- HIKING TRAILS AND WILDFLOWERS by Keith and Barbro McCree -

Trail Damage Caused by Irresponsible Mountain Bikers

"Be sensitive to the dirt beneath you. Recognize different types of soils and trail construction; practice low-impact cycling. Wet and muddy trails are more vulnerable to damage. When the trailbed is soft, consider other riding options. This also means staying on existing trails and not creating new ones. Don't cut switchbacks. Be sure to pack out at least as much as you pack in."
Rule 2. Leave no trace : Rules of the Trail by the International Mountain Biking Association

We agree with the IMBA (and many others) that riding a mountain bike on trail that is wet and muddy can damage the trail We think it is irresponsible to ride under such conditions.

The damage caused by each mountain biker is much greater than that caused by a hiker, firstly because of the extra weight of the bike, and secondly because the soil is impacted continuously along the trail, while a hiker's feet hit the soil only at intervals. Heavy pedestrian use can eventually destroy a trail, but very few of the trails in this area fit this category. We have seen damage to wet trails caused by irresponsible horse riders and dirt bikers.

The U.S. Forest Service allows the use of mountain bikes on trails that are not in wilderness areas, which means the majority of the trails in this area, including the best wildflower trails. Unfortunately, the trails were not built for vehicles. The original trail builders often disregarded the cardinal rule of trail construction : never run the trail straight down the slope. Water bars were seldom used. As a result, the water that might drain off the trail under light pedestrian use now runs down it in wheel ruts, eventually removing all the soil and turning the trail into a stream bed.

When mountain bikes are ridden on muddy trails, they make deep wheel ruts.

Rainwater is no longer able to drain off to the side. Instead, it runs down the center of the trail, which has been turned into a ditch. The trail can still be saved by installing water bars (logs buried diagonally in the trail) to divert the water.

Eventually, all the soil is washed away and the trail becomes a stream bed. At this point, no amount of 'trail maintenance' can restore the trail.

We have seen a big increase in this problem since the federal and local authorities began promoting the use of mountain bikes on trails in our area. They have been wildly successful. Bikes now outnumber pedestrians.

Exploiting Nature

One of the biggest sources of damage is the Cascade Cream Puff. Contestants in this race ride their fat tire vehicles up Sourgrass Mountain on logging roads, and come down as fast as possible on the Alpine Trail and adjacent trails. A group of over 100 bikers is required to do this twice, for a total of 160 km (100 miles) with an elevation gain of 5500 m (18,000 feet). Local contestants in this race practice racing up and down Oakridge area trails year round, rain or shine, dry trail or wet trail.

It would be hard to imagine anything more calculated to tear up the trails and antagonize other users, most of whom go into the woods for some peace and quiet. Such irresponsible behavior is especially annoying to people like us, who value nature in its undisturbed state. The difference is that while we (along with responsible mountain bikers) are out to explore nature, the bike racers are out to exploit it for their extreme sport.

Light on the Land

"No discussion of trails is complete without talking straight to the topic of esthetics. We're talking scenic beauty here. Pleasing to the eye. The task is simple. An esthetically functional trail is one that fits the setting. It lays light on the land. It often looks like it just "happened."

"The ultimate compliment paid to a trail crew is to say, "It doesn't look like you had to do much work to get through here." Avoid the Bulldozer Bob look. Make your trail "just happen." The best trails show little evidence of the work that goes into them. A little extra effort spent widely scattering cut vegetation, blending backslopes, avoiding drill hole scars, raking leaves back over fillslopes, or restoring borrow sites pays off in a more natural-looking trail. Be a Master. Do artful trail work."
from 'Trail Construction and Maintenance Notebook' by Woody Hesselbarth and Brian Vachowski, USDA Forest Service, Technology and Development Program, Missoula, MT

In 2000, the mountain bike racers began widening the Alpine Trail, presumably so that they could ride down it even faster. From a wildflowers lover's point of view, the trail was already too wide. In the places that this trail is famous for, the open areas around rock outcrops, widening destroys unique wildflower habitat.

Our favorite spot on the trail (on Buckhead Mountain)

was turned into this

There certainly is a place for mountain bikes in National Forests, but not on trails that were not built for them. With thousands of kilometers of unused logging roads covering the same area, where is the need to take over hiking trails for downhill races ?

Documentation
1. Rules of the Trail by the International Mountain Biking Association
2. Share the Trails : A Mountain Bicyclist's Guide to Responsible Riding by the New England Mountain Bike Association
3. The Art of Riding Softly by Hank Barlow
4. Responsible Riding Etiquette, United States Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Management Unit
5. Mountain Biking: Issues and Actions for USDA Forest Service Managers, by Deborah J. Chavez
United States Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station PSW-RP-226-Web, 1996
6. Mountain Bike Policy of the American Hiking Society
7. Trail Shorts : A Cursory Look at Trail Maintenance, by Clay Phillips, California Department of Parks and Recreation
8. Trail Construction and Maintenance Notebook by Woody Hesselbarth and Brian Vachowski, USDA Forest Service, Technology and Development Program, Missoula, MT

| Home | Authors | Diary | Contents | Map | Wildflowers | Photos | e-mail |