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Trail Use Question

Joined
Jul 8, 2018
Messages
132
Location
Wheat Ridge Colorado
Hello all,

Since I am new to the community, I was wondering if there was a sticky, or place I could go to read about proper trail etiquette?

Aside from the obvious, no littering, pack-it-in...pack-it-out, dint dump oil, clean your spills if your truck does end up puking oil due to misadventures, don't dick sorts of stuff I mean. Etiquette that is specific to our use of wilderness logging/fire roads, trails etc?

Thanks in advance!

John
 

nuclearlemon

Hard Core 4+
Joined
Aug 23, 2005
Messages
8,297
Location
windy wyo
something like this?
http://staythetrail.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=266593&module_id=224604

it doesn't mention a few things, like uphill generally has right of way. sometimes they have an easier spot to allow someone by, or there may only be one coming up and six going down, so it's easier for the one vehicle to pull off, so there are exceptions that are ruled by common sense.

also, if you see someone holding fingers or a closed fist up, that designates how many are in their group. a closed fist means that person is the last rig
 

teamextreme

Locked
Joined
Sep 1, 2005
Messages
218
Location
Lakewood, CO
also, if you see someone holding fingers or a closed fist up, that designates how many are in their group. a closed fist means that person is the last rig

This is common practice in the moto world, but most 4-wheelers don't know the practice, which is unfortunate because it's a good communication tool on the trail. However, the number of fingers held up represents the number of riders behind you, not how many in your group. ie; party of 3, first rider holds up 2 fingers, second rider 1 finger, last rider closed fist.

My biggest pet peeve on trail etiquette is STAY ON THE TRAIL! This applies to passing oncoming vehicles as well. You don't have to freak out and immediately drive completely off the trail as soon as you see an oncoming vehicle. It's amazing how many people do this. Two vehicles can pass quite easily on a surprisingly narrow trail without going completely off trail.

Ige is spot-on on the right-of-way rules and common sense exceptions too.
 
Joined
Jul 8, 2018
Messages
132
Location
Wheat Ridge Colorado
Wonderful! Thank you guys. This is exactly the kind of info I needed.

Like I mentioned, I'm a noob when it comes to wheeling in the wilderness. Mountain bikes and Alpine backpacking, sure...no problem. But enjoying wilderness in a machine that holds the potential for damage, well.....best to figure out common courtesy and best practices from the jump start.

Anything more?
 

AimCOTaco

Cruise Moab Committee
Staff member
Cruise Moab Committee
Joined
Aug 13, 2010
Messages
2,248
Location
Longmont, CO
A great places to start is definitely with Stay the Trail etiquette and a healthy dose of common sense.

Next, I recommend that you get familiar with MVUM's (~Motor Vehicle Use Maps) and where to find them (paper from the ranger districts, Avenza for electronic) and how to read their very simple format. The MVUM's show where you can travel and camp within each ranger district.

You're already ahead of many newcomers in that you're thinking of all of this already!
 

nuclearlemon

Hard Core 4+
Joined
Aug 23, 2005
Messages
8,297
Location
windy wyo
Next, I recommend that you get familiar with MVUM's (~Motor Vehicle Use Maps) and where to find them (paper from the ranger districts, Avenza for electronic) and how to read their very simple format. The MVUM's show where you can travel and camp within each ranger district.
!

teamextreme is correct. i meant to say left in your group, not just in your group.

also, stay the trail has links to the different mvums on their website. it is by far the easiest way to get to them all. if you go through the ranger district websites, you will have to figure out where they hid them. there is no uniformity between the ranger districts.

as mentioned, get the avenza app for your phone, then bookmark the stay the trail page with the maps on your phone. download the map you need and watch your self on the avenza app :) so simple even a technological idiot like me can figure it out.
 
Joined
Jul 8, 2018
Messages
132
Location
Wheat Ridge Colorado
Excellent info all round folks, thank you so much. I like the idea of a trail map "app."

I have one for mountain biking, and it's great. Trail maps on the phone with integration with GPS sounds awesome!
 

bassguyry

Commander + Cruise Moab Chairman
Staff member
Moderator
Cruise Moab Committee
Joined
Jun 14, 2018
Messages
1,104
Location
Arvada, CO
Excellent info all round folks, thank you so much. I like the idea of a trail map "app."

I have one for mountain biking, and it's great. Trail maps on the phone with integration with GPS sounds awesome!

Check out MapOut for iOS (not sure if it's available for other platforms). It allows you to download topo/trail maps for offline use, and you can also import GPX files from sites like trailsoffroad.com to view specific trails and even waypoints. I use it exclusively and absolutely love it. It doesn't include all of the info that the MVUMs include, but it's super helpful for tracking GPS position on trails.
 
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