Review the information below to learn how to protect your favorite trails, forests, parks and prairies while biking.
- Before
- Before hitting the trail, check your bike and gear for vegetation, seeds, and mud. Look in tricky spots like around brake calipers, between sprockets, under your saddle, around your bottom bracket, and in the cleats of your bike shoes. If you find anything, remove it before leaving home.
- During
- Stay on the established trail and avoid muddy spots. Wandering off trail will increase your chances of picking up seeds—or mud that can carry seeds and vegetation.
- After
- Before going home, check yourself and your bike for seeds, soil, and vegetation. Clean off anything you find as best you can before leaving the trailhead. Don’t bring invasive species home. If there is something stuck in a place you can’t reach without a tool or hose, visit a car wash or a cleaning station on your way home. A clean bike not only is good for the environment, it also is good for reducing future maintenance issues. Get stoked on cleaning.
Learn about how to prevent the spread of invasive species while doing other activities on public lands.