hypothetical
let's say you're riding your mtn bicycle somewhere in Penn's Woods and you make a wrong turn and end up on one of the dozen or so PA Hiking Trails....
Anybody know what the actual penalty is if you bump into a grumpy DCNR type person while riding on said trail?
I've searched the PA Code and can't really find anything that relates to violating a 'foot travel' only declaration.
Anyone?
15 comments:
Handova the two beers in the backpacks my bitches and gitcha' ass outta here! Folla the white blazes, theys the fastest!
Sorry,...Just Kidding.
grumpy dcnr-type, grumpy trail conference type, grumpy kta type, grumpy pgc-type, or grumpy national park service type?
on or off state forest?
orange and blue type blazes, stae forest, not federal....
Wow, there sure are a lot of grumpy types out there.
Would be a nice answer to have. Hope someone can provide it?
tom,
i'd like to know the same thing. i've researched that many times and cannot come up with an answer. there's only a couple of pieces of the state propaganda that mention, in passing, not biking on "designated state hiking trails."
5 or 6 years ago a dcnr employee told me that he had signs all ready to put up on that blue blazed trail you may have recently seen, as soon as he got the "go ahead" prohibiting bikes. i've not seen any signs yet.
years ago, on a sourbeer ride we got stopped by a ranger for riding trails in the state park. he just took our names and told us not to do it again.
i've taken the position of "don't ask/don't tell" and i'll worry about it if and when it happens.
after all that rambling, i know i didn't answer the question, so i'd also like to hear if someone knows anything about this.
ray
...Been yelled at a few times by park rangers in hills creek and colton point state parks and they just told me to leave.
I routinely made weekends out of hike-riding black forest, quehanna and susquehannock trail systems...never had an ounce of friction.
but I can't really answer your question.
In PA, I always rode with the assumption that I could talk or ride my way out of any ranger encounter and that no one would really care anyway since the northern forests are so low use...and I was usually solo. The PA state folks strike me as alot more relaxed than federal agencies, esp w/r high use areas.
jk, yeah that's pretty much the approach I've always followed. Just curious if there's an actual 'penalty' that anyone knows of. From my research (looking at trip report pics online), all of the trail signage up there that I've seen indicates no horses, but no markings about no bikes are present...
ray, yeah, saw no signage up on that ridge last Sunday and actually bumped into an old fella that's been "hiking these trails for 40 years." We were the first bikes he's ever seen up there, told us we weren't 'wrapped right.' We agreed.
lol...i've been riding the TT for the last 18 years and the only folks i've ever seen on it are hunters and lenny cole & his buddies hiking one time.
i rode the section between phoenix & cowpens on sunday and didn't see signs of anyone.
ha! that's funny, thought it looked like there was a faint set of tracks in front of us. Missed you again, just like last year. We hit TT from the northern power line/Meadow Rd to 3square, then College from north to south, over to Ant Hill from south to north and finished down along the creek....where were you parked? we were at the pioneer cemetary.
i was parked at the dugout by the eastern powerline just above sheriff trail/meadows rd. on laurel run.
took the dogs & the ss for a short 10 mileish ride.
went up meadows rd. and then up bill miller. picked up a new trail we call PHC going west to the phoenix haul road, up phoenix trail, TT west to cowpens, anthill north to middleridge to turbett to sheriff.
dogs love ending in a creek.
saw your tracks on anthill & sheriff.
§ 21.80. Trespass.
(a) A person who violates this chapter or disregards instructions or warnings given by a State Forest officer or interferes with a State Forest officer in the performance of the duties of the officer may be ordered to leave State Forest land.
(b) A person who refuses to leave State Forest land, after receiving an order to leave from a State Forest officer, commits an act of criminal trespass under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3503(b) (relating to criminal trespass).
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/general.aspx
worst case . . . still looking.
it looks like, as with everything in PA, it's convoluted. the trail can be posted or designated "no bikes" so the Man can tell you to get off the trail. then, if you don't listen to the Man, you can be cited for criminal trespass because you didn't listen to the Man. seems to me that the Man has to be mighty grumpy or the prole has to be a major a$$ for this to happen.
anyone find anything else?
you hate freedom !
Brett - you da man! Bottom line, if it ain't ritten, their ain't no penalty. And when you can't find anything, its highly likely there ain't anything ritten. There ARE no rules that state what happens if you violate no-bikes on state forest trails/roads, other than what Brett found and he's right...it'll take a mighty grumpy DCNR official to press criminal charges.
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