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Trail rules and Trail Etiquette
Some rules of the trail for motorcyclists
33-14.5-109 - Required equipment - off-highway vehicles.
(1) No off-highway vehicle shall be operated upon public land unless it is equipped with the
following:
(a) At least one lighted head lamp and one lighted tail lamp, each having the minimum
candlepower prescribed by regulation of the division WHILE being operated between the hours
of sunset and sunrise; (if you are riding during daylight hours only you do not need a headlight or taillight)
(b) Brakes and a muffler and spark arrester which conform to the standards prescribed by
regulation of the division, which shall be applicable in all cases except for off-highway
vehicles being operated in organized competitive events held on private lands with the
permission of the landowner, lessee, or custodian of the land, on public lands and waters
under the jurisdiction of the division with its permission, or on other public lands with the
consent of the public agency owning the land.
(2) Any person who violates subsection (1) of this section is guilty of a class 2 petty offense
and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of twenty-five dollars.
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USFS / OHV stickered
Registration Information - Off-highway vehicles (OHVs), including motorcycles, dirtbikes, three-wheelers, four-wheelers and dune buggies operated in Colorado for recreational purposes, must be registered with Colorado State Parks.
Registration forms are mailed to previous registrants. A printable registration form is available for boats, OHVs or snowmobiles on this website. Complete the form and return it to the registration office. Registration forms are mailed to revious registrants.
OHV registration helps fund trail maintenance and construction, trailheads, parking areas, trail signs and maps. It also enables law enforcement to identify and return stolen vehicles, encourages safe and responsible OHV use, and promotes respect for public lands. OHV registration is .25
http://www.parks.state.co.us/OHV/registration.asp?page=registration
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STAY ON THE TRAIL
Travel on designated routes only and pay attention to all signs that tell whether an area is open or closed to OHV use. Occasionally sections of roads or trails are closed temporarily to minimize impacts to wildlife and to prevent rutting and soil erosion. Extreme fire conditions may also restrict OHV access. In addition there is a 101 decibel noise restriction that is being enforced.
A combination of responsible operation and respect for the rights of others will help keep public lands open and available for OHV recreationist's.
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Have a USFS approved spark arrestor
Most stock trail bikes should have an approved spark arrestor on them. Just look at the silencer to be sure and if you don’t find a U.S.F.S. spark arrestor marking contact the manufacture and find out if your model motorcycle came with an arrestor. If you own one of the closed course competition motorcycles such as an YZF, CR, KX, YZ or RM the stock exhaust system will not have a spark arrestor.
If your 4-stroke motorcycle has one of these aftermarket pipes you need to contact the manufacture because it seems they also either have no spark arrestor certification or use another company's spark arrestor.
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More OHV rules
Safety
OHVs operated between sunset and sunrise must have at least one working headlight and one red tail light.
Operable brakes, a muffler and a U.S. Forest Service-approved spark arrester are required.
Plan ahead. Colorado has a variety of terrain and climates and the weather can change rapidly. Carry an emergency repair kit, food, water, warm clothing, an area map and guide, protective gear, a flashlight and sunscreen.
Know what to wear for your sport. Helmets, gloves, boots, goggles and protective clothing will keep you comfortable and help prevent serious injuries.
Know your vehicle. Keep it in good condition and read the owner's manual.
Let someone know where you're going and when you expect to return.
Travel with other people.
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Trail signs
Standards For All Signs
These signs are intended to inform the traveler what the travel management direction is for an area, road or trail.
Color
Color on the signs will be white on brown.
Symbols
Eight federal recreation symbols will be used on signs. The symbols are as follows: hiker, horseback rider, bicycle, ATV, motorcycle, jeep, cross-country skier and snowmobile. There will be no additions or substitutions. Always use international symbols.
Symbols will be reflectorized.
A red slash across a symbol will be used to display closures. No other color than red should be used for the slash.
Consistency is the key to the success of signs. Whenever symbols are used, the order of placement will be hiker, cross-country skier, horse, mountain bike, motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile and 4-wheel-drive. Any one of the symbols may be eliminated when appropriate, but the remaining order will be maintained.
Material
Travel management signs will not be constructed on paper or poster type materials.
Fonts
The fonts will be Gothic C, the standard highway font. The lettering size will not be smaller that one half inch.
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Meeting other people on the trail
When you meet other riders on the trail be repectful, they are up enjoying the outdoors as you are.
SLOW DOWN
Use hand signals, when you are passing a group of riders hold up your left hand to each rider to let them know how many are following you. This way they can be careful and avoid a head on accident. Dont think that just because you told the first rider in the group how many of you there are that everyone else suddlenly knows as well, you need to tell EACH rider as you pass them what to expect.
If there are 3 behind you hold up with your left hand as you pass three fingers, and so on,
When you are the last rider hold up a closed hand or a fist to inform them that there are no others in your group and you are the last one.
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All OHV riders and hunters
Please use your OHV responsibly .
Ride responsibly
Respect the land and be considerate of fellow hunters; ride slowly and be cautious not to scare off an animal someone else hoped to harvest. Stay on designated trails and roads. Don't take shortcuts and create new trails. Avoid sensitive areas such as streambanks and meadows. Pull to the trailside and shut off your engine to let horses, and others pass. Contact land management agencies to find out what is open for OHV use. All hunters take a responsibility upon themselves when entering the forests to hunt. The situation becomes more pleasurable by adding an OHV, but adds an element of danger if not operated properly. Please think before reacting, and use good judgment while practicing safe hunting ethics.
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Where can you ride?
Public Lands - All federal roads, areas and trails are categorized as open, closed or restricted. It is your responsibility to know where private lands are and to obtain permission to travel across them. For information of regulations in a particular area, contact the local U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management or other appropriate agency office. The map on the left side will guide you to the appropriate agency.
You may ride on the roadways of streets and highways:
When crossing railroad tracks, bridges or culverts,
during any emergency declared by appropriate state or local authorities,
where towns, Federal Land Management agencies and counties have authorized OHV use on roads
and when using an OHV for agricultural purposes.
Remember, it is unlawful to ride on the right-of-way of any freeway and on the right-of-way of any operating railroad except to make a right-angle crossing of the tracks at their intersection with a road or highway.
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Weeds? Take time to care for our forests
Noxious weeds - As noxious weeds spread, they can degrade wildlife habitat by crowding out native vegetation, cause increased soil erosion, decrease water quality, lower land values, and cost millions of taxpayer and private landowner dollars to control them.
Sometime these noxious weeds are unknowingly spread by people who have no intention of causing these problems. This can occur when vehicles are driven through a patch of noxious weeds. Weed seeds can be caught in tire treads, picked up in mud, or be lodged in the radiator or the underside of the vehicle and later, fall off in another location, starting a new infestation.
By thoroughly washing your off-highway vehicle and trailers before and after a ride you will help prevent the noxious weeds from spreading.
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Thanks
Thanks for reading this, please be a responsible rider. Environmentalists are trying to close public land every day, helping to preserve the trails will help keep them open for years to come. Its only when irresponsible riders take it upon themselves to destroy the land, trails, fences, and go where they are not supposed to go that ends up closing land. If you see OHV riders either inform them of the rules or contact the nearest Park Ranger.
Jeff
see attched for what is to come if we continue to abuse our land.
Off Highway Vehicles (OHV) are already excluded from most of the WRNF. There is no need for further exclusions. However, under Alternative D, "little or no off-road motorized or mechanized use will be allowed." (EIS at 2-10). Of the 1,895 miles of trails on the WRNF, only 135 or 7% are motorized. Alternative D would reduce motorized trails to just 85 miles or 4.5%. The WRNF already has over 1/3 of its land locked up under Wilderness and similar designations. Alternative D would add an additional 183,800 acres for a total of 43% of the WRNF.
The Forest Service is currently proposing to revise both the Forest Plan and the Travel Management Plan. The Forest Plan gives broad direction regarding how every aspect of the forest should be managed; from grazing to oil exploration to the type of recreational opportunities that should be available. The Travel Management Plan makes decisions about what should be done with each specific trail.
The Forest Service has identified almost 16,000 different options for over 2,000 travelway segments under six different alternatives. The travel maps accompanying the EIS are virtually illegible. Requiring an ordinary citizen to go through that amount of analysis to determine what might happen to a favorite trail is unreasonable.
Travel Management is a Site Specific decision that is supposed to be "tiered" from a Forest Plan Programmatic document. There is inadequate site specific analysis. Only general categories (e.g. soil and water effects) are offered as to reasons to exclude OHVs from roads and trails.
The proposed Travel Management Plan closes roads and trails using a "one size fits all" approach without specifying the particular basis for each closure. A site specific approach allows the public to be fully informed of each closure that may be affected. The Forest Service should be required to post its proposed closures so regular people will be informed.
Site specific closures allow the Forest Service to explore the full range of options to closure, including mitigation. For example, hardening stream crossings, or relocation of trail segments that pass through sensitive areas. Site specific closures also allow the Forest Service to consider whether closure affects other important values including historic preservation, access for the disabled, and vested property rights on a case by case basis.
The FS has cited inadequate funding for maintenance as one of the primary reasons for road and trail closures. OHV users are willing to donate labor under the Adopt-A-Trails and similar programs. OHV registration fees help OHV users to pay their own way on public lands. This registration program has generated over 3 million dollars since its inception. OHV clubs have traditionally been willing to enter into partnerships with the Forest Service to seek available outside funding for trail construction and reconstruction.
The Forest Service has recently championed science as the guiding principle for Forest Management into the 21st century. Motorized use is said to adversely impact wildlife, water and soils which are the bases to restricting OHV use on the WRNF. However, the "science" referenced and used in the EIS is virtually nonexistent.
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