WTA Blog highlights some of the damage done.

Those of us who’ve tried to hike on ATV trails rarely repeat the experience. Even when used legally and responsibly, the machines are noisy, polluting and leave behind huge, muddy ruts in trails. I once attempted to hike the old Naches Wagon trail over Naches Pass northeast of Mount Rainier, and found myself in a mud pit–where the constant buzzing noise wasn’t from mosquitoes. ATV trails are rarely “shared” trails, and result in the de facto exclusion of hikers from areas of our mountains.

My brother had a four-wheeler that he ruined by taking up a too-steep trail and rolling it end-over-end back down the hill. He got lucky, just some cuts and scrapes. Four-wheelers remind me of the oft-cited study which says that cyclists who wear helmets actually take on more risks that outweigh the benefit of the helmet. Or, U.S. football players suffering far worse injuries since the advent of helmets, face masks and pads encouraged them to hit each other much harder. (Mind you only a fool would ride a bike or play football these days without said “protection.”)

Intuitively a four-wheeler seems safe compared to vehicles with fewer wheels — until a crash, when its bulk makes it inherently unsafe. The illusion of safety lasts until it’s too late to correct it.

I sorta wish everybody would get over the testosterone rush of going fast through the woods. It’s not good for the woods and it’s not much good for the riders, either. As I’ve said many times, even walking at a couple miles per hour is too fast to really become “of” the wilds vs. passing through them. When you stop to take pictures you miss everything that isn’t in the frame. Still, at a walking pace you absorb a lot more nature than you ever will on wheels.