This week we’ve partnered with Leave No Trace to share some of their top tips for your outdoor adventures. One of the most commonly debated topics is trail etiquette–who yields to who when you’re hiking, biking, or trail running? LNT breaks it down for us with a few different scenarios and what to do in each one.
Imagine you are riding your mountain bike up a steep technical climb, when you see three horses coming down the trail towards you. Do you know what to do? What if you are running up your favorite single-track trail, and a line of mountain bikes are coming down towards you?
While guidelines will vary by location, generally the following can be applied to get you thinking in the right direction:
- Hikers, runners, and bikers should always yield to horses
- Bikers should yield to hikers and runners
- Downhill traffic should yield to uphill traffic
When approaching others from lower on the trail, a friendly greeting does wonders to let others know you are coming and common courtesy will always go a long way. From the North America Skills & Ethics Booklet: “Groups leading or riding livestock have the right-of-way on trails. Hikers and bicyclists should move to the downhill side and talk quietly to the riders as they pass, since horses and other pack stock frighten easily.” Additionally, the International Mountain Biking Association recommends, when riding single track, to come to a complete stop and then side step off the trail, as opposed to just riding off the side of trail, and as a result, widening it.
Moving to the downhill side, when letting horses by, reduces your size and appearance. The initial instinct may be to stay on the uphill side of such large animals, but being on the downhill side it makes them less likely to spook. With that in mind, it makes a lot more sense to move downhill! If you find yourself in an awkward or unsafe situation it is always best to communicate with the lead rider to ask them what they prefer, as they know their animals the best.
Of course, there are gray areas. What if a downhill hiker meets an uphill cyclist? The guidelines would say the biker yields, but for most, it’s a lot easier to stop and start hiking than it is when riding. As a result, many generally step off the trail in these encounters when hiking or running. Of course, the cyclist probably shouldn’t have an expectation that the hiker will let the cyclist pass, it might happen out of courtesy. Or what about when an uphill runner meets a large group hiking down the trail? Downhill traffic should yield, but for the solo runner impact of one person stepping off the trail is far less than a large group doing so.
However, the most important part of yielding to other traffic is to remember to always look for safe and durable surfaces to step onto!
The member-driven Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics teaches people of all ages how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly. This Leave No Trace article has been reprinted with the permission of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. For more information, visit: www.LNT.org.
You said: Or what about when an uphill runner meets a large group hiking down the trail? Downhill traffic should yield, but for the solo runner impact of one person stepping off the trail is far less than a large group doing so.
Even though it would be nice for the “one” runner to step aside. they will lose more momentum that the hiker stopping. I always remind my members to pull over for “anyone” coming up the trail!
Mr X
The clarification, Mr X is that it is much easier for the uphill solo hiker/runner to stop and pull over than to expect a large group of downhill hikers to find a place to do so. Less damage to areas just off trail.
So, it’s not just “nice”, it’s better for the trail condition and it’s just easier for a single person to deviate than it is for 10 people to do the same thing.
“aren’t we supposed to have the right of way?”, “wait, our leader is stopping”.. = confusion amongst the group.
I’m pretty sure that if the leader stops, the rest of the group isn’t going to get confused. This isn’t difficult stuff, it’s common courtesy. I’m with Mr. X. If I see a runner and I’m simply hiking, I’m going to move for the person, if only because they’re running up a mountain. If I’m on a narrow trail with a group, I’m pretty sure the group isn’t going to spread all out across the trail, they’re probably going to be single file, in which case it’s not difficult for them to move over a foot.
I hike with a large (and scary looking) dog and I always stop and step off the trail; putting myself between the trail and my dog because I don’t want anybody to be afraid of her. I have had several people thank me. Don’t ever assume that other people will love your dog as much as you do. Some people are deathly afraid of dogs and I don’t want anybody having a bad hiking experience because of my dog.
The point about the uphill runner yielding to the downhill group is based on the LNT principle “Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces.” Moving an entire group off trail one foot could have disasterous consequences if they are in a sensitive alpine environment where fragile vegetation hundreds of years old could be damaged. It’s much easier for one person to find a durable surface than a group and the potential for impact is less. As Voltaire said, common sense is not so common.
Great topic. I encountered an uphill runner this last october duing the late after sunset descent from my hike up to Lakes of the Clounds just under Mt Washington NH… Where it was on the cusp of needed a headlamp, neither on of us had yet turned our headlamps on for distance and safety of trail conditions under feet due to poor light conditions., ( thought he was a challenger trail running into the night, anyway ) I guess i had and actually felt that i had the right away, but this gentlemen was cranking and a tight spot on the trail.. i could see him visually about oh, 100 feet ahead coming up tail.. so i found a solid rock of to the side of the trail and allowed him to pass.. P>S. much to my surprise he never even thanked me.. guess he knew, i knew trail etiquette and kept his breathing, pace and kept running… so common since is always a best win-win way of life on trail.. ( night time is the right time to hike ) Thanks, Nighthiker… please say hello at my blog..
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