OHV damage

DaveB

Long Jeep Fan
Location
Holladay, Utah
I went up to Murdock Basin last Friday hoping to miss some of the holiday weekend crowd. Took my Jeep and a fishing pole. I hit three of the lakes up in the basin and the fish were cooperative but I was a bit disgusted with the OHV damage in the area. The first lake I visited was Marshall lake. A few years back folks ripped out the no vehicle sign at the end of the access trail, moved rocks, and cut a trail down to their favorite camp site. The problem with this illegal trail is that they cut through a wetlands meadow to get to the campsite. This year was the worst damage I have seen in the meadow. Due to the rains we got the trail had a bunch of mud bogs. People have now driven around the bogs making even more bogs. They have also cut across the meadow so that they can drive right to the edge of the lake. The legal parking area is only about 100 yards from the lake but the lazy folks just can't walk that far. The next lake I went to was Hoover lake. You used to have to walk the last 100 yards to the lake but the OHV folks again want to park on the edge of the water and they have torn up the trail leading to the lake. They even cut down some trees to make a few more yards. The last lake was Echo. There is a wood barricade at the end of the trail and that is where I parked. I walked down to the lake only to find cars and ATVs at the lake edge. They have driven around the wood barrier. A big mud hole was also made. At Marshall I replaced some of the rocks but as I was hiking out some guy in his jacked up pickup was moving rocks and driving in. I told him this was an illegal trail with a lot of damage to a riparian area and if people keep up damaging the area it will get closed off. He backed out but wouldn't park his truck while I was there. I don't doubt he waited till I was gone and went in anyway. I sent an email to the Forest service but I know they don't have nearly enough people to police all of the people using the forest these days. Another gross issue I found as I hiked around the lakes was toilet paper and donations laying all over in the forest, can't people dig a hole and bury their donations ?
 

rholbrook

Well-Known Member
Location
Kaysville, Ut
I have a side by side and can confidently say that the growth of that industry has given a lot of idiots easy access to a tool that they think can take them anywhere they want.
I have two SxS' and I have noticed a lot of irresponsible people I like to call trash. Trash comes in all colors shapes and sizes. I have actually yelled at the trash when I see it. I had one group of trash look at me and pretended not to speak English. Luckily for me, me SIL can speak their language. I'm not pointing fingers at an ethnic group, I'm pointing fingers at trash.
 

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
Clarify the issues, identify the solutions, pitch the project to the FS and get a repair day planned. I’d come! They will never have the bandwidth and interest to solve all of these issues, to them a closed trail is far easier to manage. For example there will be a half dozen trail repair/improvement projects taking place up AFC in a few weeks, all identified, planned and implemented by user groups. We’ll have 30+ on our trail alone (Miller Hill) doing projects. I’ve done several projects with the Heber-Kamas Ranger District (Forest Service), they are extremely receptive to user-led service projects! Stewardship is the only solution IMO.
 

shortstraw8

Well-Known Member
I think this issue is part the cause of Utah loosing its appeal thread for me. I remember the days of strapping the tackle box on and holding poles on the back of my grandpas totegoat getting to some of the more remote places.
To second what cruiser said, I know the dwr put a lot of these types of projects up for the dedicated hunter volunteer projects. This is one I would be happy to donate time too with my son. This is the same area I saw a 5th wheel and truck stuck deep, down by one of the lakes a few yrs ago and the reason I haven't been back up that way as it was just as packed as tibble. Seemed like every possible pull out on murdock rd was filled with a trailer or two.
I feel like if we have to have a class to pass a test for the privilege of driving, there should be a mandatory tread lightly style class when buying an ohv, not that it would fix it but might deter some that may not have known.
 

zmotorsports

Hardcore Gearhead
Vendor
Location
West Haven, UT
My wife, son and I have been heavily involved in the powersports industry since the late 80's including building many when we had our speed shop. We pretty much got out of all powersports around 2012 as the side by sides were gaining popularity. Granted we had issues with people not following the rules prior to that but the assholes who think they were above the rules seemed to explode in numbers about that time. There for the longest time in order to have a fast buggy to hit the dunes in or the trails you had to either build one yourself or be very dedicated to the sport by saving up for such toys as banks were less than willing to lend. But then all of a sudden it was possible to just drive to the local powersports store, sign on the dotted line and all of a sudden you had a machine that was very capable with not much effort outlaid. It made going fast for idiots really easy and fast to acquire, both of which are not a good formula for having people follow the rules.

