They say communication is key. I don’t know who they are, but they are right. Always make your intentions clear, both to your riding group and to anyone you come upon out on the trail. Start by making sure everyone in the group you are riding with has a clear understanding of the riding plans for the day (routes, stops, terrain, etc.).
Somebody a long time ago in a galaxy far far away decided hand signals would be a great idea on the trail. And they are. They are simple and effective and allow you to communicate to oncoming traffic. Know at all times how many people are in your group behind you, and when you encounter oncoming traffic simply hold up the number of fingers that equal the number of riders behind you. If you are the last in the line, hold up a fist. I can’t count the number of people I come across out riding that have no idea about this. I’ve had people wave, I’ve had them nod. I even had someone get mad I can only guess because they thought I was flipping them off? Anyway… hand signals. This is important especially on tighter trails so if your group is pulled over letting another group by you are fully aware when that group is fully past.
We equipped our UTVs with Rugged Radios so we can stay in contact with each other even if one of us loses sight of the other one. We always have a couple handheld Rugged Radios with us as well to loan to others we ride with so we can all stay in touch. This way if there is an issue within the group, or if there is an upcoming obstacle we can all be prepared and be aware of what’s going on around us at all times. If we encounter something on the trail that may be a hazard or something others should be aware of, we will typically flag down oncoming traffic and give them the heads up.
Trail Etiquette is one of those great chances to be an excellent ambassador for your activity of choice. If we all get out and are respectful of our fellow enthusiasts and follow some simple etiquette I believe we can alleviate a lot of the animosity felt between groups and if we all work together we can help keep all these areas we love open and usable for everyone. When they petition to shut down public lands, or to restrict activities, it is usually because enough people have complained about enough other people being disrespectful to others and to the land and misusing it. If we keep our public lands clean, stick to the designated trails and riding areas, and aren’t jerks to each other, or go out there with self-entitled attitudes, we will all get to enjoy our activities and we will give them less reasons to close stuff down.