Officials say wire barriers on public trails could injure OHV riders

After finding multiple booby traps that were apparently set on a public trail to injure dirt bike or ATV riders, officials in southwestern Colorado say they are trying to catch “the loser” responsible. Local law enforcement has partnered with the U.S. Forest Service to investigate two wire booby traps, which were found on the Wilson Mesa Trail near Telluride in early July, shortly after the trail opened to motorcycles. On Friday, the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office increased the cash reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest from $500 to $1,000.

“This despicable act is a serious threat to the public safety of our community,” Sheriff Bill Masters said. “We are conducting a thorough investigation to apprehend this loser. In the meantime, we cannot stress enough the need to have situational awareness when recreating in this area.”

As a precaution, the USFS closed the Wilson Mesa Trail on Friday. It is unclear whether the closure is temporary or indefinite, but the agency says the trail will remain closed to all users while law enforcement investigates the incident. In a Facebook postThe SMCSO referred to the setting of the booby traps as “an act of random violence.” The sheriff’s office says the first wire was reported on July 2 and promptly removed by officers. By then, however, it had already caused at least one injury, according to multiple users who commented on the SMCSO’s social media page.

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“There is an 18-year-old man with two broken ribs who can confirm that the intent was to injure,” one commenter wrote.

The second wire was discovered on the evening of July 10 by a local motocross rider who was filming video at the time. (Another commentator noted that the rider must have had his camera on, because it was his son who hit the first wire, breaking two of his ribs.) That wire was miles away, but on the same trail, the SMCSO said.

In both cases the wires were stretched between two trees the public multifunctional pathwhich is only open to motorcycles between July 1 and Labor Day. Because of the height at which the two wires were strung, SMCSO officials say they were “clearly designed to cause serious injury to motorcyclists or other recreational users.” Either wire could easily have decapitated a dirt bike or ATV rider traveling at high speeds.

In response to SMCSO’s post about the booby traps, members of the local dirt bike community expressed their shock at the apparent murderous act. Some speculated about possible suspects, citing the tensions that exist on public lands between OHV users and the diehard wilderness activists who are fiercely opposed to motor vehicle use on USFS lands. These speculations are unfounded, and SMCSCO Lieutenant Masters tells Outdoor living that he cannot speak about the ongoing investigation.

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However, tensions between these user groups have led to other incidents, and similar booby traps have been found on trails in Colorado before. In 2019, the USFS launched an investigation in the Pike National Forest, where another wire was found between two trees at the neck of a rider. Speaking to CBS News about the research, Scott Jones of the Colorado Off Highway Vehicle Coalition said he has found other booby traps — obstacles such as spike strips and hidden holes in the ground — that were clearly placed on trails to injure or deter motorists.