Trail Etiquette (was: Some tips from a non-ATVer)

upnover

upnover

Grumpy, decrepit Old Man
Moderator
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
Morganton NC
I am sure I may be blasted for some of what I am about to write, but as many of you know my mouth(in this case my fingers) gets me into trouble on occasion.
We all share the trails, so we really need to work together to make it work, and to work better.
When you come up on a slower moving group of full size rigs, let us know you are there, and pass us. We don't want to hold you up. First rider, let someone know how many are in your group. That works both ways, if you are the one who pulls aside to let us pass on a narrow trail. Also, when you pass, no need to sling rocks, mud or gravel. Take it easy on the throttle.
Folks I know it's not as comfortable, but please, wear a helmet. We have seen too many noggins messed up because they were not wearing a helmet.
Please take note of designated trails. Taking your four wheeler off the trail may look like fun, but it causes issues. Many trails I ride I see smaller spider trails everywhere. It's not difficult to see that they are being created by fourwheelers, since the track is so narrow. Stay on the trails. Irresponsible trail etiquette like this is what gives us ALL a bad name.
Driving through populated areas like camp grounds, folks taking a break for lunch and so on, do you really have to constantly rev your engines? Some are not so bad, like the sport utes, but the racing type with the loud exhaust is very annoying. No one is impressed.
ON a positive note:
I see more good behavior out there than I do bad.
Feel free to stop and eat your lunch with us, we are a friendly sort.
If your kid wants to sit or have a ride in one of our rigs(they think they are Monster trucks) Ask us, most everyone I know will oblige.
If you see a rig out in no where land, stop and see if things are OK. We may be broke and a ride back to the truck might save out butt! Like wise if you are needing something feel free to ask us too. Many of us have tools, air, tire plugs and so on, happy to help ya
I am sure there is more to add to this, so feel free to speak up.
 
I still don't understand how a ATV can be so much louder than V8. My guess is the tiny little things at the back are designed to amplify the noise for a cool factor.
 
Nice, Chip. This should be in the "Friends of Uwharrie" section also.
 
i like to ride atvs and in jeeps, what you said is all true. its all in the person not what you ride on or in, we have all seen jerks on both. anyone who spends there time in the woods will need a hand someday. if im there you got one atv or fullsize.
 
I ride both with a good group of people ( sport quad and jeep!) always stop and take a break where people are congregated and shoot the crap, beat my quad off the rocks for some cool points ect.. lol. Have met more than a few @#$%@ out there in jeeps, hummers, sami's. But they are few and far between. Seems most people in groups are very friendly and just last month i needed 3 plugs in my atv sidewall at the lake parking lot just to limp back to dutch john lot! Thank God for those jeep guys!!

All in all your going to have THOSE guys everywhere, but I wouldnt ask for a cooler group of people than ive met at the trails!!
 
I also drive both but I find the original post to be pretty asshole-ish. This would be like me going into the general chit chat section as a non 4x4'er and telling everyone to stop throwing beer cans on the trail and tearing down the split rail fences. Obviously, only a handful of off road enthusiasts are the ones that participate in the negative behavior on both sides. But as we all know, it's that handful that makes the most noticable impression on everyone else. Your suggestion are obvious and did not need to be made into a thread. I guess I need to make a thread in general chit asking everyone not to litter and whatever else is completely obvious. Also, about the exhaust, I can't count the number of rigs I hear on the trail every weekend that don't have mufflers or cats. You must miss all trucks and buggies with straight pipes and loud exhausts.
 
