Notes from yesterday's Almaden Quicksilver hike
Hikers and cyclists and equestrians share this park – for the most part without problems. However, a few yahoos (photos at right) have started riding down (always down!) trails that are closed to cyclists. This is becoming a particular problem on the Prospect #3 trail. Obvious signs at both ends of the trail prohibit cyclists. There are several very muddy sections on this trail and cyclists really tear up these areas (see photo). Although the majority of cyclists respect the “No Bikes” signs, the small number who don’t have already caused serious damage this winter. Now a few of them are even riding off the trail and damaging the surrounding terrain.
I’ve written here in the past about my conflicted feelings about cyclists and hikers on the trail. I have been a cyclist for many years – on the road and on the trail. I own a road bike, a touring bike, and a mountain bike. I have ridden my mountain bike at Almaden Quicksilver. The summer before last I rode 1100 miles on a three-week tour though the Yukon and Alaska. So, I’m not a rabid anti-cyclist hiker. When I’m hiking I find that cyclists can be an intrusion. When I ride my mountain bike I feel like hikers can project a holier-than-thou attitude. I’ve been guilty of both.
But there is no excuse for riding on illegal trails when there are obvious signs prohibiting cyclists and there are plainly obvious trail conditions that argue for the prohibition and there are tons of other trials open to cyclists in this park and there are dangers when quickly descending cyclists on a twisting, narrow trail encounter ascending hikers and equestrians and other trail users are not expecting to encounter cyclists and when outlaw behavior by a few cyclists saddles all cyclists with a bad reputation and endangers our legal use of mountain bike trails.
***I hike at this park almost weekly
– (see photos below) and most often start at the Hacienda parking lot and head up the Mine Hill trail or the English Camp trail to do one or another loop out along the main ridge.
Yesterday I started at the Mockingbird Hill entrance and did a loop that I don’t do quite as often. Basically, I traverse right to the Prospect #3 trail on a footpath (rather than fire road) through a series of shaded valleys and grassy, oak-forested ridges, then ascend to the highest ridge and follow the trail to English Camp. I descend the Mine Hill Trail to the junction with the trail back to Mockingbird Hill, which follows a ridge before descending steeply. (More info on my Trails page.)
About halfway between Mockingbird Hill and Prospect #3 I ran into a couple of friendly guys going the other way on the trail. As I often do, I asked about the trail ahead. I ask partly to get information about the trail, but the nature of the answer can also give me an idea of how much credence to give the trail information provided. They suggested a trail splitting off from the main trail I was following. It looked interesting but they couldn’t explain to me where it came out. (I guess it may come out somewhere on the Randol Trail, but I’ll have to follow it some time to make sure.)
I don’t know if I was looking especially incompetent or what, but they seemed concerned that I might get lost… ;-) To reassure them I described the route I was following and the other trails that I could connect to make a loop back to where I started. Their replies struck me as a bit humorous. “You mean you parked your car at Mockingbird Hill and just started walking!?” Well, yes. “Wow, that loop must take, like, three hours!” Yes, again.
Actually, I was thinking that a three-hour loop was not quite long enough… ;-)
—–
February 1, 2004 -
Posted by gdanmitchell |
Commentary
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Dan's Outside 
Notes from yesterday's Almaden Quicksilver hike
Hikers and cyclists and equestrians share this park – for the most part without problems. However, a few yahoos (photos at right) have started riding down (always down!) trails that are closed to cyclists. This is becoming a particular problem on the Prospect #3 trail. Obvious signs at both ends of the trail prohibit cyclists. There are several very muddy sections on this trail and cyclists really tear up these areas (see photo). Although the majority of cyclists respect the “No Bikes” signs, the small number who don’t have already caused serious damage this winter. Now a few of them are even riding off the trail and damaging the surrounding terrain.
I’ve written here in the past about my conflicted feelings about cyclists and hikers on the trail. I have been a cyclist for many years – on the road and on the trail. I own a road bike, a touring bike, and a mountain bike. I have ridden my mountain bike at Almaden Quicksilver. The summer before last I rode 1100 miles on a three-week tour though the Yukon and Alaska. So, I’m not a rabid anti-cyclist hiker. When I’m hiking I find that cyclists can be an intrusion. When I ride my mountain bike I feel like hikers can project a holier-than-thou attitude. I’ve been guilty of both.
But there is no excuse for riding on illegal trails when there are obvious signs prohibiting cyclists and there are plainly obvious trail conditions that argue for the prohibition and there are tons of other trials open to cyclists in this park and there are dangers when quickly descending cyclists on a twisting, narrow trail encounter ascending hikers and equestrians and other trail users are not expecting to encounter cyclists and when outlaw behavior by a few cyclists saddles all cyclists with a bad reputation and endangers our legal use of mountain bike trails.
***I hike at this park almost weekly
– (see photos below) and most often start at the Hacienda parking lot and head up the Mine Hill trail or the English Camp trail to do one or another loop out along the main ridge.
Yesterday I started at the Mockingbird Hill entrance and did a loop that I don’t do quite as often. Basically, I traverse right to the Prospect #3 trail on a footpath (rather than fire road) through a series of shaded valleys and grassy, oak-forested ridges, then ascend to the highest ridge and follow the trail to English Camp. I descend the Mine Hill Trail to the junction with the trail back to Mockingbird Hill, which follows a ridge before descending steeply. (More info on my Trails page.)
About halfway between Mockingbird Hill and Prospect #3 I ran into a couple of friendly guys going the other way on the trail. As I often do, I asked about the trail ahead. I ask partly to get information about the trail, but the nature of the answer can also give me an idea of how much credence to give the trail information provided. They suggested a trail splitting off from the main trail I was following. It looked interesting but they couldn’t explain to me where it came out. (I guess it may come out somewhere on the Randol Trail, but I’ll have to follow it some time to make sure.)
I don’t know if I was looking especially incompetent or what, but they seemed concerned that I might get lost… ;-) To reassure them I described the route I was following and the other trails that I could connect to make a loop back to where I started. Their replies struck me as a bit humorous. “You mean you parked your car at Mockingbird Hill and just started walking!?” Well, yes. “Wow, that loop must take, like, three hours!” Yes, again.
Actually, I was thinking that a three-hour loop was not quite long enough… ;-)
—–
Share this:
Related
February 1, 2004 - Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary