Wonder why trails are getting closed?

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CO_Hunter

CO_Hunter

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Sep 10, 2008
Threads
141
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2,229
Location
Idaho
The only way I would have ever have seen that article is on here. If I didn't become part of a club there is no way I would have ever have come across this or even heard about it. One of the problems is getting this information out there so people can start trying to do better. I would say about 95% (don't quote me here) that go to rainbow falls have know idea it's in danger of being closed down. I say maybe we go down there with some gates for the weekend and do a pretend mock up of it being closed, like set gates up and talk to the people before we let them in, just so they understand the severity of it all. Just a thought but you would sure stir up a hornets nest if you did. We should maybe try and get a day trip together to go up there and clean it up, if anyone is interested. I was up there this past monday and it looked pretty bad. Thanks for putting the article up Leon.
 
Maybe the forest service should have a points system for the OHV stickers. If you loose your points you loose your privilege to ride in the forest. Policing will still be a problem.
 
I was just out there last weekend. Saw a lot of people going back into areas that did not look like trails. ATV's mostly. They are too quick to chase down and tell em to stay on the trail. It was very frustrating. I copied the link and emailed it to some friends. Getting the word out and educated people is a big step. Those few people are just ignorant.
 
This has been circulating around coloradofourwheelers.com for a little bit now. I had my two cents in there, and I still feel like this all stems from ATV's.

I know it's a harsh thing to say, but I'm not in to protecting people's feelings. ATV's are a growing problem and I just don't know what can be done about it. It usually takes years of work and living a lifstyle to be into having a 4x4 vehicle that can get far off the trail and cause significant amounts of damage. These ATV idiots can go out and buy a four wheeler that can climb a 60 degree hill in an afternoon. A lot of these people don't care about the trails, because they will be bored with the sport in a couple years, or are in the military and don't really care about Colorado.

People will say there are bad apples in every bunch, and that's true, but the sheer percentage of ATV's to 4x4's gives them much more bad apples. I get so tired of going to Rainbow Falls and having to dodge a fast moving four wheeler in a blind curve, I've almost been hit by several dirtbikes moving too fast, these people just don't seem to have the respect of the people I personally know in the 4x4 community. Sorry to ramble, I just really hate ATV's...............they're for people that don't own tools.
 
you can't blame it just on them. what I think must have happend is you were camping one night and a group of atv's must have stole your cooler of beer. I would feel hatred too if I was violated in such a way. ha ha. But if the word gets passed on enough it might get through. I try to bring it up to my friends at work and they call me hippie or tree hugger and joke it up. They just don't realize how critical it really is, but hopefully this artical will help them understand a little better.
 
It's also about the garbage, smoldering fires and a general lack of respect....These reasons are exactly why there is no motorized recreation planned for South Slope.
 
maybe you could explain a little more on that or refer me to an article or something. also if they shut an area like rainbow falls down people are just going to move on to a new area and continue on doing the same thing over and over. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.
 
Here is a link to the access plan. Just says that motorized access is will not be considered. It's easy to know why, it's for watershed protection against erosion, increased fire danger and illegal dumping/shooting of various types of trash and potential water contaminants.

I agree if Rainbow falls is closed people will move on to other areas, but what more can be done? Some people don't know but you can teach them. But there are a few that I think just don't care, and those are the ones ruining it for the rest of us. Just my opinion.

Watershed Access Project
 
Losing Rainbow falls would be devastating to me, I drive through there once or twice a week.......It's my haven, therapy if you will. So hard to think about losing any trails. Everyone always talks about how we need to educate people, but I think they already know and just can't help themselves. The wife and I just came back from riding out on Rampart, and just from the summer camping crowd, the trash is overwhelming.

Part of me wants to believe they will never close Rampart or Rainbow Falls, but the wife and I talked and we both figure we will move on if they ever do. We have great friends in Tennessee, and if I have to pay to wheel again, I'd rather do it there.
 
Well, I just got home from an evening trip up Rampart. We stopped on 315 just down from MT. Herman Rd. and cooked some meat on a stick over a campfire on 315 just down from MT. Herman Rd. of course this was after 'bout half an hour of picking up trash around the site. BUT, what I found interesting was after we were there for a short time we had a Forest Ranger (Law enforcement division) drive by and kind a check us out, Kinda like to let us know they are out watching. About an hour later just after dark, I thought the Ranger had returned, but, it was an Elpaso County Sheriffs patrol. They stopped and talked for a few and asked about us, and if we had seen anything that worried us. They said they are trying to better patrol the side roads where most of the things happen!
I have been driving the roads up off Rampart for 20 years and just about the only time I have seen ANY law enforcement was when they were called. Kinda cool to know they are trying.

