During Covid-19, our favorite trails became bustling playgrounds filled with both new and seasoned adventurers. While it was awesome seeing so many people hitting the great outdoors, it also led to some memorable moments as everyone became reacquainted with trail etiquette. Let's be real, even the most experienced among us made some faux pas.
Whether it's a cyclist moving a bit too quickly or dog walkers who bag it and “leave it for later,” there's always room to refine our trail manners.
Here’s a refresher on some common etiquette scenarios and how to navigate them with ease:
Dilemma: Humans vs. Horses
You’re hiking and several trail riders are coming through on horses. They are not stopping. What should you do?
Answer: You yield way to the horse. When it comes to any trail user in Colorado (or the world, really)—skier, biker, four-wheeler, hiker—everyone yields to horses. Why? Because frightened horses are more likely to injure someone or themselves. Fight or flight is their survival mechanism, and that’s no picnic on a narrow mountain trail.
Extra polite solution: Stop your bike or ORV, or step aside with your leashed dog, well ahead of the approaching horse and rider so that they have a chance to get a look at you and then pass.
Dilemma: Caught without a Bag
Your dog poops while on a hike, right in the middle of the trail. You realize you used your last bag in the parking lot. Now what?
Answer: Use leaves to grab the poop, walk 200 feet (or 70 big steps) from the trail and, using a stick or your heel, dig a six-inch-deep hole and bury it. Be sure to bury it at least 200 feet away from water and camp sites.
Dilemma: Pass or Fail
You’re skiing and in a great V1 flow and up ahead there is a skier chilling in the middle of the trail. You call out “on your left” with plenty of notice and slow down while trying to pass, but you accidentally clip their skis which makes them lose their balance and fall. Who’s right, who’s wrong?
Answer: Technically, they’re in the wrong—trail etiquette requires users to have awareness of their surroundings and to avoid stopping on the trail. While stopped, you must step off the trail to allow others to pass without obstruction. Stay alert, listen, and step aside.
Dilemma: To Leash or Not to Leash?
You’re hiking with your super-reliable, sweet old dog. Being together in the woods is one of the few places where you both feel free, and it’s nice to let him off the leash for a bit, especially when you know you’re not near other trail users. He has great recall and loves everyone. Isn’t that okay?
Answer: Colorado has no statewide leash law, but local municipalities can create their own leash requirements. Generally in the National Forest areas developed for trail use/recreation, dogs must be leashed. Some areas allow dogs “off-leash if they are under control,” but just like us, our furry friends can act out of character from time to time. And you don’t want to test it against a speeding motorbike, an angry moose, or another dog that isn’t up for socializing.
Dilemma: Walkers in the Woods
There’s a leisurely hiker heading up your favorite singletrack, right in the middle of the switchback section, enjoying the wildflowers and view. You’re heading down their way fast. What do you do?
Answer: Bikers yield to hikers, full stop. Even on trails that are designed for mountain biking, a hiker has the right of way. It’s the biker’s responsibility to make sure they’re heard by anyone they wish to pass—“incoming,” “rider back,” “on your left,” etc.—and to wait until the hiker can be safely passed. *Pro tip: Especially true on blind corners. Be loud, install a bell on your bike, sing while descending, whatever, but the onus is on the cyclist.
Extra polite solution: Tell the hiker how many riders are behind you, if you’re in a group, so they aren’t startled with more riders whipping past.
Read more on Colorado trail etiquette before heading out on your next adventure. It never hurts to have a refresh on what you already know.