Mike

True we are not regular riders of Big River, but that particular trail had been shown to my wife a week previous by the leader of the woman’s NEMBA group, complete with signed waivers. I guess we must have just hit the wrong day.

Really though, my point was, I have been experiencing a LOT of ATV & motorcycles on many of the trails, not just Big River. Several of them, such as Weetamoo, do have signs posted against motorized vehicles entering the trails. However, it was that particular ride in Big River that shook us to the core that I used to drive my point home.

Mike

I’d like to point out a few things about Big River. One, until very recently, mountain bikes were equally as illegal as motorcycles with the exception of the fire roads. And to this day, mountain bikes are not supposed to be on the property after dark, but we still do. The whole point about them “not supposed to be on the trails” is weakened in this light.

Two, those banked turns & “whup-DE-do bumps” that were so enjoyable to the author… where does he think they came from? They are created naturally by the action of motorized offroad vehicles.

Three, while hopefully this may change, currently Big River is completely lacking in trail signage or blazing. For someone unfamiliar with the property, attempting to navigate by trail map is almost an exercise in futility. You will not experience the best Big River has to offer the mountain biker. My familiarity, gained over years of repeated visits, perhaps explains why I have so few encounters with motorcyclists – I know where to ride; the author apparently does not. In addition, motorcyclists favor a different type of trail than we do. Case in point is over on the western side of Burnt Sawmill Rd, the area we’ve informally nicknamed “Piney”. A mountain biker who accidentally chooses a motorcycle trail is going to be rapidly ground into submission by the nature of their trails, which feature steep and frequent elevation changes, the sort of thing we can barely manage in our smallest granny gear, over and over and over.

Summing the above points, Big River should be considered a bit “wild”; not necessarily from the perspective of unspoiled wilderness, but from the perspective of the range of encounters and experiences you might have there. I am going to say it is not a great place to bring a pregnant woman.

How about a little tow-in action while we are there!