Ask Me Anything: Bikes on Trails? Why or Why Not?

by Tammy Wright

A couple weeks ago, we had a huge cyclocross event in Iowa City, with cyclists from all over coming together to compete in pro and amateur races. What is cyclocross and what does it have to do with Bur Oak Land Trust, you ask?

Cyclocross is a combination of off-road and pavement bicycle racing – with possible travel through water and up or down steep hills where carrying the bike may be needed. Both the riders and the course become more muddy and eroded as the event progresses. This is an extremely quick example of the impact bike activity can have on the landscape.

Due to the natural qualities of our properties and small budget for trail maintenance, Bur Oak Land Trust asks cyclists to park bicycles at a property entrances and enjoy the land on foot. Many of our soils are susceptible to erosion, especially woodland soils. Bikes can and do create small depressions and damage to wet or bare areas, and when these areas are subject to large overland flows of water, rill erosion starts. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard the phrase water always wins (think of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon), but once a small rill forms, a larger gully will soon follow before we have time to address the problem. Although those Grand Canyon views are spectacular and breathtaking, we know how important it is to keep erosion from starting.

Thank you for respecting this decision to limit traffic to foot traffic only – and we’ll see you out on the trail!