Whether you’re biking the Bear Creek Greenway, walking a dog on a shared path or trying a Mount Shasta mountain bike trail for the first time, a few precautions can make the outing safer for everyone.
Southern Oregon and Mount Shasta trail advocates recommend controlling your speed, alerting people before passing and inspecting unfamiliar mountain bike features before riding them at full speed.
They also emphasize patience. Regional trails serve cyclists, runners, hikers, families, dog walkers and horseback riders — sometimes on the same routes.
Follow posted speeds on the Bear Creek Greenway
Andrew Wolf, a board member of the Rogue River Greenway Foundation, said signs along the Bear Creek Greenway ask cyclists to stay at or below 15 mph.
Wolf urged riders to control their speed, particularly when shared paths become crowded.
A bike bell offers a simple way to let people know you are approaching. Riders without one can call out “on your left” before passing.
“Some people really don’t like being yelled at from behind, but a little ding doesn’t tend to bother most people,” Wolf said.
Pedestrians and cyclists wearing headphones should consider keeping at least one ear uncovered so they can hear passing warnings and other activity around them.
Wolf said patience is especially important where the greenway passes through parks and people may gather or stop along the path.
“We kind of ask for both sides to come together,” he said. “Try and respect everybody as much as you can.”
Check whether your e-bike is allowed on the path
Wolf said high-speed electric vehicles have become a growing concern on shared paths.
Some vehicles marketed as e-bikes can reach speeds of up to 50 mph, he said, but may not qualify as legal e-bikes or be permitted on shared paths.
Wolf recommends learning the rules and following posted restrictions before riding an e-bike or other electric vehicle on a greenway.
Check the trail before riding at full speed
Mountain bikers should take a slower first pass on an unfamiliar trail, particularly one with jumps, drops or technical rock sections.
Becs Walker, a Bike Shasta board member and Southern Oregon University’s director of sustainability, recommends that riders “pre-ride” and “re-ride” difficult features before attempting them at full speed.
That means riding slowly enough to identify jumps, drops, rocks and other technical features before taking the trail at full speed.
“Mountain biking is inherently a very risky sport,” Walker said. “I’ve crashed a number of times.”
Alyssa Winkelman, a registered nurse and longtime mountain biker, said signage varies among regional trail systems. Signs may warn riders about jumps, drops and other hazards, but signage for some advanced lines in Mount Shasta’s Gateway trail network is still being determined.
Because signs vary, Winkelman recommends inspecting an unfamiliar trail before riding it at full speed.
Prepare before mountain biking alone
Beginners should consider riding with friends while learning to navigate mountain bike trails.
People who ride alone should tell someone where they are going and when they expect to return.
“If you are riding by yourself, always make sure someone knows you’re going and what your estimated timeline is,” Winkelman said.
On multiuse dirt trails, Walker said, mountain bikers should yield to hikers, horseback riders and other users.
“Being kind goes a long way,” she said. “You need to think that there are other users out there wanting to enjoy the trails as well.”
Volunteers maintain Southern Oregon and Mount Shasta trails
Regional trail organizations depend on volunteers to build and maintain routes and clear trails after windstorms.
Walker said Bike Shasta and the Mount Shasta Trail Association hold volunteer workdays, but turnout varies.
She said building and maintaining trails takes substantial work, and the organizations depend on community volunteers.
The Rogue River Greenway Foundation also relies on volunteers, donations and grants. Wolf said fundraising is especially important because many grants require local matching funds.
Rogue River Greenway could create a 50-mile connection
The Rogue River Greenway Foundation wants to build a roughly 30-mile greenway between Central Point and Grants Pass.
Combined with the existing 20-mile Bear Creek Greenway, the project could eventually make possible a roughly 50-mile route between Grants Pass and Ashland.
Wolf said the foundation hopes to create as much protected path as possible, although some portions may use road shoulders. Several sections of the proposed route have yet to be determined.
Wolf said he first experienced the value of protected paths while riding the Bear Creek Greenway as a child.
“Having those protected spaces, I think, is just so important for our young riders and for our older riders — really, for our entire community,” he said.
The foundation’s annual Ride the Rogue fundraiser is scheduled for Sept. 26.
Guests
- Andrew Wolf
- Alyssa Winkleman
- Becs Walker
