How to temporarily block illegal bypasses, and Closed Trails/FS Roads

DRaider90

DRaider90

Uwharrie Off-Road Volunteering
Joined
Oct 23, 2007
Location
Weddington, NC
Ok this has been an issue that I have discussed with the Forest Service, and didn't come to a resolution for this problem. So I am bringing it here for some public opinion.

The basic idea is we can't get the guard rail up fast enough to block the new spider trails, illegal bypasses, and blocking old closed trails and Forest Service Roads. Heck in the summer we aren't even putting up guard rail, the busiest time when all these bypasses etc are being made. So we need a portable and re-usable way to block these paths that are theft resistant enough to stick around for a while.

Cones and Channelizing barrels won't do in this situation. All you have to do is pick them up and move them. Now Type I, II, and III barricades on the other hand might be of use if we can find a way to prevent theft. I don't think anyone stole the class III barricades the contractors had out blocking the trails in the summer.

Class I and II:
awww.municipalsigns.com_mm5_graphics_images_workzone_steel_barricadew_lights.jpg


Class III:
awww.trafficwks.com_images_products_21.JPG


Problem with Class III barricades is they don't work well for smaller bypasses/spider trails. And require a good large area to be set up. Which would work good for blocking old trails/forest service roads, but not so much for atv/dirtbike bypasses/spider trails.

Ideas like using chains to anchor the barricades to trees to prevent theft has come up. But it has been mentioned that people may just bring bolt cutters. What I think would be the best idea is figure a way to secure the barricades into the ground making them harder to remove. We just don't want to get too complicated/involved because these still need to be easy to take back down and move when guard rail gets put up.

All ideas and thoughts are welcome!
 
Those barricades won't work. Just an FYI.

People who see that will just take advantage, your pointing out the bypasses more than blocking them.

Hide barb wire/nails a few feet into the bypasses. Word of mouth should solve the problems.

Put up a sign warning of possible traps.
 
XJfreakHO said:
Those barricades won't work. Just an FYI.

People who see that will just take advantage, your pointing out the bypasses more than blocking them.

Hide barb wire/nails a few feet into the bypasses. Word of mouth should solve the problems.

Put up a sign warning of possible traps.
Click to expand...


I smell a law suit, just sayin..
 
The barb wire idea JOKINGLY comes up during most of the work days while we are there putting up guardrailing right next to where we just put some a couple months ago. Because people just go a little further to the left of the guard rail and make another bypass, like the guard rail doesn't scream "DON'T GO THIS WAY".

Short of rigging up barb'd/razr wire and setting up traps there has to be a way. And the boulders that the contractors so loved to use don't count. :shaking:
 
I don't doubt the lawsuit thing, just know how bad the bypasses are getting, the past 2 times Ive been to uwharrie we have seen atv's and dirtbikes, who could easily have passed on the trail, go through the bypasses, got a few good laughs out of a guy on a dirtbike trying to go up a very steep/angled hill and slide down and fall off his bike.

Just saying, short of the barbed wire type setup, I can't think of much.
People will continue to use the bypasses until it hurts them to do so, now if the FS wanted to patrol regularly, this would solve problems, and hey, might even increase revenue.

Just sayin.
 
M18 Claymore anti-personnel mine.Did any one say M18 Claymore anti-personnel mine yet?I didn't read through the whole thread.I think one maybe two Max of these going off and we would have a whole new respect for staying On Trail.
 
The ONLY way people are going to stop is through enforcement. If they know there is no chance of getting caught and fined for going off trail, they WILL continue to do it, no matter how many pretty, expensive barricades you put up.
 
In my opinion, there are only two ways to stop people from going off trail.

- One, hand out VERY hefty fines if caught off trail.

or

- Two, build 8 foot tall concrete walls down both sides of the trail for the entire length of the trail.

Anything else will fail.

From what I have seen, fencing and guardrails don't work. People just go to the end of the fence/guardrail, and make a new path. Furthermore, guardrails look out of place along the side of a trail in the woods. There, I have finally said what I have been thinking for many years.
 
awspence said:
The ONLY way people are going to stop is through enforcement. If they know there is no chance of getting caught and fined for going off trail, they WILL continue to do it, no matter how many pretty, expensive barricades you put up.
Click to expand...

