Mountain Biking on Trails?????

[musicwoman]

I know its prohibited on the AT for very obvious reasons. I am not a mountain biker, but I have seen many on the local trails here, and in my opinion, the damage they do to a path is considerable. There is a Greenbelt Trail here on Long Island, and apparently, that is open to mountain bikes also.

I was wondering what everyone's opinion is on sharing the trails w/ mountain bikers.

[Lone Wolf]

the Iron Mtn Trail here in damascus is open to horses, motor bikes and pedal bikes. it's not damaged bad at all

[Daddy Longlegs]

Bikes have their place on trails as do hikers. We all love to get out in the woods and enjoy it. That being said bikes need to stay on trails that are designed for them and off of trails that are hiking only. Sometimes I will avoid trails (mainly single track) that allow bikes cause I almost always have to jump out of their way with hardly having any kind of warning. If I am hiking with my kids I will not hike on single track trail with bikes cause of that reason. Now on the other side I will mtn bike once in awhile with a friend of mine who does it all of the time and I will have a great time. We always use trails that are for bikes. Around the area the local bike club has built some very nice trails that has benefited everyone. We all can get along and with great clubs everyone can benefit with more trails being added and well maintained.

[Freeleo]

i would rather see bikes on trails then big piles of doggie poo:-?

bikes smell better and usually will yield right of way to hikers/walkers especially if they are prohibited....i have had more problems on horse trails with owners than with hikers on hiking trails...but if you stop/slow down i have yet to have a confrontation.....i stay off trails when the are wet...lately the ground has been so hard from the drought that i dont think much damage is being done....but it will be a while before they dry out enough.........share the trail and be happy to see others getting out and being active is my take

[Manach]

The trails I walk every week are open to bikers and hikers, and I haven't noticed any damage to the trail itself from the bikes. That having been said, the bikes are very rough on the roots and rocks, poorly maintained bikes often leave behind pieces like reflectors, and, not to make a generalization about bikers, many of the cyclists drop their trash along the trail as they go. Of course, hikers do the same, but I've found more trash that I would attribute to bikers (such as energy gel packets) than hikers. Either way, I pack it out for them. =o)

The horse riders, however, who frequently take their horses onto the hiking/biking trails, have done a great deal of damage. I've noticed it happening within just over a year's time.

[the goat]

when i lived in charlettesville, va there was a shared trail w/ mountain bikes called the rivana trail.

the bikes made huge ruts in the trail that held water & mud for many days after a rain.

it was the only downside to an otherwise nice trail.

[Gray Blazer]

Great mountainbiking at Snowshoe, WV.

[LostInSpace]

A substantial portion, but not all, of the Tahoe Rim Trail (http://www.tahoerimtrail.org/trailuse.htm)is open to MTBs. Cooperation seems to have been worked out.

[LostInSpace]

The horse riders, however, who frequently take their horses onto the hiking/biking trails, have done a great deal of damage. I've noticed it happening within just over a year's time.

I don't disagree. However, in the Bob Marshall WIlderness, the horse riders, despite the trail damage, actually keep the trails open. Many of the trails would be lost because there are not enough hikers to keep the trails from becomming overgrown.

[LIhikers]

musicwoman......I believe that bicycles are not allowed on the Greenbelt Trail, the Nassua-Suffolk Trail is a different story. You can report illegal use of the trail to the State Park Police, call 911 and ask for the Park Police. When they get enough complaints from one area they try to do something about it. Carry a camera and offer pictures of the offenders to the police.

[CaseyB]

Reflectors.....that makes me laugh. Some federal reg. makes the bike manufacturers put reflectors on every bike they sell, regardless of it's intended use.....so the reflectors put on Mtn. bikes either get taken off or fall off (newbie Mtn. biker). Same goes for that plastic thingy between the spokes and cassette.
" I had to jump out of the way!" Not likely. Most hikers I come up on in the woods are immediately surprised by my presence (Iron Mtn. trail, I am also surprised to see anyone). Some jump out of the trail as though they are convinced they are about to be ran over. (none are, and yes I do yield the trail) Are ya sure it was that close or did ya just get a little spooked?

[twosticks]

Reflectors.....that makes me laugh. Some federal reg. makes the bike manufacturers put reflectors on every bike they sell, regardless of it's intended use.....so the reflectors put on Mtn. bikes either get taken off or fall off (newbie Mtn. biker). Same goes for that plastic thingy between the spokes and cassette.
" I had to jump out of the way!" Not likely. Most hikers I come up on in the woods are immediately surprised by my presence (Iron Mtn. trail, I am also surprised to see anyone). Some jump out of the trail as though they are convinced they are about to be ran over. (none are, and yes I do yield the trail) Are ya sure it was that close or did ya just get a little spooked?

I have to agree with you on this one. I am both a mountain biker and a hiker. I work with both IMBA and More (It's an MD/VA thing). Whenever we are on the trail, we yield fully to hikers and horses and I know most of my riding buddies do the same. Of course there are a few bad apples in every bunch, but for the most part, we care about the trail and we care about the people using it.

[Swiss Roll]

I am both a hiker and a biker. Retaining trail access for bikes has been difficult. The entrenched hiker and horsey interest groups (Sierra Club, etc.) lobbied hard to ban bikes on trails from coast to coast. Many times they used the specious argument of 'trail damage' to forward their position. The IMBA (International Mountain Bike Association) was created to represent bikers and has done a wonderful job of turning the tide of anti-biker sentiment and trail closures. Several studies have shown that bikes cause an amount of trail damage that is similar to that caused by hikers, but much less than the damage caused by horses. My question has always been, "So where is the outrage against horses?" It's not there because it was a political issue, not an environmental issue. The horses and hikers had (have) clout, the bikers didn't, but have organized and fought back. The Sierra Club has since moderated their stance, but I don't know their official position. I wish the hikers and bikers would join forces against the real trail destroyers-the rut-gouging, equine poop machines and their imperious, entitlement-minded owners.

[Kerosene]

Maybe it's because of the sandy soil here in southeast Michigan, but the popular bike trails are quite rutted and the horse trails are very wide and almost like walking on a loose sandy beach. Then again, there are so few hikers around given the flat terrain that it isn't much of an issue for them.

[Hawkie]

I don't mind sharing many of the trails with bikes and horses, but I want trails set aside for hiking only too. I hike for the peace and quiet and the sharing with nature. Bikes rushing by me on a foot only trail really p-- me off.

[Tipi Walter]

I do a lot of cycling but I feel bikes belong on roads. Why not? There's thousands of miles of dirt roads all over the place, so why take up the foot trails, too? What's left of the woods should aspire to be wilderness in some form and that means foot traffic only. I don't think any of the 900 miles of trails in the Smokies is open to biking and that's good.

I like what Hawkie said, peace and quiet, please!!

[Tennessee Viking]

Well I wouldnt bike trail unless its approved. I am looking into biking Flattop in NC, and use the forest roads to find the Lost Cove settlement.