Many blame the casual user for not only destroying trails, but also for over-crowding. Crowded trails brings heightened exposure, which in turn can lead to restricted access or even permanent closure of some trails altogether. And the fact is, more and more public lands are being closed to motorized vehicles altogether.
The truth is, there’s more than one way to look at the issue…
Our Dirty Little Secret
Some off-roaders are of the opinion (and their experience is not unwarranted) that an elitist position will help protect the future of our trails by limiting access to the few.To others, it makes perfect sense to provide as much information as possible about our favorite off-road trails as a service to ALL our 4-wheeling friends. If we want to grow the sport, that is. If you’re thinking that we need to keep the trails for ourselves and only tell our close friends and family about them, consider this:
- If more knew about our trails, and how few there are, then there might be a greater demand for open trails.
- If traffic increased out on the trails, then word about our sport would get out faster, and the general public would start to understand that off-roading is much more popular than just a few rednecks out mudding.
- The more people out there on the trails, the more we have to recruit new club members from.
- It puts us in the driver’s seat for setting a good example out there for others to see and ultimately want to emulate.(7 Steps to Being a Good Off-Roader)
- It’s a good way to get more active voices and working hands to help us keep the trails alive and well.
- The more we publicize our trails in a positive light, the more people we’ll have on our side of the issue when it comes time to fight for more access on those trails or to try to prevent a road from closing.
Myth or Reality? 4-Wheelers are Land Wreckers
And don’t forget about all the newbies who are exploring this sport for the first time. What about those who’ve heard about what we do and want to participate as well? What about those who don’t have an active club near them? What if someone’s just not the club type?The fact remains: We are our own spokesmen for these trails. We are the billboards. We are the proponents of safe four-wheeling. We are the reason that so many trails look as good as they do. And we are the reason that many trails even exist.
We have, no doubt, managed to grow the sport, by our words AND our actions, over the years. It is the collective voice of four-wheelers that has done much good in promoting the sport. We can’t stop now and keep it just for ourselves…