Let me whine a little bit. During a recent weekend Jeep outing in Sedona, Arizona, I encountered all of the following bad trail manners: one parked 4x4 partially blocking the trail at the bottom of a steep climb, who had simply not bothered to drive an extra twenty feet to park out of the way; two vehicles who were not properly equipped for the ruggedness of the particular trail on which they were attempting to travel were creating a bottleneck of 4x4’s who were properly equipped for that particular trail; another 4x4 tailgated me up a steep, rocky incline; and on an access road, I was maliciously dusted by a speeding 4x4.
All of this made for a remarkably unpleasant backcountry experience for both me and for my out-of-town guests. I believe that most people want to play nice and do the right thing. So, I took all of this as a prompt to outline the basics of off-road driving etiquette. Whether you are an experienced four-wheeler, or an exuberant newbie, enjoy this article as a fun and friendly rallying call.
Before I start the list, let me preface it by clearing up some things:
First, some of my four-wheeling buddies don’t even know what the word “etiquette” means, but they practice it. Etiquette, by Webster definition is “the forms, manners, and ceremonies established by convention as acceptable or required in social relations.” The definition is just a stuffy way of saying “play nice”. In our ever-busy world, a little good old-fashioned courtesy still goes a long way.
Second, in most cases, there are no laws regarding off-highway etiquette. Etiquette is simply courtesy practiced for the comfort, safety, and enjoyment of all participants. Although safety is really at the heart of trail etiquette, superficially, it is good manners. There are no Trail Etiquette Police who will jump out of the bushes to fine you for an infraction, nor pat you on the back for a good deed. But a good neighbor attitude will engender the sense of community among those who engage in off-road recreation.
Third, I make no claim to exhibit perfect trail etiquette at all times, but I am mindful of other people, and that is all we can ask of each other. I apologize ahead of time if I become blunt and scathingly direct. I hope that everyone will catch the fun mood of the piece as well as the main message--let’s all play nice in the sand box! The focus of this article is limited to the activity of four-wheel-drive recreation, and is by no means exhaustive, especially in the area of land use etiquette--which will be featured in a later article. So, here follows Off-Road Etiquette 101. Not preachy, not enforced, just a little common sense and courtesy:
