Riding an OHV on Forest Trails

Forest trails are beautiful places to ride an OHV.   Unfortunately, they are becoming more and more scarce as time goes by.  Development and environmental closures have eliminated thousands of miles of trails over the years.  We lost about 400 miles of trails in the Sequoia National Forest to Wilderness Area designations a few years ago.  Proponents cited concerns that OHVs would cause forest fires, even though there were zero fires in more than 40 years of OHV use.  In the first year of closure, a card-carrying Sierra Club member burning her toilet paper (why the heck was she doing that?) started a fire that burned 55,000 acres of their brand new wilderness to a crisp!  There were at least 4 more fires in the area in the next 10 years or so (none caused by OHVs), and sometimes the Forest Service requested dirt bikers camped nearby to ride into their precious wilderness and rescue trapped hikers, which they gladly did in spite of political differences.  We, unlike many so-called environmentalists, value human life, even those who disagree with us, more than we value trees and bugs or politics.  Guess we should have just told them to file another frivolous law suit!

Forest trails often wind through cool, damp stands of trees, so heat and dust are usually not a big problem.  The scenery can be outstanding. Before moving to Utah most of my riding was in the Mojave Desert.  It was quite thrilling to ride a legal canyon single track trail in Utah and find myself up to my handlebars in grass crossing some meadows.

When I lived in southern California, forest outings were our answer to extremely hot desert summers.  We'd drive hundreds of extra miles to get up out of the hot desert and into some cool forests.  On one trip we pulled over to rest before leaving the desert floor.  Even at 5:00 am it was too hot to sleep in our RV (over 100°F outside), even on top of the covers down in the desert.  A few hours later we had climbed from the 4,000' desert elevation to around 9,000' in the mountains and it was time for parkas.  Forest camps and trails offered respite from the sizzling desert heat plus beautiful scenery.  We enjoyed a good relationship with the local rangers, who created new loops to reconnect some trails cut off by the wilderness boundaries, which zigzagged with an obvious intent to deliberately cut off looping trails.

Riding forest trails requires a commitment to following the rules as well as some special riding skills.  Most places where there are forest trails you are restricted to riding the trails and not permitted to cut corners or do ANY cross country riding.  If you are caught you can get stiff fines.  Even if you don't get caught, the damage you leave behind may result in additional closures and loss of riding areas.  Many forest areas are quite fragile.  Be considerate.  Many forest areas restrict camping to designated campgrounds.  Blatant disregard for camping and riding rules will result in further loss of RV and OHV areas.  You might have to drive a little further to reach a designated campground or go out of your way a little to stay on the trails, but it is well worth it.

Forest riding doesn't usually involve extreme temperatures, but hydration on the trail is still very important.  Even when riding a shady trail, you'll still lose water from your body through respiration and perspiration.  Always carry a canteen or wear a hydration pack.  There may be streams in some forest areas, but unless you are certain the water is clean or can safely purify it, don't drink it!  Many forest streams in North America are infected with giardia, which can cause a lot of problems like vomiting and diarhhea, which will quickly put the skids on any outing.  Clear, fast-moving streams are often said to be safe, but even they can be contaminated.  Before drinking any natural occurring water, check for potential contamination, such as animal feces or carcasses in or near the water.

All off highway vehicles should be equipped with spark arrestors.  These are especially important in forest areas where there is a lot of combustible material on or near the trails.  Never remove or disable the spark arrestor on your machine.  If it gets clogged, service it according to the manufacturer's instructions to restore performance.  If you believe the factory spark arrestor is too restrictive, check out after-market models that may improve performance without losing protection. Operating your vehicle with a missing or disabled spark arrestor is dangerous and could result in a fire and/or substantial fine.  That being said, I was once part of a group of dirt bikers who were unfairly (and illegally) cited for excessive noise.  It was never clear whether it was ignorance or malicious intent and it would be very hard to prove either assumption, but it left an indelible impression on everyone involved.

Many forests have well defined noise restrictions so make sure your exhaust system on your OHV is up to par.  In some places OHV trails are shared by non-motorized users.  If you encounter hikers, mountain bikes, or horse back riders, slow down and minimize revving of your engine.  When you resume speed, don't goose it and throw up a rooster tail.

Keep track of where you are and where you're going.  Unlike desert riding where you can often see major landmarks from great distances, you may not be able to see more than a few yards in any direction from the trail.  You need to pay attention to intersections and which way you turned in case you need to find your way back the way you came.  Some trails are signed, some are not.  When you are riding unsigned trails, stop at each intersection and make sure everyone in the group knows and can help remember which way you turned so you can find your way back if necessary.

Determine the difficulty of a trail before starting on it and only ride trails that are suitable for the skills and equipment of everyone in your party.  If the trails are marked, look for green circles (easy trails), blue squares (intermediate trails) and black diamonds (more difficult trails) [Sample Trail Signs].  The challenge of riding a black diamond trail may appeal to macho riders and there may be a temptation to give it a try, even if it is beyond your current skill level.  It is essential to talk with someone who has ridden the trail before embarking on it yourself.  If no one in your riding group is familiar with the trail, seek out a local ranger to gain information about the specific technical aspects that make it a black diamond trail.  Knowing what to expect can help you make wiser decisions and help prepare you for what's ahead if you chose to proceed.  Riding beyond your current skill level or the capability of your machine is likely to yield very unpleasant results, ranging from getting stranded to burning up your machine or incurring serious, even lethal injuries.  Keep in mind the limits of other riders in your group.  Even if you know you can handle a certain trail without any problems, don't lead a group there unless you can be sure everyone can handle it.  You don't want to end up carrying an injured rider and/or broken equipment back out, especially if it is a difficult trail to start with!

