Earlier this summer, Jessie Kileen was riding her horse along the Boggy Draw trail north of Dolores. The trail system is quiet, traversing fields of sagebrush and piñon-oak forests along the edge of McPhee Reservoir, which provides views of the La Plata Mountains and Southwest desert.
But what was supposed to be a peaceful ride in a beautiful place turned into an argument when a mountain biker, riding quickly along the same trail, failed to announce himself or slow down, she said.
“He spooked my horse, and so I asked him to slow down and to talk to me, and he started to yell at me and wouldn’t slow down,” Kileen said. “I blocked the trail with my horse to settle my horse down, and instead of yielding to us, he cycled around us, yelling at me the whole time, and it was just so unnecessary.”
Kileen said apart from a few heated words, both her and the rider went home that day without injuries. However, the encounter came after a series of similar run-ins, where Kileen or her friends who ride horses were not yielded to bicyclists while out riding the trails around Durango.
“I used to ride Dry Fork on my horse a lot, and I haven’t for a couple of years because there’s just too many bikes,” she said. “It’s dangerous for them, you know. If someone came up on my horse fast with a bike, they could get really hurt.”
Natural-surface trails around Durango like Boggy Draw, Twin Buttes and Horse Gulch are all nonmotorized multiuse trails, meaning recreators can hike, bike, run or ride horseback on them – all at the same time. According to Durango Parks and Recreation Natural Resource Manager Owen Tallmadge, there is an established etiquette that applies when using public trails, no matter how someone were to use them.
“The way it goes is that everybody yields to horses,” Tallmadge said. “And then beyond that, bikes yield to pedestrians, like hikers and runners. If you’re on foot, you know the bike is always supposed to yield. Then if it’s bike-to-bike, the downhill traffic yields to uphill.”
Tallmadge said the guidelines were developed to reduce conflicts between people while out recreating on public trails. It is part of the social fabric to be courteous, respectful and safe while enjoying the outdoors.
“We’re all pretty fortunate just to have the access and ability to get out on trails, and we’re all out there for essentially the same reasons,” Tallmadge said. “... We’re having fun or relaxing – getting away from things. So yeah, why be upset with other people out there?”
Tallmadge said the trails are a shared resource, and that if people work together to ensure everyone can use them in a courteous, respectful way, everyone will reap the benefits.
“My suggestion to resolve that conflict is simply to take a step back and look at a little bit bigger picture,” he said. “Try to change your mindset about why you’re out there, versus being upset that you’re having a conflict with somebody.”
With that said, Tallmadge acknowledged part of the responsibility trail users have is to be aware of their surroundings. There are some trails that were built specifically with mountain bikes in mind, ones with berms and jumps that make hiking unpleasant. But, when using trails that see heavy traffic – whether by hoof, foot or tire – it is important to remember ethical trail use, he said.
“This goes both ways,” he said. “I think everybody needs to recognize that their presence and their activity impacts everybody else’s and we’re all in it together.”
For Kileen, who is also a cyclist and longtime member of the Durango community, the more important thing is talking to each other while on the trails. Communication helps people and animals know where each other are, how to proceed down a trail and lower tensions.
“I think the biggest thing is, please speak to us and call out if you’re coming up on us,” Kileen said of horseback riders. “It is great to hear them for our safety, for their safety and also for hikers. If we’re coming up on a hiker, they should call out to us as well as hold their dogs. We should talk and decide how to pass each other safely.”
More information on how to traverse the trails can be found at https://www.durangotrails.org/trail-etiquette/
sedmodnson@durangoherald.com
