Trails, much like the bedeviled lakefront bike path, are a shared system of paths in Cook County and Lake County that are considered multi-use. This means that anyone is open to use them – be it, hikers, equestrians, riders on 8″ full suspension bikes, and the Joe in the jeans and no helmet.

This presents some challenges obviously and our cooperation on the trail is key to keeping in the good graces of the county and their constituents. It sounds political, but it is. Once upon a time there was an event called ’12 Hours of Palos’ – a 12 hour mountain biking event that took on the trails of Palos and had scores of riders hammering through the forests for hours on end, smiling gleefully and rocking it out in MTB glory. This event is no longer – and it’s not a rumour – but a known fact, that it is no longer held because Cook County found issue with the way the trails were being used (or abused in this case) by another non-cycling group. This other group unwittingly took the liberty of marking trails innapropriately (spray paint), and leaving a mess behind. This ruined the use of the ‘multi-use’ trail system for everyone and put and end to organized trail racing of any kind at Palos Forest Preserve specifically.

This was a sad event.

Mountain Bikers are but one of the many participants on the trail systems, and though we are growing in numbers, we have a greater responsibility to ensure that we devote as much courtesy and etiquette to all as we represent our contingent of trail users at all county forest preserves. Below are some guidelines to be mindful of the next time you are out at the trail. All it takes is the ‘right’ person to complain to the local government that trails are being misused and the fallout is felt by all. CAMBr has been working hard to promote trail preservation awareness, it warrants that all riders respect those efforts by representing fairly and kindly to the people with who we share that system with.

Yield to Horseback Riders
This is an absolute must. Get off your bike or at the very least come to a complete stop off to the side of the trail. Horses are benevolent animals with incredible reactive strength that can cause their rider harm when you come barreling at them and squeal on your brakes. The most safe approach is to simply anticipate your approach and calmly notify the rider you are there with a simple acknowledgement like “Hi, how are you doing today?”. This shows courtesy, respect, and goes a long way to show that you recognize that we share this trail system. The bridle path is exactly that – a path for horses – be aware of that the next time you play speed demon out of the forest.

Up is the ‘Right of Way’
It has been an unspoken but fairly well known rule that riders going up have the right of way. Think about that the next time you jet down a descent at full speed without your brakes at the ready. Seasoned riders typically go down a fast downhill section with space in-between each rider enough to warn the upcoming traffic that there is a rider behind them and allows room and time for riders to make adjustments to their trajectory. How much opportunity do you give a rider? As much opportunity as you would want to be granted to you. You have at most 3 feet of trail wide at most times, consider your bailout options carefully.

Leave No Trace
The forest is beautiful and even moreso without the garbage that only we could bring to it. Gel wrappers, water bottles, beer bottles, etc. If you bring it into the forest, you must also take it out of the forest. If you drop some garbage, have some respect and go back and pick it up. It only takes ‘one’ hiker to notice the garbage and equate ‘gel pack’ with ‘jerk’ and report it to the county officials. Trail care crews are out at trail workdays also cleaning up some trail messes – participate and play a proactive role in ensuring that we as MTBers, leave no trace.

Control Your Speed
Remember, you are in control of your speed. The average speed in a cross country race (at Palos for example) is about 10-12 MPH. Wooshing through the forest at 10MPH is a lot faster than you might think – try running into a tree at 10MPH head on to feel the effect of velocity coming to a complete stop. Some descents and trail sections can be ridden faster, but keep in mind of your surroundings, oncoming traffic, and other trail users. Speed is great when you master its control, but out of control braking on a loose, rocky, or dirt surface is sure to hurt yourself or others in the process. Stay in control of your bike.

Wear A Helmet
This goes without saying – and can’t be stressed enough. Encourage others to wear a helmet, kindly, when possible. There are plenty of hazards on the trail systems that can lead to far more worrisome injuries than just a concussion. An emergency response vehicle isn’t exactly able to get to you in a timely or convenient manner when you’re laid out at three ravines with a cracked skull. Especially if you haven’t mastered the ‘control your speed’ portion.

Be Friendly
There is a reason we’re out all in the forest whisking through trees like Jedi fighters on speed bikes flying through Endor. Probably because we want to remove ourselves from the Death Star world of the concrete jungle. With that in mind – hopefully, we’re leaving bad attitudes behind. MTBers are notorious for being a wonderfully raucous and friendly bunch. The smile and encouragement we give to each other is what keeps people coming back to the forest. And the cycle continues…repeat step one.