Someone, or a small group (of likely STRAVA riders) has been doing some destruction of plants and wildlife habitat on TEoTE in MTRP. They have been clear cutting brush and bushes to make the trail more open and faster, leaving the cuttings laying as a fire hazard. This needs to stop. If anyone knows who is doing this, please get word to them, as this will cause trail closure. The trail is a two-way trail and should not be ridden downhill at speeds that require a longer line of sight than what was there. The original builders were very careful to not harm the vegetation and make the trail sustainable. This kind of wholesale cutting and breaking of the brush serves no useful purpose to anyone other than the selfish downhiller racers who did it, and gives the MTB community a bad name with other trail users. If the park rangers find out, we may no longer have access to the trail.

(topic split off from "trail work" thread by member request - ODD)

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Tall Bike - the natural high.

Sounds fucked up. I don't know anyone dense enough to take their DH bike out there to MTRP. If you can put up a map to show the area you are talking about, it would be helpful. We usually just ride our XC bikes out there. We don't dig on any trails that are patrolled by rangers, only private land. We cannot afford the cost of doing something illegal.
If you have noticed this, I think you might be the better person to find out who it is and have it stop. Many of us don't ride MTRP enough to know what has changed from the last time we rode there. Everyone I ride with only ride there once every 2-4 months.
Also, the rangers have been closing trails off in the area. It could be them.
You do know they are putting a power plant in mission trials right?

^^^ Teote is the top of the first single track trail on the left as you head north up Spring Canyon. This area is technically outside of MTRP although it will eventually be incorporated into the park. The plant destruction he is complaining of is definitely not being done by rangers and is not part of any trail closures.

As for the proposed power plant, it's not so clear what its future will be. The proponents lost round one, but apparently they have not given up the fight.

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A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

(edit- thanks for the changes mtbTB)

all of the spring trails have undergone some sanitizing the past couple of yrs, and i couldn't agree more, it needs to stop before it becomes a winding fire-road.

teote is a switchback trail, not much dh going on there. but i'll bet, like so many other places recently, you may just find a clue from strava. stavidiots stravtize trails to make faster times and become kom in their own inglorious minds. check their web site and the peeps posting times up there. like i said, you may find some clues. hope so. good luck.


btw- this is an important issue. perhaps that moderators can start it as a new thread.
edit-thank you dan.

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Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

Might be better to discuss it off line or in another area. It's the interwebs and everyone has googlefoo.
Even those that like to close trail access and looking for reasons to do so.

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You never know what tomorrow will bring so go ride your EBike today or walk your pooch
Fear the Yeti
"Go ride your bike today, don't let the old man in.."

Mike

Yup, I have never ridden Spring Canyon and don't know where it is, but I have ridden Sycamore Canyon on my XC bike and Spring must be close by. It could be as jSatch said, someone on strava, like the work done in tunnels to clear rock and such.
For downhillers, a trail that is less than 1 mile long and not steep downhill is not worth dragging a bike out to and then pushing up to the top.
Everyone that rides in the area should keep an eye open and look for people who may be doing the damage and tell them to stop. Or put up a sign that says to not alter the trail and that cameras have been setup looking for those responsible.

Also, next time anyone is riding in the area, take photos and post them up so we can see what's been done.

gallery/pic.php?mode=large&pic_id=7804
This is a photo taken Feb 2nd 2013. Someone is hacking the brush to waist level and in some cases to the ground about 5 feet out on each side of the trail. Notice the pink flagging woven into the rocks to help define the trail edge. This is trashy in my mind. I'm all for trail maintenance but this is way over the top. The two biggest gripes I have with this is 1) the fact they are snapping the branches off which is leaving sharp ends that are dangerous and 2) they are leaving all the debris dangling in the bushes to dry and make the trail ugly and also leaving branches scattered on the trail to be sucked into your drive train. OK that might be three peeve’s. Since this picture there has been much more destruction. PLEASE STOP!

Yup, doesn't look steep enough for DH riding. I was actually hoping for it to be super steep so we could have a hidden DH trail. Do what aqua used to do, leave a note for who ever is doing the damage. Good luck.

I saw it today too. There was some minor brush cuts on Mr. Toads too, but not to the extent of what was done on L1. Basically, all of the blind corners are no longer blind. Pretty lame as that was what made that trail fun. Just plain selfish...

I would like to add my own righteously indignant rant about trail sanitization to this thread, but I'm too tired after today's unexpectedly hot ride. Which also featured a formerly excellent trail that has been significantly dumbed down to some selfish bastard's idea of a "better" trail. Goddam Stravidiots! If someone like me can now ace the rocky sections, it is too dam easy!! Jeez, don't you want to have something to look forward to riding cleanly when your mad skills get even better?!! Ooh...I'm starting to rant after all...so let me offer up a simple rule of thumb: Do NOT remove embedded rocks from an established trail!!!! Oh, I can't stop now...and don't turn a technical two foot wide single track into a twelve foot wide scar by attempting to create a go-around. And then, when your go around is crap, tearing out the rocks in the original section. I don't object to an Easy/ Hard option, but now it's an Easy/Easy section. Okay, now I am tired...into the hammock I go.

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Thus, if we are to understand the world, we should live somewhere between judgement and amazement — Alfredo Lopez Austin

We're all preaching to the choir here. Looks/sounds like over zealous brushing to me. Only 'cure' is to speak directly to whoever is doing this and try to explain the error of their ways.
Definitely not DHers. If that were the case, the trail brushing/cutting would proceed directly down a fall line and not parallel existing trail.
Singletrack is good!

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It is not enough to fight for the West; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still here. -Edward Abbey

There's no good place to brush like that, but where they did it is an exceptionally stupid spot -- no real advantage is gained by creating a longer sight line at that point of the trail. Farther down is at least one blind corner where a descending rider is probably traveling at close to 20 mph -- there it might have made sense. I'm expecting to see a good accident at that spot on the trail one of these days (there and most of the length of 3B, but that's fodder for another thread).

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A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

man, that is butt-fugly.

so far no reports on any sightings at either spring canyon or calavera (as per olddogdan)?

not sure anyone here would do that abuse, so posting here may not be effective. but if we all ask around when you see people on the trails, if they saw anything or anybody. sometimes tools are stashed in the bushes (what's left of them). keep a lookout.


(from caveman of drunkcyclist.com)

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Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

I noticed the pink tape out there the other night when a few of us were riding up. I figured it was marked for a strava race. You shouldn't always blame down hill riders so quickly... Pretty sure your trail bike can go fast too.

....IT WAS THE HIKERS....