Right of way
1. Mountain bikers- Down hill always yields to uphill riders. It is far easier to stop a downhill descent. Make room for the uphill rider and continue after they have passed. Watch out for beginners on the trail who might not know the right-of-way etiquette. Try and make room so they can keep their concentration and not fall. Give a friendly reminder of the uphill right-of-way. If you come up on a slower rider make sure they are aware of you and call out, "trail", or "on your left" which means the faster rider is passing on the left.
2. Hikers-Mountain bikers always yields to hikers. Do NOT fly by and scare hikers!! If you see hikers, slowly come to a controlled stop (no skid), put outside foot down off of the trail and lean away so the hikers can pass. Nine times out of ten, hikers will see you coming and step off of the trail to let you pass. A good rule of thumb is say, "hello" and let them know how many bikers are behind you. Let's keep everyone happy on our trails. We don't want a bad reputation of crazy mountain bikers.
3. Equestrian (horse)- Mountain bikers yield to equestrian riders as well. You might encounter a Bowen Ranch hand on horseback on our trails. Be very cautious and courteous with horseback riders. You can spook the animal causing it to try and throw the rider off, and hurt them-self. As soon as you see a horse, make a controlled stop at distance and proceed to get off of your bike and communicate with the rider. If there is room, step off of the trail with your bike and allow the rider to pass. If there is no room, you must search for a spot that allows safe passage to the riders.
4. Wildlife (cattle mainly)- Treat cattle just as you would a horse. Get off of your bike and walk slowly. Do not spook the animals as this can cause them to hurt themselves. We have a great relationship with Bowen Ranch and our top priority is the safety of our riders as well as all the animals. (note: the picture above was taken on Sotol forest)
2. Hikers-Mountain bikers always yields to hikers. Do NOT fly by and scare hikers!! If you see hikers, slowly come to a controlled stop (no skid), put outside foot down off of the trail and lean away so the hikers can pass. Nine times out of ten, hikers will see you coming and step off of the trail to let you pass. A good rule of thumb is say, "hello" and let them know how many bikers are behind you. Let's keep everyone happy on our trails. We don't want a bad reputation of crazy mountain bikers.
3. Equestrian (horse)- Mountain bikers yield to equestrian riders as well. You might encounter a Bowen Ranch hand on horseback on our trails. Be very cautious and courteous with horseback riders. You can spook the animal causing it to try and throw the rider off, and hurt them-self. As soon as you see a horse, make a controlled stop at distance and proceed to get off of your bike and communicate with the rider. If there is room, step off of the trail with your bike and allow the rider to pass. If there is no room, you must search for a spot that allows safe passage to the riders.
4. Wildlife (cattle mainly)- Treat cattle just as you would a horse. Get off of your bike and walk slowly. Do not spook the animals as this can cause them to hurt themselves. We have a great relationship with Bowen Ranch and our top priority is the safety of our riders as well as all the animals. (note: the picture above was taken on Sotol forest)
Trash on the trails
If you pack it in, pack it out. If you see trash, pick it up. There are trash cans at all trail heads. We should all do our part in keeping the trails clean.
dog poo
If you take your dog on the trails, please remember to pick up after it. If for some reason you forget to bring a bag to properly dispose of the waste, please kick it off the trail. Leaving the waste in a bag is far worse than simply kicking it off the trail. Please be courteous and mindful of others as we are not the only one's using the trails.