Chip, I agree with everything you posted. I enjoy both sports and would be happy to lend a hand to anyone on a quad or a 4x.
Nissan11 said:
I also drive both but I find the original post to be pretty asshole-ish. This would be like me going into the general chit chat section as a non 4x4'er and telling everyone to stop throwing beer cans on the trail and tearing down the split rail fences. Obviously, only a handful of off road enthusiasts are the ones that participate in the negative behavior on both sides. But as we all know, it's that handful that makes the most noticable impression on everyone else. Your suggestion are obvious and did not need to be made into a thread. I guess I need to make a thread in general chit asking everyone not to litter and whatever else is completely obvious. Also, about the exhaust, I can't count the number of rigs I hear on the trail every weekend that don't have mufflers or cats. You must miss all trucks and buggies with straight pipes and loud exhausts.
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Dude. What Chip posted wasn't directed at people that are courteous on the trails. It was meant to be an olive branch to people that may not be familiar with trail etiquette on the full sized side of things. Don't get all butt hurt if it didn't apply to you. If you go into chit chat you'll find all kinds of threads where people are blasting away at people in jeeps or whatnot that create problems on the trails too.
 
Nissan11 said:
I also drive both but I find the original post to be pretty asshole-ish. This would be like me going into the general chit chat section as a non 4x4'er and telling everyone to stop throwing beer cans on the trail and tearing down the split rail fences. Obviously, only a handful of off road enthusiasts are the ones that participate in the negative behavior on both sides. But as we all know, it's that handful that makes the most noticable impression on everyone else. Your suggestion are obvious and did not need to be made into a thread. I guess I need to make a thread in general chit asking everyone not to litter and whatever else is completely obvious. Also, about the exhaust, I can't count the number of rigs I hear on the trail every weekend that don't have mufflers or cats. You must miss all trucks and buggies with straight pipes and loud exhausts.
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I also drive both and I understand wear he is coming from, he was not pointing a finger at nobody. To me you are taking it the wrong way.
 
It should have been titled "trail etiquette" rather than "some tips from a non ATV'er" if that is the case. What he stated is true for the most part except for the exhaust thing, I'm just saying it came off as an asshole post, especially with the title.
 
Nissan11 said:
It should have been titled "trail etiquette" rather than "some tips from a non ATV'er" if that is the case. What he stated is true for the most part except for the exhaust thing, I'm just saying it came off as an asshole post, especially with the title.
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Well I think when chip posted this he meant it in the best way. It's not always meant to be rude just a suggestion.
 
Great Post!
I wonder if the ATVers at URE know that off trail riding is illegal. During workdays, some ATVers help, some don't. I would say about half of the ATVers we come into contact while working on the trail give zero respect to us. Be it gunning the engine and spinning dust and rocks as soon as they are past, riding over pole-cable bridges while we are working on them, or simply being impatient and driving around us(off-trail) while we are stopped picking up trash or doing maintenance.
Do y'all ATVers know the actual rules of the trails?
 
I know he meant it in a good way, but he could have worded it much better. He is giving tips on a subject is not familiar with. You wouldn't want a spotter giving you "tips" if he doesn't wheel, would you?
 
sungoesdown said:
Great Post!
I wonder if the ATVers at URE know that off trail riding is illegal. During workdays, some ATVers help, some don't. I would say about half of the ATVers we come into contact while working on the trail give zero respect to us. Be it gunning the engine and spinning dust and rocks as soon as they are past, riding over pole-cable bridges while we are working on them, or simply being impatient and driving around us(off-trail) while we are stopped picking up trash or doing maintenance.
Do y'all ATVers know the actual rules of the trails?
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No, all of "us ATV'ers" are illiterate and can't read the trail regulations.
Jesus, this section needs to have the title changed to " flame ATV'ers here."
 
Well, it gets frustrating that every month when we come up for work days that this same shit happens. Over half of the ATVers we come into contact with are disrespectful to us while WE are working on the trails. Not to mention the countless bypass we block and re-block every fucking workday. One time ATVers stopped to help us in the last 2 workdays. And that was only because we had a bridge blocked. When do the ATVers have workdays? How many ATVers stay on trail exclusively? How many ATVers do you see with bags picking up trash?

These are tips that, if everyone followed, could help everyone out.
 
