I was taught that if you get off your bike and walk it, you are now a pedestrian. The context was crossing the street in a busy area -- off the bike, you are a pedestrian and the cars have to yield to you. On the bike, you are just another vehicle with no special privileges.

So does this logic still hold? Could you dismount, pick up your bike, and jog past?

 

[Ron]

Here in Utah it is the same as what Monique describes.

"Bikes, even if traveling uphill, NEVER have the right of way to pedestrians or equestrians."

Trail Etiquette - Mountain Trails

The Golden Rule 10 Seconds of Kindness Trail Access Is a Privilege Not at Right #RutsSuck These are all supremely important concepts to keep at the forefront of consciousness while out on the trails. Remember, trails in Park City are open to all members of the public. This is nobody’s private...

mountaintrails.org

Wow, that make no sense but, its the law I guess. Its actually a safety hazard to make a biker get off a bike during a difficult climb (unclip) and then try to restart pedaling (get back on the bike, clip back in while balancing) on an incline or unstable terrain.

One pet peeve I do have is when anyone standing and talking obstructing the trail. Besides being rude, its a major safety issue. Many years a group of people (2 families) were standing on a trail blocking both directions and yelled at me because I asked them to move as I approached to pass.

 

[Monique]

Wow, that make no sense but, its the law I guess. Its actually a safety hazard to make a biker get off a bike during a difficult climb (unclip) and then try to restart pedaling (get back on the bike, clip back in while balancing) on an incline or unstable terrain.

I never said it makes sense! (Although this flats rider might archly observe that half of your issues seem to stem from clipless pedals).

What are the rules of trail etiquette for hikers, runners and mountain bikers?

Say you’re on a single-track hiking trail and someone approaches you from the other direction. Who is supposed to stop and make way?

theknow.denverpost.com

There's a justification provided. It's kinda dumb going uphill, IMO, but:

We’ll start with trail etiquette. The Colorado Mountain Club, National Park Service and Jeffco Open Space all say mountain bikers are supposed to yield to foot traffic. Cyclists should “come to a full stop and step to the side to give the right of way,” according to a post on the National Park Service website. Jeffco Open Space says the same thing, verbatim.

But in reality, that “never happens,” concedes Maddie Miller of the Colorado Mountain Club. In our experience at least, most mountain bikers expect runners and hikers to stop and get out of their way. Runners and hikers comply because they don’t want to get run over.

There is a rationale for the rule, though.


As more people flock to mountain and open space trails, it’s a good idea to know the rules of etiquette on single track trails. This photo was taken on the Lower Maxwell Falls trail, June 27, 2020 (John Meyer, Denver Post).
“It comes from a lot of land managers deciding that, since the biker has a lot more mass and machinery, and the hiker is just on their own, they want the biker to be able to get out of the way,” said Miller, CMC’s trip leader support coordinator. “On the other side of that, bikers say, ‘Well, I’m working so much harder, and it’s sometimes harder for me to get out of the way.’ But in the end, the biker has more power and therefore needs to make way for the foot traffic.”

By this logic, of course, horses would have the most restrictions, not the least.

 

[Ron]

laws made by people who dont engage in biking or hiking apparently. having bikers try to get off their bikes (on clipless or not, its still not easy to start pedaling on rocky loose terrain for many) is crazy and I can tell you around here anyway, that is not the rules observed. hikers give way to uphill traffic. Everyone gives way to horses.

this is part of the problem (aside from assholes being assholes) are rules that are outdated or not practical. This is much like the outdated rule of the skier in front ALWAYS has the right of way, even when they are skiing/riding in an unsafe manner.

 

[pchewn]

This is much like the outdated rule of the skier in front ALWAYS has the right of way, even when they are skiing/riding in an unsafe manner.

Outdated rule? Have skiers recently grown eyes in the back of their heads that enable them to look at the people behind them?

Seriously though, what makes this EXCELLENT rule outdated now? What has changed?

The skier in front should always have the right of way ESPECIALLY if they are skiing in an unsafe manner. That's exactly when the people behind should be the most cautious.

 

[Monique]

laws made by people who dont engage in biking or hiking apparently. having bikers try to get off their bikes (on clipless or not, its still not easy to start pedaling on rocky loose terrain for many) is crazy and I can tell you around here anyway, that is not the rules observed. hikers give way to uphill traffic. Everyone gives way to horses.

this is part of the problem (aside from assholes being assholes) are rules that are outdated or not practical. This is much like the outdated rule of the skier in front ALWAYS has the right of way, even when they are skiing/riding in an unsafe manner.

You'll also note that the quote provided in that article was incredibly biased.

IME, though, a lot of hikers don't understand what's tricky or not on a bike - so they'll kindly pull over into the easiest line, politely allowing you to ride up the gnarliest rock part. I dismount and thank them, explaining that I couldn't ride up that section without putting us all at risk. I do appreciate the kind intentions, which again are above and beyond their rights.

And of course the clipless comment was largely tongue in cheek, though I really do like flats in that situation because your foot won't just slide off the pedal if you don't make perfect contact.

 

[Monique]

Outdated rule? Have skiers recently grown eyes in the back of their heads that enable them to look at the people behind them?

Seriously though, what makes this EXCELLENT rule outdated now? What has changed?

The skier in front should always have the right of way ESPECIALLY if they are skiing in an unsafe manner. That's exactly when the people behind should be the most cautious.

I had the same thought ... But have you ever been behind a drunk driver whose car is weaving all over the road? I've been in that situation, and after a while I've sometimes sped ahead, totally illegally, to avoid being behind that car when it inevitably crashes. So I think there may be situations where it makes sense. But it's different on a ski slope where waiting might take a minute or two.

 

[Ron]

And of course the clipless comment was largely tongue in cheek, though I really do like flats in that situation because your foot won't just slide off the pedal if you don't make perfect contact.

I think its valid because its part of the sport.the added difficulty and time it takes to for clipless dismount/mount is inherent to Mtn biking. that should be part of the calculation when making rules. . I ride flats too. After breaking my wrist a couple of years back, all of the ER staff said they no longer ride Clipless LOL.

 

[Ron]

where there rule has the biggest impact is on Cat tracks. Im fine with that rule on open runs where people have room to maneuver . The rule is outdated because it places the skier/snowboarder ahead completely immune to any and all rules, including making skiing/riding in a hazardous manner perfectly fine. It literally makes it legal for a snowboarder to crash Into you as you are safely passing even if they said, its ok to pass. I've seen it and experienced it many times. Todays mindset is not as it was in the past. You have people wearing headphones/ear buds that cant hear anything and they dont care. You have people trying to do tricks on cat tracks causing mass collisions and people skiing off the edges trying to avoid collisions when they ski up the side of the run and do a 180 and ski/ride back across the cat track. This happens often and its perfectly legal to do so.. This is literally like saying to drivers, as long as you are in front of another driver, feel free to swerve, drive sideways, turn around and drive the wrong way or slam into another driver as long as you are in front,. And, as long as you hit them from the side, its no fault.

 

[slowrider]

I'm going with courtesy & common sense.