Last year I attended the California Trails and Greenways conference and one of the main topics of discussion centered around how to deal and avoid user conflict on trails that are becoming more and more crowded. There were many theories as to why most if not all parks in California have started seeing a monumental rise in trail users over the past 5 years. Everything from social media to the rise in popularity of mountain biking and adventure running. Whatever the reason the fact remains that there are more people on the trails than ever and form time to time there's gonna be some issues that come up.
So how do we deal with these ever increasing pressures? We become proactive, we seek to educate and we take on some responsibility for our actions. While talking with some Santa Monica mountain bike trail volunteers and CORBA members at the conference I found out that one of the tools they were using was an informational brochure about the importance of "Sharing Our Trails" that outlined what each user (hiker, biker, equestrian) could expect to encounter while out on the trail and most importantly what role they could play in avoiding conflict.
We have put these brochures in all the kiosks around the San Dieguito River Park. Please stop by, grab one, take a look and pass it on. "Let's work together to keep our trails safe and enjoyable for all."
Online information about about this program can be found here.
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