It seems the early years in places like Moab and Ouray the trails didn't change much from year to year other than some erosion due to weather but lately the changes are big and drastic due to the heavy use of the sheer high numbers and speed of these machines. I am all for sharing the trails but it gets tiring sitting and enjoying lunch on the trail and having a group of assholes in fast machines fly by kicking up dust and rocks without a single care for anyone else. The ledges have gotten deeper and more undercut as well and what used to be a relatively moderate trail on 35's is now a difficult trail even on 37's due to the heavily dug out trails, not to mention the areas that are being dug up that aren't actually part of the trail in the first place as it seems sticking to the trails is almost ridiculed by some of these jerks.

We were in Moab two years ago with a group of our RV friends and running up towards Metal Masher and just prior to Gooney Bird rock there were a group of about 5 or 6 SXS's coming towards us. That section of sandy road is narrow and sunken down into the landscape somewhat but there are wide enough areas to pull off and allow others to pass easy enough. This group chose to jump up off the trail and run parallel to the trail through the sagebrush and vegetation. I was leading the group of about 6 Jeeps so I stopped and tried to explain the reasons we try to stick to the trails and they called me every name in the book and were a bunch of assholes. I guess I was insulting their manhood in front of their kids and wives just trying to explain that it would benefit everyone if they stuck to the trails so we can keep them open. I explained we are under constant attach from environmental groups and by doing what they just did does nothing but give these groups ammunition to use against us. I could not believe the language and behaviors being exhibited in front of their families. That pretty much told me everything I needed to know about their character.

I know we shouldn't judge but some people make it awfully hard not to. Unfortunately nowadays in my mind I think that way of most all until they prove different. I shouldn't be that way but it seems over the past couple of years I am seldom wrong in our travels.

That is also why my wife and I seem to enjoy Jeeping in the Black Hills of South Dakota so much. There seems to be much much fewer side by sides on those trails. I think it has to do with so many of them are not out & back trails and that they end several canyons over from where they started. Getting to the various trailheads are sometimes 50-70 miles from town and will end a canyon or two over with no services. We still see some on the trails but nothing to the degree like in areas such as Moab, the Swell or SW Colorado where we wheel.
 

Rot Box

Diesel and Dust
Location
Smithfield Utah
I know there are responsible SXS owners out there I get that. I’m friends with a few owners that are great off road and I have met many responsible owners on the trail.

That said.. I agree those folks seem to be the minority. Many of the others have kicked the living shit out of Southern Idaho where I go to enjoy the outdoors and it makes me sad. I cringe every time I hear the herds of them coming down the trail.

What am I doing to make the situation better? Good question—not as much as I should 🫤 I do my best to educate the younger dirtbike riders in our group on the right and wrong when it comes to etiquette. Hopefully that makes a little bit of a difference as those kids get older. I dunno.
 

zmotorsports

Hardcore Gearhead
Vendor
Location
West Haven, UT
I know there are responsible SXS owners out there I get that. I’m friends with a few owners that are great off road and I have met many responsible owners on the trail.

That said.. I agree those folks seem to be the minority. Many of the others have kicked the living shit out of Southern Idaho where I go to enjoy the outdoors and it makes me sad. I cringe every time I hear the herds of them coming down the trail.

What am I doing to make the situation better? Good question—not as much as I should 🫤 I do my best to educate the younger dirtbike riders in our group on the right and wrong when it comes to etiquette. Hopefully that makes a little bit of a difference as those kids get older. I dunno.

Happy to hear you are trying to work with the younger kids to introduce trail etiquette because I believe their parents think they know everything and are a little harder to get to listen to reason.

Case in point, last month we were on our annual Ouray/Silverton trip but this year our son and DIL came along with us in their Jeep. There was just the two vehicles this year as my wife and I opted not to host our annual gathering and just enjoy it with our kids.

As we were traveling the trails this year we seemed to notice even less people using hand signals than the previous years as it is something that obviously isn't taught, as well as who has right of way on a hill but that's a whole other topic. As we passed groups of SXS's I would hold up one finger representing there was one vehicle behind me and my son would hold closed fist representing he was the last in the group. Multiple, multiple, multiple times passing groups of SXS's around either blind corners or hills as I would hold up a finger most wouldn't even look at me and just keep driving. I stopped a couple to ask if they were alone or had people following them, especially in areas where I knew the trail either got narrow to one lane or would be getting tight like on a shelf road corner. Most would answer me when I stopped them to ask, that is IF they stopped. Most didn't even acknowledge me and kept driving and I would quickly find out there were more in their group.

One guy actually snapped at me when I stopped him and asked "are you alone or do you have others in your group?" He said "why the hell is that any of your business?" :thinking: Are you kidding me? Really? Do you not understand the environment that you are currently in and how low visibility is around blind turns?