Trail riding is most comfortable on a fairly light-weight and nimble machine.  When I moved from southern California where I mostly rode in the desert, I exchanged my big KTM 520/EXC for a Honda CRF 250X. Forest and canyon trails are often narrow and tight, with hairpin switchbacks. They often cut across steep slopes, so if you go off the trail you're either facing a steep climb that sometimes flips the front wheel off the ground or heading off a downhill so steep you may be hundreds of feet below the trail before you can stop rolling or tumbling.  Getting you and your machine back up to the trail is no easy task.  Speed is NOT the main goal of trail riding.  Take it easy and enjoy the scenery. A rider friend of mine and former desert racer once said "if a trail isn't fun at 25MPH, it isn't a fun trail".  You'd be surprised how fast 25 MPH feels on some trails, and if you must go fast to have fun, you probably picked the wrong trail!   There are lots of places to ride where speed isn't required for it to be fun.

Some forest trails are "single track", which means they are only about a foot wide and suitable only for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, or dirt bikes.  Three wheel ATCs and four wheel vehicles are too wide.  Riding larger vehicles on single track trails will damage the trails and the adjacent environment and can be quite dangerous.  ATVs and side-by-sides are unstable when driving across slopes and can roll over fairly easily.  I've seen it happen many times.  A dirt bike or a mountain bike can negotiate a narrow, single track trail across a steep slope in relative safety, while wider vehicles may easily end up tumbling down the mountain.  Sometimes the trail head will have a gate that restricts the width of vehicles that can access it or it may be posted prohibiting ATVs or 4x4s.  Going around a gate or ignoring a posted sign may not only damage the trail but could put you in a dangerous situation and subject you to stiff fines if caught.

Ridgeline trails offer great views of the surrounding terrain.  When riding a ridgeline, don't get so enthralled with the view that you forget to look where you're going!  The drop off on both sides is often very steep, and even if you and your machine survive without serious damage, you'll have a tough time getting back up on the trail.  I've ridden some ridgeline trails where you could almost reach out and touch the tops of tall pine trees growing from way down the slope.  Going off the trail in places like that is about like riding off a cliff.

Switchbacks are common on many forest trails as they wind their way up or down a mountain.  Some lazy riders cut across switchbacks when they are relatively open and level, but that is a good way to get the whole trail permanently closed.  I've ridden trails with tight switchbacks that follow the contour of little ravines along a hillside.  These can be challenging and dangerous.  Often the uphill side is a steep slope with no place to go and it often continues on the downhill side leaving you with no place to put a foot down to steady yourself around the turn.  Look ahead so you can slow to an appropriate speed to negotiate the turn, then maintain a smooth steady speed through the turn.  You need enough momentum to maintain balance and carry you through until you can comfortably get back on the gas.

Forest trails necessarily wind between trees and sometimes the clearances are narrower than the handlebars on OHVs.  That means developing a technique for angling the bars so you don't hit the opening head on.  Hand guards, such as the aptly branded "Bark Busters" can save your hands from being scraped or smashed on not so friendly trees.  There is sometimes a debate among riders whether they may "trap" your hands and create injury hazard but I've used them for decades without having a problem and they've saved be from breaking my fingers and levers more times than I can count.

"Barkbusters" are a good addition to protect your hands riding forest trails.   Barkbusters are metal hand guards that attach to your handlebars and wrap around your levers.  The clearance between the trees on some forest trails is so tight you sometimes have to angle your bars to fit between them.  Close tolerances often means banged knuckles and damaged levers.  Metal hand guards like Barkbusters can save both hands and levers.  I use them on my dirt bikes all the time, even when riding open desert trails.  They protect my hands against passing bushes and protect the levers if/when I go down and with optional plastic covers, provide some protection against wind and rain.


Trail riding demands staying alert and having good control of your machine.  Watch as far ahead as you can and always be prepared to slow, stop, or change direction quickly.  Visibility is often severely restricted, so don't go flying around blind corners.  Forest trails are best enjoyed at moderate speeds so you can actually see the scenery as you whiz through it.  High speed riding on forest trails is not recommended and is, in a word, foolisth.  The risk of encountering animals or tree roots or other riders makes it too risky.  That fun, fast ride may come to a sudden, painful, and expensive end if you encounter unexpected obstacles or meet another rider coming toward you on a narrow trail.  The general concept, that, if a trail isn't fun at 25 mph, it isn't a fund trail, definitely applies to forest trails.  Take time to smell the forest!  We had an inexperienced rider on one forest trip (HE didn't consider himself inexperienced, but his actions certainly proved it).  There was a really nice little creek crossing where the trail on the other side turned left rather abruptly.  He wasn't watching ahead and managed to run straight into the vertical creek bank on the other side, hitting so hard it literally knocked the crap out of him.  I think it may have been the same trip and it was definitely the same rider who clipped a rock with the bottom case of his engine and left a streak of oil down the trail and would have destroyed the bike if someone hadn't noticed the oil on the trail and flagged him down.  Both of his mishaps would have been avoided by simply paying attention to the trail.

Ride cool!