Who Has Trail Right-of-Way: Going up or Down??

[Barbarossa]

I follow the same rule as Mad Townie... except for the speaking French part.

- Ivy

Me, too. When they speak French I tell them I am seeking the Holy Grail. They always block me after that.

 

[^MtnMike^]

I follow my rule:

Always yield. If the oncoming person/group insists that I go ahead, I do so graciously. If not, I smile and say hello as they go by.

Ditto.

^MtnMike^

 

[jbrown]

Well, I might as well add my opinion and make my "vote" count.

I always yield to the downhill hiker when I'm moving uphill, I even teach this to newbies who are hiking with me. Furthermore I get upset when people who are moving uphill do not yield to me when I'm moving downhill. (It doesn't happen often, I don't let them know about it and I get over it quickly...)

 

[Mr. X]

I say we make up rules like Whom ever is wearing TNF has the right of way etc. In the case that two are wearing TNF apparel, a Rock, Scissors, Paper contest should be able to clear things up.

 

[jfb]

I don't think about who has the right of way, too many variables and too many nice people (me included ) out there who yield regardless of whether they're going up or down. I remember one time hiking up the Ammo trail just below Gem Pool and a group of Boy Scouts was hiking down. When the lead Scout saw me he alerted the group and they all stopped, moved out of the way and let me pass. I couldn't help laughing because it all seemed so formal.

A related issue is passing slower hikers. I usually avoid crowded trails but if I'm hiking uphill at my normal pace and someone catches up to me I always move out of the way so the other person(s) can pass.

 

[ExploreTheEast]

I say we make up rules like Whom ever is wearing TNF has the right of way etc. In the case that two are wearing TNF apparel, a Rock, Scissors, Paper contest should be able to clear things up.

HaHa! On cloudy Tuesday's, hikers wearing a hat or the color blue have the right of way.

A lot of you guys have been using common courtesy as your guide, and that's great. Me? I use fear. If they look really rugged, and can probably beat me up, I step aside every time.

 

[David Metsky]

Skiing: as I understand it, the person downhill from you has the right of way, ie, it is your responsibility (and liability) to not run into someone skiing downhill from you.

That is the rule for downhill skiing at a ski area. On a woods trail where skiers are travelling in opposite directions on the same trail then the person going downhill has right of way due to speed and the stopping distances. If going up you are responsible for getting out of the way of downhill skiers, and they are responsible for skiing under control.

-dave-

 

[KayakDan]

I always yield for hikers going uphill,as I don't want to stop their momentum.
I always yield for hikers going downhill,as I don't want to stop their momentum

I always yield for hikers 'cause I can always use a break!

 

[Davehiker]

I agree with Dave M. regarding small groups vs. larger ones. Since I'm usually solo, I always yield. I also enjoy the break!

 

[JohnL]

I prefer to yield to uphill hikers because it is harder to rebuild your uphill momentum than your downhill momentum. I know when I’m cranking up a hill I don’t want anyone stopping me. I always yield to hut crew with stacked packs, women (call me old fashioned), large groups and older hikers (though at my age there seems to be so few of them lately). If someone yields to my yield, then I keep hiking and say what Mad Townie says.

JohnL

 

[Grumpy]

This discussion has been around a lot longer than the internet and VFTT . . . at least since I started hiking as a kid (more than 50 years ago -- not something I like to dwell on, but it does put things in some perspective). No doubt the discussion was going on well before that, too.

The “rule” that I’ve heard as long as I can remember is that uphill travelers have the right of way.

Darren did a nice job of explaining why that’s so, using the the case of mountain bikers to illustrate. The same “physics” applies to hikers as to bikers: It just takes more energy to get moving upslope from a standstill than it does to get moving downslope from a standstill.

Some of the commentary here has suggested that downhill travelers ought to have the right of way because they are “carrying a greater head of steam,” making it more difficult for them to stop. Of course it is inherently more difficult to stop when headed downhill, just as it is more difficult to start when headed uphill. But it also seems to me, the responsible traveler on a shared path moves under full control, which means -- includes -- being able to stop whenever necessary for the sake of one’s own safety or anyone else’s, or as a matter of courtesy.

So my sense is that if stopping while headed downhill becomes difficult to the point I can’t do it without some whoop-de-do, then I may be traveling too fast to have full control, and ought to consider slowing down.

