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Techniques and Equipment for Wilderness Travel with Stock

Techniques for Wilderness Travel with Stock (continued)

Many trail users are unfamiliar with stock. If stock users politely inform other trail users of their concerns, user conflicts may be reduced. Hikers should yield to stock traffic, but not all of them know this. When encountering hikers who are unfamiliar with stock, ask them to stand on the downhill side of the trail and wait quietly for the stock to pass. If stock spooks, standing downhill will encourage them to go uphill and lessen the chance of an accident.

Hikers waiting downhill while packstring passes.

Although bicycles are not allowed in designated wilderness, often trails leading to the wilderness boundary are open to bicycles. Bicyclists also should yield the right of way, although many of them don’t know this. When bicyclists approach from ahead of the stock user, the stock user can ask the bicyclist to stand on the downhill side of the trail, talk quietly to the stock so the animals can tell they are a human, and wait until the last animal has passed well beyond them before continuing on. However, it is difficult for a bicyclist to warn stock users as they approach from the rear.

A packstring passing a mountain bicyclist.

Llamas and their handlers should also yield the trail to horse and mule traffic by standing on the downhill side of the trail.

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