Working With Other Trail User Groups - Hoof And Tire Unite In Michigan

Mountain BIking Success Stories

IMBA Trail News
Volume 16, Number 2
Early Summer 2003

Mountain bikers and equestrians are often at odds when it comes to trail access. Lack of communication between the two groups escalates tensions. One such conflict came to a head in Michigan in the late 1990s at Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, a popular mountain biking and horseback riding destination about an hour from metro Detroit.

"It was an ugly, ugly situation," said Michigan Mountain Bike Association executive director Todd Scott. "More than 600 folks attended a meeting to discuss the problem, and things were hostile. Equestrians argued that they were losing trails they had ridden for decades. Mountain bikers were worried that they would simply have no place to ride if Pontiac Lake was deemed off-limits."

The land management agency of the park, Michigan's Department of Natural Resources, wasn't sure what to do with the two battling groups. They didn't want to close trails, but they also needed local mountain bikers and equestrians to shape a truce. The DNR presented a challenge to both groups: get along or lose trails.

As a result, leaders from the IMBA-affiliated Michigan Mountain Bike Association and the Michigan Horse Council sat down to discuss solutions. It was a landmark moment. The two groups had agreed to disagree for as long as anyone could remember, yet by actually talking face-to-face they were able to create some remarkable strategies.

First, the two groups agreed that the volume of traffic on the Pontiac Lake trails made a shared-use system challenging. They concluded that the ideal situation would be separate loops for mountain bikers and equestrians. To retain a stacked loop system for bikes and to eliminate problem intersections, miles of new trail would need to be constructed during the coming years.

With help from the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew, Michigan Mountain Bike Association and the Michigan Horse Council, volunteers worked together to build new trails that added to the existing network.

Cynics might say that the two groups never really got along until they agreed to use different trails. Todd Scott disagrees, saying, "Given the high volume of users on these trails, we decided that separate use was the best solution. But the real key was just opening the lines of communication. They understand what we want now, and we're more educated to their needs."

More Success Stories:
Working With Other Trail User Groups

Carson City, Nevada: IMBA club Reno Wheelman use Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew to teach trailbuilding techniques to hiking groups. More info:

Columbus, Ohio: Mountain bike club works with equestrians and hikers to create Ohio Trails Partnership. More info: