Cattle Guards for Off-Highway Vehicle Trails

Introduction

One of the greatest sources of contention between recreationists and livestock permittees as trail use increases is gates. Gates are left open, allowing livestock to roam in places where they shouldn't. While the cows don't mind, ranchers, recreationists, and agency managers certainly do.

With dirt bike, all-terrain vehicle (ATV), and mountain bike traffic on the rise, trail managers have identified the need to evaluate small cattle guards that offer an alternative to gates.

Kent Traveller, from the Dixie National Forest, asked the Missoula Technology and Development Center (MTDC) to evaluate and document designs for trail cattle guards that work. The cattle guards would be suitable for trails used by ATV's, motorcycles, mountain bikes, and hikers. They would need to be lightweight and easy to install, particularly when compared with the massive cattle guards used on roads.

MTDC found four trail cattle guard designs that were doing the job on several National Forests. Three are steel, or a combination of steel and wood. Another is made entirely of wood. We decided to show you all four. Differences in design, fabrication, and installation could make any one of the four the top choice for your installation.

These designs were developed on the Deschutes, Caribou, Deerlodge, and Challis National Forests. We heard about others, but were unable to obtain documentation in time to include them. We modified the designs slightly in some instances to make them stronger or easier to fabricate and so they would be wide enough to accommodate the larger ATV's now being sold.