More and more people are finding time to mountain bike, and in many places that can result in crowded trails at times. It’s bad news if you’re hoping for a quick sprint around your local singletrack loop, but good news if you’re trying to convince your city or county that they need more trails.
Has the degree of crowding at your local trails changed compared to last year, or the year before that? Tell us in the comments!
While we have seen more people on our local trails, it is such an underused park that it still isn’t crowded. What I have seen is an increase in people who do not respect the park or nature and leave their trash all over the place. Thankfully, we have a decent number of volunteers willing to play trash collector.
Sad state of affairs… Shame folks are so narcissistic like that.
Use to have loads of kids, no noone goes there…
All of a sudden everyone disappeared. I have no clue why though…
My experience out west is often crowded trailhead or parking lot at popular locations but plenty of space once on the trails. We have enough options and some new ones in the works to be able to spread out right now. Everyone has been so cool about sharing the trails even non-mtbers.
Not many people explore game trails around these parts. Many of this type of opportunity are discrete and need discovered, usually by happenstance. Doesn’t get better than that!
Agree. Out of the way trails are a great way to avoid crowds and get new riding experiences in. BLM and Forest Service maps and websites are good sources to find those hidden gems.
Best part is game trails are made by deer and elk for my bike’s pleasure. Have to agree on the BLM and FS maps tho’, great source of Information.
My ‘go to’ trail is rarely crowded……..lotsa “fair weather” riders in this area I guess.
In southeastern PA, the most extensive trail networks are in State Parks, and they can get crowded on weekends. That, I believe, is because you can get in a nice long ride, say 10 miles or so. Yeah I know that’s not big relative to out west, but we have fewer alternatives that are close to population centers. They are popular, and the heaviest-use trails are starting to get beat. The horses don’t help either.
More trails & more parking has contributed to a greater number of riders on the local trails. Just how many riders seems to depend much on weather & time of day. Mild weather on a Saturday guarantees lots of riders. Fair weather also brings out many families for a ride, as well as others that only ride occasionally. However, by late evening, there will be far fewer riders. On a cold winter weekday, trails will be almost empty.