Bikers ask why they are being singled out over illegal trails1 min read

By
Jeff Bear
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A local bike owner said he believes the vast majority of mountain bikers who rent bikes from his shop are not looking to go off-trail, but they sometimes end up veering off on social trails and getting lost.
File photo/Larson Newspapers

The recent revelation the U.S. Forest Service is considering restricting mountain bikes to forest system roads and trails in the Red Rock Ranger District because of unauthorized trail-building has produced many intriguing questions.

Where are these trails and how do people know about them? Why are mountain bikers being singled out? And, what does this mean for the future of the trail system?

Unauthorized trails are generally found by users in many of the same ways forest system trails are discovered — on the Internet, through word of mouth and simply by users wandering onto them. Several websites, many with the legitimate intention of providing information to outdoor enthusiasts, have posted maps and information for Sedona area trails that are not official forest system trails.

For the full story, see the Friday, Feb. 1, edition of the Sedona Red Rock News.

Jeff Bear

Jeff Bear began his journalism career in 2003 as a graphic designer and sports reporter at the Weekly Register Call in Central City, Colorado. In 2007 he began working at the Canyon Courier in Evergreen, Colorado, as a graphic designer, but soon transferred into the editorial department where he worked as a copy editor and sport reporter under Editor Doug Bell. After a stint as a graphic designer at American Classifieds in 2009-10, Bear began working in 2011 as a copy editor at the Arizona Daily Sun, in Flagstaff. While at the Daily Sun, Bear was tapped by the late Randy Wilson to report on local sports including Northern Arizona University and Olympic medalists training in Flagstaff for the 2012 Olympics. In 2013 Bear began working at the Red Rock News in Sedona, Arizona, where he was an assistant editor and sports editor. Bear has two daughters, Angela and Jessica, with his wife Nina. He is a singer and guitarist, an avid cyclist and hiker, and enjoys camping with family and friends.

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Jeff Bear
Jeff Bear
Jeff Bear began his journalism career in 2003 as a graphic designer and sports reporter at the Weekly Register Call in Central City, Colorado. In 2007 he began working at the Canyon Courier in Evergreen, Colorado, as a graphic designer, but soon transferred into the editorial department where he worked as a copy editor and sport reporter under Editor Doug Bell. After a stint as a graphic designer at American Classifieds in 2009-10, Bear began working in 2011 as a copy editor at the Arizona Daily Sun, in Flagstaff. While at the Daily Sun, Bear was tapped by the late Randy Wilson to report on local sports including Northern Arizona University and Olympic medalists training in Flagstaff for the 2012 Olympics. In 2013 Bear began working at the Red Rock News in Sedona, Arizona, where he was an assistant editor and sports editor. Bear has two daughters, Angela and Jessica, with his wife Nina. He is a singer and guitarist, an avid cyclist and hiker, and enjoys camping with family and friends.