Spring can be a hard time to be a local in Central Oregon. We all want to ride the trails, but the trails might not be ready for us. When the trails are soft with mud, ruts are created when we ride and these ruts stay around all summer long.
COTA (Central Oregon Trail Alliance) has a great article on the etiquette of riding in Spring. We invite you to check it out and make sure you ride the right places this time of year:
Potentially muddy trails are well signed, but not closed. COTA does not have the authority to “close” trails, but we do appreciate those who heed the mud warnings. Below are some pictures of the kind of impact caused by riding in soft, muddy conditions. These ruts will last throughout the summer. When the trails dry out later in the year, the ruts will set up like pavement. There is no way to fix this hard rutted condition except PREVENTION!
Thanks as always for your cooperation, please spread the (gospel) word of mud etiquette in Central Oregon. For further reading, please consult this article:
The Etiquette of Mud in Central Oregon.
