This entry is an attempt to correct an earlier entry regarding the use of Snow Bikes at the Chicken Creek Cross Country Ski Area on the groomed trails.
The earlier entry stated the bikes were not allowed. Since then I have received a clarification from the Forest Service, and I will mostly just cut and paste here so I don't change the meaning. This is from an email received today from Chris Bouton of the Dolores Ranger District. Here goes...
"Snow bike use is not prohibited at the Chicken Creek Ski area. We would like to encourage bike users to utilize other groomed routes in the area such as the West Mancos road or the Echo Basin road and are open to discussing the issue more.
Chris can be reached at 970-882-6831.
So that is the official position. I would like to add a few unofficial thoughts into the mix as well:
This is a new issue for us and we're trying to get our minds around it. Common sense probably ought to enter into the equation as some point. If the bikes are doing disproportionate damage to the track there will most likely be a backlash. When the trails are super firm, as they are today, there is really not much of an issue. When things warm up and the snow gets slushy, it will be a different story. Trail courtesy (safety) and respect for the trail conditions may go a long way in making this work out for snow bikes in the long run. We have very limited manpower (and machine power at present) with which to groom the trails. Snow biking looks fun, and I bet it is. So I'm asking all parties to exercise courtesy and common sense when exercising their bodies out there on the trails.
Feel free to share your thoughts with comments here on the blog as we enter uncharted territory. See you on the trail...
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