No this thread doesn't need to be shut down. There needs to be communication between both groups.
While my op may seem assholeish, it sure wasn't meant to be. It was just plain and simple facts that i myself have seen while out riding. Note at the end of my post, I said, I see more good behavior than I do bad.

Speaking with a land management person this past weekend, that does cater to both groups, point blank said to me(us) all of the issues he has had so far, has been with the ATV'ers, not the full size rigs.

What I am trying to do is be proactive, not reactive. IF you are one of the responsible ATV'ers, then my hats off to you. And if you want to make things better, then when you see bad behavior and or unsafe practices, then step up and say something. It is very possible that they Do NOT know that they should stay on the marked trails. There are no signs in most cases, so literacy isn't the issue, it may be simple ignorance of the rules.

My biggest issue with ATV'ers is and will remain to be, riding without helmets. We have belts and harnesses, cages roll bars and hard bodied shells. An ATV'er has none of this, so why is it so difficult to realize that protecting the part that keeps everything else working is a smart idea?

My goal is for both groups to be able to share the trails and get along, while doing it as safe as possible. I think anyone who wants to get out and have fun on the trails should be able to. But don't do it in a fashion that causes someone else to have a bad time. Don't do it and risk other folks comfort, breathing, and safety. If you don't know the rules, ask someone. This goes for both groups.
Assholeish person signing off
 
The only problem with this post is that you're preaching to the choir. At least so far, this forum hasn't drawn an outside crowd. We are just the same old NC4x4'ers that have always been here, and for the most part are some of the most respectful people on the trails(no matter what size vehicle we are in).

The ones that cause problems either lurk in the forum shadows, or haven't found out about the internets yet. I don't think the thread needs to be deleted, but considering your audience, I don't expect it to do much good, either.
 
I think maybe I have some input from the ATV side. I am into both sports very heavily and have spent countless hours at URE riding and driving.

I would imagine that I could be taken as one of the guys who everybody hates when I'm there on my quad and in no way intend to be. I would say that some of the guys that just zip around and pass crawlers are somewhat misunderstood. And I do mean some of us are not all, some are just plain assholes.

I take my quad to URE to blow off some steam. I pull in the double lot at around 7am and I get in the zone. I get focused and I ride fast till I loose it. When you ride like that you have to keep your mind in it and if you dont it can really get you hurt. When I'm blasting the trails and i come up on a jeep I usually pass them before they even know I'm behind them. BUT I do not leave the trail I only do it in a wide spot and I wont pass someone when they are off camber or in any spot where I could potentially hit them. AND when I am in front of them I do not throw rocks and what not. I can assure you that there will be dust stirred up. It is Uwharrie and some people need to remember how dusty that place really is.

Things like the loud exhaust reving engines are part of riding IMO. Complaining about loud exhaust is like complaining about the train that passes your house everyday you moved into knowing the tracks were there. I strive to make myself faster and upgrades like exhaust and suspension are no different than what we do to our rigs to make them go more places.

While I agree that there are a lot of assholes on the trails that ARE very disrespectful. I think some of the complaining is a bit petty. We all go there to have a good time, unfortunately we don't all have fun in the same way, and there will always be folks who do things we don't like and there isn't anything we can do about it. If everyone keeps complaining the powers above are gonna do something about it and none of us want that. They'll shut the place down. There will always be the good guys that take care of the place so others can ride and there will always be the guys doing everything they can to ruin it for all of us, thats the cycle. Fortunately we have all the guys on here that work hard to take care of it and wheather or not anyone shows it It IS very appreciated.
 
Seems like some good discussion (and hopefully no hard feelings). ATVs are lots of fun, although I've only ever ridden on them on the farm. Growing up, my mom wouldn't let us but I sure found opportunities to ride with friends on theirs. :lol:

I will say the worst I've ever seen anyone hurt at Uwharrie was a woman who fell of a horse and hit her head... those folks probably should wear helmets too!
 
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