subject: 4 Important Guidelines When Riding Dirt Bike Trails [print this page] When riding dirt bike trails, there are certain guidelines that you should follow:
Private Property is Private
Use Trails Appropriately
Leave it Better then you Found It
Be Part of the Solution
Private Property is Private: One of the most common complaints coming from property owners is that dirt bike riders don't respect private property. This is primarily due to riders trespassing onto land in which they don't have permission to ride. Whether it is blatant disregard, or veering off of trails, it doesn't make private property owners happy, and this makes access more difficult for everyone. Staying on marked trails, and only riding where you have permission, is an important guideline to protect access to good riding dirt bike trails.
Respecting private property when out on the trail works to improve conditions, and access for all riders.
Use Trails Appropriately: When gaining access to and riding on dirt bike trails it is vital to use the trails as designed. Not only will this show respect to other riders, but it will help to preserve the trails for the future. Tearing up a section of trail by riding inappropriately or outside the character of the trail design only makes access more difficult for all riders. Those damaged trails will need to be repaired, and the landowner or association will have to pay for it. This only makes it more challenging for everyone to gain and keep access to good riding trails.
Using trails appropriately not only saves money, but ensures a better riding experience for everyone.
Leave the Trail Better: The old adage was to "leave the trail how you found it" but that is no longer adequate. If you use a trail it serves all riders if you "leave the trail better then how you found it". This means after camping out for the night, you not only dispose of all of your trash, but you dispose of some litter you found along the trail as well. This equates to less time and money to manage the trails, which means more for new trails. If everyone left the trail better then how they found it then it would take no time at all to see a drastic improvement to riding trails.
By leaving the trail better then how you found it, creates a momentum where all dirt bike riders contribute to the future of trail riding.
Be Part of the Solution: If you are a dirt bike rider that loves riding the trails, it would be a good idea to become part of the solution, and not the problem. Contact your local riding association, and see if you can volunteer to help with trail maintenance. If that doesn't interest you, maybe you could donate to their trail improve fund. There are probably a couple of dozen ways that you could be part of the solution, and help to improve riding for all. When all riders begin to look out for the future of riding, improvements are sure to continue, and dirt bike riding will be enhanced.
Share the excitement and enjoyment you get from dirt bike riding by becoming part of the solution, not the problem.
