Sacramento Area
Mountain Bike
Association

Environment and Etiquette

Environment

A familiar refrain off-road bikers hear from those who seek to keep bicycles out of an area is that opening the area to bicycles will damage the environment. 

This argument is misleading at best, and at worst, a lie.  The fact is, when impartial observers and land managers have studied trails, they have found that bike tires have about the same impact as boot treads.

The most comprehensive examination of this issue was done in New Zealand, where recreation of all types is a primary industry, and environmental quality a key selling point.  Gordon Cessford of the NZ Department of Conservation found that public perceptions about mountain bikes didn't always match the reality.

Mountain biking was also studied in Southwestern Australia by researchers from Edith Cowan University, and again, the impacts were found to be mitigatable by proper trail design and comparable to the impacts of hikers.

In the Science of Dirt, IMBA's Gary Sprung reviews several scientific studies of trail erosion, and offers guidance for mountain bikers and trail builders.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has recognized that mountain biking is much different than motorized vehicle use with its new land management plan.

Of course, proper trail construction and good soil conditions can only go so far.  Mountain bikers must become educated about proper trail etiquette and caring for the environment.  That's where IMBA and local clubs come in.  IMBA publishes and promotes the globally recognized "Rules of the Trail," simple guidelines for riding safely and in harmony with others.  

Etiquette

Multi-use trails have grown in popularity over the past few decades, as more and more people crowd onto public lands in search of a recreation experience.  Many groups, especially equestrians, have attempted to keep cyclists off of public lands using tactics of fear and intimidation.  

When equestrians and bikers have worked together, the concept of multi-use trails has proven to work well.  Our own Foresthill Divide Loop Trail, five miles south of Auburn, California, is a case in point.  Built by the local mountain bike club, FATRAC, with the help of State Parks, this trail is heavily used by equestrians and hikers.

Education of trails users is the key.  Again, IMBA and the mountain bike community have taken the lead.   

Trail Diplomacy gives common sense hints for successful trail sharing.

Theo Stein asks the always pertinent question: Can we all get along?

At any rate, if trails in the American River corridor are to be denied to off-road cyclists on the basis of environmental impact, then there is absolutely no justification to have equestrian trails in the same area.  Research shows, and common sense agrees, that horses cause more environmental damage than bicycles.