U.S. forest officials curb ATVs

[DriftinCO]

http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_6727627#28648

I read this article online this morning.

[taco29]

and this is why you STAY ON THE TRAIL

[RedRunnertc]

Note that article applies to us as well as ATV's

[Quick Draw]

Scroll down and read people's comments... That made me quite angry. Funny how hikers feel that they are the only ones with rights to the trails, and that all ORV users are "fat and lazy". I'm all for responsible trail usage, but when hikers go up a legal trail, which was originally created for and by offroad vehicles, just to scoff at everything with a motor that passes, that really pisses me off. I saw this happen numerous times this weekend on Mosquito Pass and Mt. Bross. These are 100% legal trails, with many vehicles. These hikers seem shocked and appauled to find a motorized vehicle on a Jeep trail, no matter how nice and respectful I am.

[00regcab]

my question, and maybe its a stupid one at that.

But how do these hikers get to these trail heads for hiking? :rolleyes:

They use the same OHV trails we use :eek: (in alot of cases, but not ALWAYS)

[Jacket]

Not to mention it's us OHV and motorized vehicle users that actually provide funds to help improve and maintain these trails. The greenie hikers just expect free and uncompromised access.

I'm somebody that enjoys it all, and I consider myself both a greenie and whatever the opposite of greenie is LOL. I love to drive, bike, hike, motorcycle, fish, swim, fuck, fart, etc. It's about getting out an enjoying public lands, respecting them, and helping to maintain them for the next generations. It is frustrating to see things like this, but then again, we see them every year, don't we. As long as our population continues to explode, especially in the West, we will continue to lose rights like this because of the sheer volumes of people. Even if we all tread lightly and responsibly, we're still treading way more than ever before....

[Jade]

Hiking takes its toll on the backcountry (http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20070813/NEWS/70813031)

I just got back from a (bicycle) ride on a trail marked for non-motorized travel. One of the things that I noticed were the dead branches that were placed on the trail...I can't imagine it was the cyclists that did this. But the one that really gets my goat are horses, they're allowed on trails (including wilderness areas) and they're not even native to this continent. Besides, ever skate through a pile of horse manure on a bicycle? Whoa nelly!

I see more hikers and ATVs off-trail than anything else.

[devinsixtyseven]

There are a few cool heads over there, the rest are quickly Balkanizing themselves between rabid granolas and Chicken Little libertarians :mad:.

There are plenty of people here who also hike, ski, snowboard, ride horses, dual-sport, and mountain bike...please go register over there and say something intelligent!

I had a great reply all done up, and then the website reloaded its headlines and threw away everything I'd typed :rolleyes:. Better to write your reply in notepad or something, then paste and post.

I'm pretty sure I've given my opinion of on vs off trail use elsewhere on COTTORA...

-Sean

[shane4x4]

I agree that many hiker-only subaru drivers take it a little far. I too enjoy hiking, biking, backpacking etc. That's why we have wilderness areas. If someone want's no motor vehicles - hit the wilderness & they're all set.

I think it really is all about education: educating the 'greenies' that it's ok to drive on a designated trail; and educating the orv community to respect the land and not be a dumba$$.