In cooperation with the US Forest Service, Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA),Oregon Equestrian Trails (OET), Back Country Horsemen of Oregon (BCHO), and the Sisters Trail Alliance have created a new program to help educate all users of our public trails state wide. The new program is called “Share the Trail” and it is a educational program aimed at educating the public on proper trail etiquette when meeting other trail users on our public trails. The educational program will place the Share the Tail brochure at places that sell or rent trail related equipment, public agency and your favorite trail head, or you can download it here and print one for yourself.
Expect Others – Respect Others – Connect with Others
Meeting other people on the trail can be a good experience…or a bad one. – Expect to see others on the trail – Respect their right to be there – Be friendly You can make the trails a nicer place to be!
It is important that you Stop, Speak & Smile.
Stop
Hold It! When you meet someone on the trail, STOP! Stop riding. Stop walking. Say hello and ask, “What’s the safest way to pass?” Don’t Wait — Call Out! As soon as you see another trail user, call out to them, so everyone has plenty of time to stop.
Stop!
Ask: “What’s the
Safest way to pass?”
Who Yields? Trail courtesy says:
- Hikers yield to horses.
- Bikes yield to both hikers and horses.
- Downhill bikes yield to uphill bikes.
Who Goes Where? Everyone in your party should move to the same side of the trail. It’s usually, but not always, best to move to the downhill side of the trail.
Speak
Talk to Each Other To Determine the Best Way to Pass. Sometimes the safest thing is for you to step off the trail. Sometimes it’s better for the other guy to step off. The important thing is to talk to each other. If you’re supposed to yield to another trail user, please ask them for the safest way to go by.
Horses Know They Taste Good. Call out a friendly greeting as soon as you see an equestrian. This will help the horse realize you’re a human, not a predator that wants to eat them, and could keep the horse from overreacting. If you accidentally startle a horse, it may violently shy away and endanger you and its rider.
Earbuds: Listening to music on the trail is great. But please reduce the volume and use only one earbud so you can hear what’s going on around you. It may mean the difference between a great ride or hike, and a wreck.
Smile
Keep the Trail Narrow. If you’re on a bike and you meet a hiker, stop with your tires on the trail, put one foot down, and lean out. If you encounter a horse, stop and be prepared to get off your bike and step off the trail to pass safely. Riding into adjacent vegetation turns single-track into double track.
Mud Matters: If the trail is muddy, turn around. If you continue, your tracks will set up like concrete when the ground dries. Riding or walking over dried tire ruts, footprints, or hoofprints is no fun, so be kind to the trail and ride somewhere else until the ground freezes or dries out.
Good Dogs. Dogs love the trail as much as we do. Please keep your dog close and under voice control at all times, or on a leash, especially if the trail’s rules require it.
What You Can’t See Can Hurt You: If you can’t see far ahead of you on the trail, control your speed and approach blind turns slowly in anticipation of other users and obstacles that may be beyond your view
Sharing the Trails Means More Trails for Everyone. We may have different ways of enjoying the outdoors, but we’re all out there because we love our trails. By sharing them, we ensure more riding and hiking opportunities for everybody. Be Cool. Treat the people you meet on the trail just like you’d treat a friend. They’re out to have fun, just like you, and you can make their day (and yours) with a smile and a cheerful hello. Being friendly can defuse trail confrontations before they happen.
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