• Close gates.  Unless the gate is signed open, close it.  It’s that time.
• Be cool to the livestock!  Treat them like other users, with respect.  They are ‘stressed’ by human impacts, by high speeds, and being scared. Be cool!
• Pull aside, be vocal, be friendly!  Take 30 seconds to soak up the scenery, and be the friendly user.  It goes a long way for the image of whatever your means of transport is.
• Have a bell on the bike.  The hikers love it, and you can even let wildlife and livestock know you are coming from a distance.
• Try to drive less… hike, bike, moto, or e-bike to trail/backcountry access.  Nothing says ‘impact’ like mobs of cars trying to park somewhere pretty to access something pretty.
• Just be cool, man!  Take 5 seconds, take 30 seconds, take a minute… to make sure someone else’s experience is even better. It will pay you back.

CBMBA and the CBCC are grateful to work alongside the Trampes, the Allens, the Spanns, and the other families and entities that graze and keep open space. We’re grateful for what they have created for us to enjoy.  What if we had to ‘pay to play’ out there?  They do, we don’t.  Not all of us that is…. Many of us don’t pay to drive to pristine places, access trailheads, use trails, traverse private property, traverse historic grazing areas, traverse private property, disturb wildlife corridors, have trails made, have trails cut out, have trails maintained, have bathrooms at trailheads, have maps, have access and enjoy amazing natural experiences. Remember it when you are soaking it in.  Respect ALL that are out there, we all deserve to enjoy it equally, respectfully.

The CBCC is hitting the ‘hot spots’ hard.  The ‘front country’ gets hit pretty hard in July, so we’ve been working on Tony’s, Judd Falls, Baxters, Snodgrass, Teo, 403, 401, Dyke, Block and Tackle, Lower Loop, and more.  We’ve fixed some bridges/decks, we’re parking cars in Gothic/Judd Falls on busy days, and making sure the Mountain Express busses can turn around at Judd Falls.  We’re documenting the impacts at 403, 401, and more recently, out Brush Creek. The West Brush trailhead has become the latest issue, and it’s funny that there’s a simple solution.  ‘Tent City’ just an 1/8th mile past the West Brush trailhead CAN handle those impacts, can handle that parking. Let’s park proper and ride/walk to the access – it makes a big difference.

Crews are finding the regular trash around campsites, trailheads are busy, but at capacity, and overflow parking has really only been an issue on the weekends.  Besides West Brush and Tent City, the Rustlers Gulch trailhead is the latest to become ever popular and there is not necessarily the capacity there for the amount of cars its seeing.  As shuttling is becoming easier, and bikes are getting heavier, many of these impacts are indeed mountain bikers trying to get as close as possible and shuttling rides.  We’re doing our best at CBMBA to promote less shuttling, more riding.  Part of that is in our new 5-year plan, a smaller picture of our Long Term plan.  By getting “Riders Off the Road”, we hope to encourage more parking where there is infrastructure, and riding to access the goods on a removed, non-motorized trail.  Part of that could be remedied by shuttling only with permitted outfitters, that can pick people up in Town or Mt. CB before heading out to backcountry hot spots.  Again, more pay to play stuff…