This.

The guardrail only draws attention to the fact that the FS isn't enforcing the rules. It's a symptom of the problem.

There's no good reason why we should be helping the FS line both sides of every trail with W-beam guardrails.
 
What we did where I deer hunt to prevent this was put up cables and take pvc pipe and spray paint it orange and put several pieces of it on the cable then attached it between trees. We took the clamps that hold the clamps and took a small torch and soldered them with silver solder to prevent just taking them apart. We did this and it helped. You could still use the temp barriers and put this through them also.
 
maintenanceman4life said:
What we did where I deer hunt to prevent this was put up cables and take pvc pipe and spray paint it orange and put several pieces of it on the cable then attached it between trees. We took the clamps that hold the clamps and took a small torch and soldered them with silver solder to prevent just taking them apart. We did this and it helped. You could still use the temp barriers and put this through them also.
Click to expand...

This seems like a pretty solid idea. relatively cheap, hard to damage or steal, and easily moved to location in the woods.
 
What works around other parts of the forest is to drive steel pipe a couple feet into the ground so that about 3' is sticking up. Paint the top orange and space it 3' apart for ATV's, or 2' for dirtbikes.
 
A few years back when I was very active in the work days at URE, CORE and myself donated and brought a roll of 4' hogwire http://www.tractorsupply.com/fencing/field-fencing/cattle-fence-48-in-h-3610676 fence to install to see how it worked as trail fencing. Much of it is still there. Leigh liked it and the FS did buy more to install later.
My thought was that it was easy to install, very inexpensive (330' for about $65), you could nail it to trees so only a few posts needed to be installed, and vegetation would eventually grow into it creating a more natural barrier.
On highly used bypasses a few consecutive rows could be installed up the hill creating too much work for the abusers to care to destroy.
 
drkelly said:
In my opinion, there are only two ways to stop people from going off trail.
- One, hand out VERY hefty fines if caught off trail.
or
- Two, build 8 foot tall concrete walls down both sides of the trail for the entire length of the trail.
Anything else will fail.
From what I have seen, fencing and guardrails don't work. People just go to the end of the fence/guardrail, and make a new path. Furthermore, guardrails look out of place along the side of a trail in the woods. There, I have finally said what I have been thinking for many years.
Click to expand...


this
 
aimg541.imageshack.us_img541_9998_1221101112a.jpg


Well here is what we have to start off with. They were donated from my boss. Four Type I Barricades plus additional cones. Like I said the cones aren't going to cut it for barricades.

Worst case scenario we end up using the Type I Barricades when we get into Forest Service Road repair/maintenance.

I know no one likes the idea of W beam guard railing in the forest. But it is what the current Forest Service wants. Before it was the split rail fence, and it will always be something in the future.
 
I just though of this and figured I throw it out there. If it's all in your face don't enter here then people will go there, but if it looks uninviting then maybe not. Something like a downed tree and busshes little trees. Could just transplant whats around or just replant. Then at least on the trail it would at least look like your on a trail and it;s undisturbed.
 
R Q said:
A few years back when I was very active in the work days at URE, CORE and myself donated and brought a roll of 4' hogwire http://www.tractorsupply.com/fencing/field-fencing/cattle-fence-48-in-h-3610676 fence to install to see how it worked as trail fencing. Much of it is still there. Leigh liked it and the FS did buy more to install later.
My thought was that it was easy to install, very inexpensive (330' for about $65), you could nail it to trees so only a few posts needed to be installed, and vegetation would eventually grow into it creating a more natural barrier.
On highly used bypasses a few consecutive rows could be installed up the hill creating too much work for the abusers to care to destroy.
Click to expand...


I checked some of this out when I was up there a couple of weeks ago. It's still in good shape, and once the wire oxidizes a bit, you don't notice it from 20 yards away.
 
Barbed-wire about six inches above handlebars! I didn't say that, the voices in my head did, but I tend to agree!
 
If it's atv's and dirtbikes are the problem, just put a downed tree in the way. As a camper in those woods, dead trees are plentiful. And it could give you plenty of winch tech practice (which I also noticed is needed):beer:.
 
Back
Top