On the last day as we were driving down from California Pass and into Animas Forks area there are a lot of turns and curves in the trail with taller foliage than up higher on the pass so it makes seeing around turns a bit more problematic. A SXS with two guys in the front and two kids in the back seat was approaching us so I pulled to the right side to let them pass. There was no grade so no one in particular had the right of way but I had a wide spot so I obliged. As they were approaching to my left I thought I caught a brief glimpse of something through the shrubs/trees but couldn't be sure. As they were passing me I tried to get him to stop so I could ask if there was anyone else in their group behind them but again, no acknowledgement at all and just drove right on past without a care in the world. I radioed to my son to hang back as I slowly crept up around the turn only to find his buddy waiting on his side of the trail. I told my son to continue to wait. as at this point I could see he was pulled off waiting for us. As I was driving past him he threw his hands up in a "what the hell???" type of gestures. Well that didn't sit well with me so I threw the Jeep into reverse and backed up rather abruptly to catch his attention. My wife was PISSED at me at this point because she thought I was going to start something.

When I caught up to him in reverse he was somewhat stunned and asked "hey, what the hell is your problem?" I tried to calmly (emphasis on tried, not succeeded) to explain that if he and his buddy would learn proper trail etiquette and hand communication skills it would alleviate all of the confusion and we can all enjoy the trails rather than you just giving a shit about yourself and thinking you're the only one on the trails.

I don't think I need to explain how the conversation went with the wife in the Jeep after that.:oops: YEP! I was the asshole in the whole situation and she thought I was reverting back to my high school years of being a hot head and starting fights.

Did it push my button when he threw his hands up? You bet your ass it did. Was I ready to start a fight? No, I think I've matured (hope so anyways) since high school but I definitely wanted him to know that he was in the wrong and what he could do to improve the situation next time.

I get tired of these idiots buying a toy without any inclination of how to interact with others on the trails and especially, how to treat and preserve the trails. I partially blame the dealerships for not giving any kind of trail etiquette lesson or anything but I guess once they have their money they could care less about what the owners do from then on. My neighbor just bought a new side by side two years ago and he was asking me a few questions last year because he was seeing people on the trails using hand signals and he knew I took our Jeep off-road. I explained the hand signals as well as some general trail etiquette and when I asked him what they told him at the dealership, he said they never told them anything. Took the cashier's check handed them the keys and said "be safe and have fun." HOLY SHIT!!! I think there may be a missed opportunity for some training if these dealerships really care about the trails as much as they claim to.

Rant over.

Mike
 

Coco

Well-Known Member
Location
Lehi, UT
I feel like if we have to have a class to pass a test for the privilege of driving, there should be a mandatory tread lightly style class when buying an ohv, not that it would fix it but might deter some that may not have known.
I, with several of the other SXS owners on here are part of the minority. I do what I can to educate others on trail etiquette, treading lightly, etc. Most are very receptive to it, and appreciate the education. When I lead and guide trails for the various SXS events we attend, in the drivers meetings I let all the participants know of all the good things we as an OHV promote and what not to do. There are great groups like Utah Off Road that do the same things on their sponsored events, rides, etc. I only hope that the individuals take what we are teaching them and spread that to their individual groups, and continue to improve. Nothing will change if people don't speak up or we as an OHV community police one another. I know people like to point blame at the SXS community as a whole, and to that I will always disagree. The SXS is the tool, look at the trash behind the wheel, not the vehicle itself. Its no different than everyone wanting to blame the gun for the person that committed said horrific act.

On that note, and why I quoted your post @shortstraw8, the state passed a law this year that all OHV/street legal registrations will require users to watch an OHV education video in order to register their OHV. All OHVs will now have OHV specific license plates with unique numbers/letters that will be registered to that vehicle. This will be two fold, it will allow people to report unlawful use, and let LE track down said perpetrators, and it will at least help with trail etiquette and treading lightly. Utah Off Road was a big sponsor on this bill, and I think it was a great idea to help with a growing problem. Of course I saw lots of people bitching and moaning about this new bill, and those are the exact individuals it was created for.
 

Coco

Well-Known Member
Location
Lehi, UT
I get tired of these idiots buying a toy without any inclination of how to interact with others on the trails and especially, how to treat and preserve the trails. I partially blame the dealerships for not giving any kind of trail etiquette lesson or anything but I guess once they have their money they could care less about what the owners do from then on. My neighbor just bought a new side by side two years ago and he was asking me a few questions last year because he was seeing people on the trails using hand signals and he knew I took our Jeep off-road. I explained the hand signals as well as some general trail etiquette and when I asked him what they told him at the dealership, he said they never told them anything. Took the cashier's check handed them the keys and said "be safe and have fun." HOLY SHIT!!! I think there may be a missed opportunity for some training if these dealerships really care about the trails as much as they claim to.

Rant over.

Mike
This! I to have often thought if the dealerships and rental companies would at least start the education process that would go a LONG way! It is nothing more than a simple conversation in the buying process in my eyes.
 
Top