Trail Etiquette

[cbielat]

Came across this article online giving tips on how to use and respect the trails and others using them as well. Pretty insightful for those A-Holes out there. Don't be "that A-Hole".

DrivingLine | Off-Road Basics: Trail Etiquette

 

[mjohns2]

One of my favorites is "It is common practice when traveling with a group of vehicles to let on-coming traffic know how many rigs are in your group.... A raised fist means “I am the last vehicle in my group.""

Except I normally see this with dirt-bikes and the last person is holding on to the bars for dear life. :shocked:

 

[2014 Warthog]

The one thing I'm always confused about is, when they talk about two cars meeting on a single lane trail, one going up hill and one going down hill. They ALWAYS talk about the going uphill vehicle having right of way because of it being harder to start from a stop as if the two could pass at the point at which they meet.

Well ok, so be it. But there are times (a lot of times) when I'm travelling on a trail where there is NO WAY for two vehicles to pass. So you come face to face on a hill with someone and someone has to back up for 50, 100 or 1000 feet till you can pass. In that situation, which is it? It seems like in general the uphill travelling car should back down as that is a lot easier than backing up a steep trail...

What are other peoples thoughts on that?

[Edit] I been on a lot of trails where it would be pretty devastating to meet someone coming the other way, thankfully I have not actually had the above situation, but backing on a rough, steep, rutted rocky trail in either direction would be a nightmare[/edit]

 

[SV_Dude]

The one thing I'm always confused about is, when they talk about two cars meeting on a single lane trail, one going up hill and one going down hill. They ALWAYS talk about the going uphill vehicle having right of way because of it being harder to start from a stop as if the two could pass at the point at which they meet.

Well ok, so be it. But there are times (a lot of times) when I'm travelling on a trail where there is NO WAY for two vehicles to pass. So you come face to face on a hill with someone and someone has to back up for 50, 100 or 1000 feet till you can pass. In that situation, which is it? It seems like in general the uphill travelling car should back down as that is a lot easier than backing up a steep trail...

What are other peoples thoughts on that?

[Edit] I been on a lot of trails where it would be pretty devastating to meet someone coming the other way, thankfully I have not actually had the above situation, but backing on a rough, steep, rutted rocky trail in either direction would be a nightmare[/edit]

I think there are a lot of variables in who has the right of way. Which rig is more capable of moving out of the way? Where was the last suitable place for two vehicles to pass and in which direction? Is it safer for one vehicle to backup vs the other? Are there multiple vehicles heading in either direction? I don't think that there is a cut and dry "one answer fits all" type of rule here.

 

[White 4x4runner]

So the "tread heavily" sticker on my back window won't really sit well with some huh?

 

[KidVermicious]

The one thing I'm always confused about is, when they talk about two cars meeting on a single lane trail, one going up hill and one going down hill. They ALWAYS talk about the going uphill vehicle having right of way because of it being harder to start from a stop as if the two could pass at the point at which they meet.

Well ok, so be it. But there are times (a lot of times) when I'm travelling on a trail where there is NO WAY for two vehicles to pass. So you come face to face on a hill with someone and someone has to back up for 50, 100 or 1000 feet till you can pass. In that situation, which is it? It seems like in general the uphill travelling car should back down as that is a lot easier than backing up a steep trail...

What are other peoples thoughts on that?

[Edit] I been on a lot of trails where it would be pretty devastating to meet someone coming the other way, thankfully I have not actually had the above situation, but backing on a rough, steep, rutted rocky trail in either direction would be a nightmare[/edit]

When the road gets steep, it's far safer to back uphill than back downhill. When you back uphill gravity is your friend - when you back downhill, it's the enemy.

In reality it's usually safe enough to back either direction and the rig with the closest wide spot should be the one to yield. You also have to consider group size - if a group of two meets a group of ten, the group of two is going to have to yield no matter who's uphill if there's not room for ten rigs to get out of the way, you know?

Be safe, be polite, use some common sense, these things work themselves out.