In actual practice, it seems that uphill-downhill hikers usually work out the right-of-way business according to the circumstances of the particular moment and meeting. Pete Hickey covered this very nicely in saying, “I yield to anyone who looks like they need it.” Dave M also was very sage in observing, “. . .common sense, courtesy, and those of us who look for a chance to rest at any excuse will suffice to handle any situation that arises.”

My own practice tends in the direction of (my) yielding whenever it seems like a little break would be welcome, which is often, regardless of whether I’m ascending or descending.

Experience indicates the matter of who yields when groups are involved can be considerably more problematic than when individuals meet on the trail. And the larger the group(s) the greater the difficulty (angst?).

I was raised and have lived a lot of years as an adult believing in the notion that group rights and interests (and those of larger groups) do not necessarily trump those of the individual (or smaller groups). So my own inclination is to think that larger groups ought to make sure singles, couples or smaller groups have good opportunity to keep moving ahead when the parties meet.

This all can be resolved pretty well by each of us thinking about how our own behavior affects the other guy, and realizing that our behavior as individuals within a group can make a difference in the collective impact our party has on other hikers. Judgement informed by The Golden Rule really can make even awkward bottlenecks go with relative comfort for all concerned.

These discussion always are worthwhile. They give us reason to think about our own behavior out there.

G.

 

[Tuco]

My general rule of thumb is that when hiking alone I pretty much always offer the first right of way to everybody I meet and then proceed based on all of our judgements as to who really wants the rest the most. Usually thats me

The only thing that can affect this process is when there is no acceptable location to step out of the way (could be ice, a cliff,etc.), in which case I'll proceed.

 

[alpinista]

I always yield regardless of which direction I'm going or the other folks are going because I like to stop and smell the roses (so to speak), and because I could always use a good rest!

 

[MadRiver]

Whenever I’m hiking, with friends or solo, and I encounter another hiker or group, I immediately scan the trail for the first opportunity to step safely off the trail, rather than waiting to see who makes the first move. If they step off the trail before I reach that spot, I continue. If I reach that spot and they haven’t stopped, I then step off the trail.

 

[JeffAndrews]

The only times this seems to be a problem is when one of the groups thinks there is a rule. Otherwise people just work it out. Although I have noticed that the further you hike from a trailhead, the more polite the people you meet are.

On a sort of related topic, are there guidelines (I won't say rules) for how this should work on a large field of loose rocks , like the Abol trail? Coming down this trail I was worried that I would dislodge a rock toward the hikers coming up. And then, of course, once I got below them I was worried about them sending rocks my way. But it would have taken a long time for them to climb all the way past me. And then they'd have to wait until I was clear, which on a steep, open trail like that could be a long time even while going downhill.

 

[nartreb]

sounds like a poll topic:

Who should have the right of way?

-hikers proceeding uphill
-hikers proceeding downhill
-I always yield anyway
-whoever carries the bigger axe
-Me.

I always thought the "rule" was to yield to descenders, at least on steep sections. It's simply harder to choose your path when you're descending, so descenders have greater need for the trail to be clear in front of them.

 

[Orsonab]

All I know is that when driving on the single track roads in Scotland, the law is for downhill to yield to UPHILL traffic. Me? I insist on stopping, taking a sip of water, having a peanut, scratching my nose, wiping away sweat and yielding at every single opportunity I am afforded.

 

[imarchant]

Interesting discussion. In reality I don’t really think it makes much difference since most people are courteous enough on the trails.

I thought about this very subject, about a month ago, while descending Mt. Marcy in the rain. A group which was ascending had stopped to don their rain gear; I stopped and did the same. I was in front of a group of about equal size to theirs. As it ended up we had two groups stopped facing each other. They ended yielding to our group.

Etiquette seems to dictate, yield to the uphill traveler. Logic says yield to the person going down hill. I, for one, do not gather much momentum when traveling up hiil, so I have no problem yielding to a person or group descending. I will usually yield to a person uphill if they are making rapid progress. If there is any doubt both parties can stop and chat for a minute.

 

[spaddock]

Holy smokes, 3 pages on how to yield when hiking. Wow, perhaps we should release the "VFTT Guide to Trail Yielding." It could be put right next to the bestseller "How to S*it in the Woods".


-Shayne

 

[expat]

All sources point up

I did a Google search on hiking etiquette, and every hit that discussed the topic said that the right of way goes to the hiker moving uphill. The collaborative internet encyclopedia, Wikipedia, agreed, too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiking#Etiquette_of_hiking