Bikes in the wilderness

[balzaccom]

There are places where this seems to work. Henry Coe State Park near San Jose is open to both hikers and bikers, without much in the way of conflicts...but it's a huge park and for some reason doesn't get a lot of traffic of either type.

As a road biker, I usually avoid any MUT because of walkers, dogs, children, etc. I'll take the highway over that crowd any day....

[Harlen]

I am absolutely, emphatically, and positively certain that the vast majority of the Sierra (Deso, Yose, SEKI, JMW, Inyo) will not be opened to bikers. No one will allow that to happen. I can see Domeland wilderness, Sequoia National Forest-south, and many trails north of Tahoe being opened though. But that is only if they are accepted on a case-by-case basis.

We hope you are correct "Zacjust," but what do you base your certainty upon? Perhaps relatively well-used and passionately defended areas such as Yose, SEKI, JMW, and Inyo might be preserved from machines, but how will lesser known, and less well-defended areas in the country fair? I'm wondering about the Wind River Range (Daisy?); the North Cascades (Oldranger?); and the San Juans, the Sangres, and ??? on and on?! Recall that this is a National concern here.

[Wandering Daisy]

All the gun-toting cowboys on horses will simply shoot the bikers in the Wind Rivers.

More seriously, horsemen, outfitters, and NOLS are all powerful lobbies in Wyoming, and they are sure to fight a good battle to keep bikers out. There are lots of non-wilderness trails and roads that the few bikers there are, can now use. The Wind River Indian Reservation is private land, and even if they allowed bikers, the bikers would not get very far, since trails are no longer maintained and are full of deadfall. In fact, many of the "trails" in the Wind Rivers are infrequently maintained and not suitable for biking.

It is already different in the mountains near Durango, where my daughter lives. Mountain biking is REALLY popular there and many trails already allow bikes. In fact, the Colorado Trail (from Denver to Durango) already allowes bicycles.

I do not think that widerness areas far from population centers will have much of an issue with biking. These areas are not even used that much by backpakers.

[balance]

A bold statement sometimes attributed to Thomas Jefferson, but actually spoken before his time tells us, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”

I believe in keeping the wilderness wild and free, and as natural as possible. Inter-generational justice.

[Lumbergh21]

Quite a bit of stuff to read through here. A little personal background is that in terms of hours spent in an activity, I'm a hiker, road cyclist, and mountain biker a distant last. I live in an area that is great for hiking and mountain biking (getting worse with every road "improvement" they make for road cycling), and I have literally never had a problem with a mountain biker ever. Then again, I try to pay attention to what's going on around me, both when hiking and when riding. With regards to the person indignant about cyclists not yielding to hikers, it is a whole lot easier for me as a hiker to yield to a cyclist than the other way around. Rather than press my "rights" as a hiker, I do the smart thing when I HEAR (that pesky paying attention thing again) a cyclist coming and I get out of his/her way. I'll even have the decency to give a wave, and I invariably get a smile and a head nod or wave back. Behavior like this has a tendency to create a much better hike for me and ride for them. I'm guessing that a lot of people on here don't ride a bike. But, just think about who is more maneuverable, you on foot or the cyclist? Who has an easier time stopping or getting of the trail? I guess what I'm saying is just try to be nice.
While there are places that bikes don't belong and I believe that only trails suitable for cycling should be opened, what would the hikers be saying if they were banned from the many miles of trail built and maintained by cyclists? Maybe that isn't an issue for most of you, but it would certainly be a loss to me as a hiker here. I prefer the community of outdoor enthusiast around here that get along quite well with each other instead of a "mine, you can't have it" attitude that unfortunately, some people seem to be advocating.

[Lumbergh21]

Amazing how a trekking pole can ruin a person's day when stuck through the front wheel..

Wow, that is completely uncalled for and just down right mean. Oh yeah, sever facial and/or upper body injuries, ha, ha, so funny. Yes, I am refraining from responding in kind.

[dave54]

Amazing how a trekking pole can ruin a person's day when stuck through the front wheel..

Wow, that is completely uncalled for and just down right mean. Oh yeah, sever facial and/or upper body injuries, ha, ha, so funny. Yes, I am refraining from responding in kind.

Yes. Anti-mountain bike zealot Mike Vandeman spent time in jail and got a criminal record by assaulting a biker on a trail.

[oldranger]

Lumbergh21 wrote,

I believe that only trails suitable for cycling should be opened,

Which for many of the mountain bikers I know means every trail, even nasty ones like Taboose or trails with 18" tall steps. These gals and guys are amazing and the bigger the challenge the more they are into it.

[rlown]

I'm a little sensitive to cyclists being in the wrong place, now that vehicles have the 3' rule. I see many non-locals up here riding two-lane rural roads with no shoulders in unincorporated areas. It's flat out dangerous to both. We have at least 1 cyclist killed a month in Sonoma County by vehicle collision, esp in Spring and Summer. If the cyclists want bike lanes, fund them; If not, then cyclists shouldn't be on a dangerous road, especially with a 1 Ton hauling cattle to and fro their ranches.

I feel the same in the wilderness. Even polite people who run the trails for fitness will holler, "on your left." I appreciate that. If a cyclist is coming behind be down a trail, I might not hear the bike unless they slow down and say the words. I can hear a mule train behind me and then warn other people I meet to leash their dogs and move to the side.

[Wandering Daisy]

I have been approached by cyclists from behind and did not hear them until they were basically on top of me, mainly because I was not expecting bicycles. If I had to be 100% on the alert for bicyclists, to me, this would definitely cause me to be anxious most of the time, something I go into the wilderness to get away from! I think it is unrealistic to expect backpackers to be continually on the alert for bicyclists/ or bicyclists for backpackers. I really see the two on the same trail at the same time, incompatible.

Bicyclists and horses really do not mix. I know that many backpackers also do not like horses and could care less about horse safety. But I think this is a more serious issue than backpackers. Horses could spook and cause serious damage to themselves and their riders, as well as the bicyclist.