Walking on one’s own two feet remains by far the most popular way for people to enjoy the Bitterroot and other National Forests in Montana. Riding off-road vehicles, on the other hand, consistently ranks at the very bottom of the list.

Those are the facts laid out by the Forest Service’s own National Visitor Use Monitoring Reports. These reports give periodic, forest-by-forest snapshots of how people enjoy their national forests. One point is clear: People visit their national forest to enjoy nature and to enjoy traditional exercise, particularly hiking and walking.They want to enjoy Nature, peace and quiet and wildlife.

In the Bitterroot 2003 report, the agency measured both the primary recreational use for visitors, and the combined use (this is where people reported more than one reason for being in the area). The top five combined recreational activities were hiking or walking, general/other, viewing natural features, viewing wildlife and downhill skiing or snowboarding (see chart). ORV use came in near last with only 3 percent participating, and 0.3 percent reporting that it was their primary activity.

There is also a national report, done in 2004. That report showed that the northern Idaho and Montana (Forest Service Region 1) had the lowest rate in the country outside Alaska for off-road vehicle use as the primary activity. In Montana, the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest was the most popular spot for off-road vehicle riders. Still, only 4 percent of visitors said ORV riding was their main reason to be in the woods. Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest 2005 figures show the top recreational activities there were hunting, viewing natural features, fishing, visiting historic sites and hiking/walking.

The bottom line is that traditional recreation like horseback riding, hunting, fishing, and hiking continue to be the most popular uses of our public lands, and those of us that wish to keep our favorite trails and spots free from dusty, noisy machines need to speak up. While some people do enjoy riding ORVs on national forests, and there are thousands of miles of roads for these folks, we should keep their numbers in perspective.

When we speak for peace and quiet, for Nature and for outdoor traditions like hiking, wildlife watching and hunting and horseback riding, we speak for the majority of Montanans.