Oct 01 2010

Should electric bikes be allowed on trails?

The Rio Grande Trail near Aspen, Colorado has recently banned electric bikes and Segways.

Segway on Glenwood Canyon Trail

It’s a sticky issue. For some people such as the elderly and disabled, electric bikes may be just the incentive to get them out exploring our wonderful U.S. trails. If used properly, electric bikes still allow the rider to get exercise while providing assistance on hills or for that last stretch when they don’t quite have the energy to finish a ride under their own pedal power.

On the other hand, allowing electric bikes on trails could also create problems that would be hard for law enforcement officers. Which types should be allowed in which areas for how long? Sometimes it’s just easier to say, no motorized vehicles, period; and leave it at that.

Personally, I’d like to see different rules on different trails, just like we currently have for equestrians, cyclists, hikers, and inline skaters. I’ve enjoyed riding a Segway on the Glenwood Canyon Trail and I’ve ridden a motorized bicycle on the Coal Creek Trail. But mostly, I prefer to ride my bike or hike on trails. I’m a big fan of peace, quiet, and a slower pace on the trails.

This sounds like a new topic for the reader’s survey in the left hand column of this blog.As soon as we’re done with the fall colors survey, you’ll get a chance to let me know what you think? Should electric bikes and Segways be allowed on our trails? (If you can’t wait for the survey, feel free to hit the comment button below and leave your comment about this topic.)

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/10/01/should-electric-bikes-be-allowed-on-trails/

Sep 29 2010

Adventure Cycling catalogue

I just received my Adventure Cycling catalogue (or is it catalog?) of 2011 tours. And I’m drooling.

Most of them are road bike tours, and that’s why I haven’t shown a lot of interest in Adventure Cycling in the past. Even their headquarters of Montana, my home state, hasn’t enticed me to sign up with them.

But now, it appears they also have trail trips including the GAP trail and the C & O Canal trail that I just finished riding. In fact, that’s what sparked my interest in Adventure Cycling again. While I was staying at the Little Orleans Lodge in Maryland, the proprietor was telling me about AC groups that had stayed at his lodge while doing their trail tour.

So now, I’m in the process of checking out their tour of the Katy Trail in Missouri. If I can work out transportation logistics to get myself and my bike to the tour staging area, I’m thinking about taking the plunge and signing up for the trip. It’ll be my first guided tour. Usually, I just do these bike trips on my own. It would be nice to forget about packing all my stuff with me and let someone else carry everything.

Usually it takes me a couple weeks to recover from one trip before I start planning another, but I think I’m already to start the wheels rollin’ again.

If any of my readers/subscribers has ever done an Adventure Cycling tour, I’d love to hear about your experience. For that matter, I’d love to hear more about the Katy Trail in MO. Drop me a line. In case you didn’t read yesterday’s post, I now have a much easier email subscription system, so be sure to sign up to receive blog updates as I post them. To leave me a comment, just click on the link below.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/09/29/adventure-cycling-catalogue/

Sep 28 2010

Sorry for the long delay…

… I just returned from my bike ride on the Great Allegheny Passage, the C & O Canal Towpath trail, and the Mount Vernon Trail.
I look forward to including information and pictures from that trip on this site.

In the meantime, I finally figured out how to offer my readers a chance to subscribe to my blog updates via email, so you can find that new gadget on the right hand side of this post as the second item down.

Please take a moment to subscribe to email updates.

Thanks.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/09/28/sorry-for-the-long-delay/

Sep 14 2010

Aspen tops the top ten fall foliage viewing areas

Autumn is my favorite time of year, and the fall foliage is one of the reasons. And just when I started to tire of viewing the autumn leaves in the same old way, I discovered the joys of seeing the golden splendor of mother nature from the perspective of a bicycle seat on lightly used trails.

autumn trails provide fall colors

I would, however, have trouble ranking fall foliage viewing areas on a top ten list. They each have their own splendor. Colorado trails tend to highlight the golden hues of aspen trees in the fall while New Hampshire trails have more of an abundance of oranges and reds. And who knows what I’ll see on Pennsylvania paths, Maryland meanderings, West Virginia trails, Virginia byways, and Washington D.C. bikeways next week?

Very few people would argue that September and October are two of the best times to take a hike on a local path or to ride your bike on one of America’s beautiful trails. The weather is usually great, the trails less crowded, and, of course, the foliage viewing is wonderful.

So check out the latest top ten fall foliage viewing list and then choose your favorite leaf-looking regions. But try it from the vantage point of  a trail this year. You’ll be glad you did.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/09/14/aspen-tops-the-top-ten-fall-foliage-viewing-areas/

Sep 13 2010

Trail Guides now available at Everytrail Guides

In my blog post a couple days ago, I mentioned the Everytrail guide for the Mineral Belt Loop trail in Leadville, Colorado. Here’s my official (we don’t need no stinkin’) badge for the four trails I’ve mapped so far:

I’m on EveryTrail: Map Your Trips

Trailking
4 guides
see my profile

Recent guides by Trailking

Check out EveryTrail mobile travel guides

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/09/13/trail-guides-now-available-at-everytrail-guides/

Sep 12 2010

trailsnet book of trail photos

Over the years, I’ve had the good fortune to ride some marvelous trails throughout the country. This photo book has a collection of pictures from some of these trails:

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/09/12/trailsnet-book-of-trail-photos/