And on a side note, When your camping or what ever in the mountains and you here a vehicle, and you realize "oh, it's just a Jeep" and you continue about your business, and then the driver of said Jeep starts talking to you, Remember, you may know them, It could even be Luke and family out for a drive! Good to see you guys, I'll have to remember to call you before I head next time, even on the spur of the moment trip like this.
 
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Thought you were just another long haired hippie hanging out in the woods and almost drove right by you Andy........:D J/K, good to see other club members getting out. I was out collecting more of my broken parts after the snow melt. Found a big chunk of my come-along that I can weld back together, but never did find my hub studs and cone washers I broke at the quartz mine.

Cops in the woods??? oh no, time to get some different containers for the beer. :popcorn:
 
thank you for the link leon. I just went for a hike on dome rock trail with the wife and kid. We just did 1 1/2 miles and then turned around because my son is only 3 and thats a lot of miles on those little legs. But their was a tree that fell and was blocking the trail so I went back to the car got my saw and cleared it out so everone didn't have to make a new trail around it. We then headed to woodland to have lunch and I decided to go out to rainbow falls seeing that I wasn't tired out yet. I brought garbage bags with just in case we went their but I should of brought a payloader. I cleaned up 5 campsites and got about 2 big 50 gallon trash bags filled up. And one of the campsites I just decided to get the big stuff because I could have spent 12 hours there myself. There should of also been a hazmat team there for some bags of you know what that were half buried that I couldn't bring my self ever to haul out. It's pretty bad. A lot of glass from people using there tequila bottles as target practice and most of the cans were beer cans. So beer drinking gun slinging atvers is who were looking for here. Anyway I spent 3 hours picking up trash and making my wife mad stopping so much, so I strapped the trash to my car and headed out. I ran in to the forest service on the way out and asked them if they had a dumpster at their cabins and they said no but they used to have dumpsters at rainbow falls but everyone would just shoot em up so they pulled them. Thats to bad because a dumpster might solve some problems but not everything. next time I go picking trash I think I will bring my four wheeler to make it a little easier rather than opening and shutting my door aeverytime I drive 30 feet.
 
I went to the North Sand Hills OHV area this weekend. What a cool place. ATV's, dirt bikes, sand rails and jeeps all sharing the same sand. Some trash around but not bad considering how many people use that area. I took a camera but didn't take any pictures.
 
I Predict that by the end of the summer China wall will have major Damage due to the ammount of ATV's down their.. The forest service took out all the rocks, so now there is alot of Dirt Bike and ATV Traffic, alot of Dirt Birms already forming..

We Tried Tossing Rocks Back onto the trail, but they where removed ASAP :(

Andy (MinisRule) - i dont know if i like the Elpaso County sherrif up in the hills. We where in Emeral Valley off Old Stage, and they came right up to our campsite and "inspected" it.. this was at about 10PM.. They told us it was because my Freinds front Licence plate was not properly installed (Zip Ties). it felt like it was an invasion of privacy.
 
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I wouldn't put all the blame for off road/trail damage on ATVs. Just the other weekend while coming down Mt Herman Rd. I came up on a 4-wheeler trying to climb a hillside. Unfortunately, my camera was buried in back and I couldn't get to it quick enough. I'm thinking of mounting my video camera on my dash next time.

There was one side road that was blocked by a couple of trucks parked in the way. There was no way around them. The stupid thing was if they'd parked 50 feet back, they wouldn't have been in the way. That's where the trail ended anyway.

This was after putting out an abandoned campfire and picking up a bunch of trash on the side roads. There's a couple of side roads I figure will take all day to pick up the trash and may be more than my truck can hold (from just one side road). I need to get back up there and haul out the organ that was left up there.

I've talked with the Forestry a couple of times. If you have a bunch of trash you picked up, you can take it the Pike main office (on Weber St.) or to the work center in Woodland Park. They actually prefer the work center.
 
Isotel said:
I Predict that by the end of the summer China wall will have major Damage due to the ammount of ATV's down their.. The forest service took out all the rocks, so now there is alot of Dirt Bike and ATV Traffic, alot of Dirt Birms already forming..
Click to expand...

I went down China Wall yesterday with the kids. It looked like somebody was trying to cross the creek down there relatively recently. There was a large rock dislodged on the bank and some tracks. If I had to guess, I'd say it was trucks rather then ATVs.
 
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