Can you imagine? You’re cruising along on your motorcycle, riding a beautiful, remote single track trail high in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, and out of nowhere, there’s wire strung between two trees, put there with the intention of taking your life. 

Crazy, right? But that’s just what’s been happening on a popular trail just outside Telluride. To date authorities have twice removed heavy gauge wire strung across the Wilson Mesa Trail at kill height, once after a dirt bike rider was injured and then days later, when another rider out on the trail at night was saved when his headlight beam reflected off a second snare, allowing him to stop in time.

The latter incident was caught on video showing just how dangerous this type of situation is for an unsuspecting rider. Of course everyone from trail users to San Miguel County Sheriff Bill Masters are enraged: “This despicable act is a severe public safety threat to our community,” said Masters in an official statement posted to the Sheriff Office’s Facebook page. “We are engaged in a rigorous investigation to catch this loser.” 

Another post on the The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests Service Facebook page went on to describe how the wires were deliberately strung across the Wilson Mesa Trail between National Forest System Roads #645 and #623. “These wires are often difficult to see, especially at high speeds or in low light conditions, making them extremely dangerous.” 

No kidding. This is any rider’s worst nightmare. We’ve all heard stories about life changing injuries and even deaths, including by decapitation, caused by unseen fence chains and braided cables, and yes, sometimes traps intentionally placed by crazy environmentalists or disgruntled neighbors and landowners. 

This isn’t a new problem for Colorado, as tensions between user groups on trails like Wilson Mesa, which is open to hikers, horses, bicycles and motorcycles, have led to other incidents, such as a situation in 2019 when the USFS investigated wire strung between two trees at rider’s neck height in the Pike National Forest. In relation to that incident, Scott Jones, Vice President of the Colorado Off Highway Vehicle Coalition said he’d found other booby traps on trails, including spike strips and disguised holes in the ground that were clearly placed on trails to injure motorists. 

The video of the found wire on Wilson Mesa trail is terrifying, and we’re happy to see the Sheriff’s office taking the threat seriously, though the current reward of $1,000 seems paltry for the severity of the crime. Worse, the most recent post on the matter from the USFS in charge of the area announced that at least for the time being, as law enforcement investigates, the trail has been closed, both by physical barriers and an official Forest Closure Order, which most likely means the perpetrators have won for now. 

There is little doubt this was a direct attack against the motorcycle and ATV community as Wilson Mesa is open to hikers, horses and bicycles year round, but only opens for OHV use from July 1 through Labor Day. The first snare was reported on July 2, when, according to comments posted on the Sheriff’s Facebook page by locals with knowledge of the situation, a rider suffered broken ribs after hitting the wire. The second strung wire was discovered 8 days later and several miles from the first, but on the same trail. 

What a shame, huh? The San Juan Mountains offer some of the most fabulous dirt bike experiences in the world, including bucket listers like Ophir, Corkscrew, Hurricane, Black Bear and Imogene passes. Wilson Mesa is described by the Forest Service to be a challenging trail that passes rushing rivers and waterfalls as it travels through aspen forests. All Trails reports the 9.4 mile route passes under 14,017 Wilson Peak and features many old mines, with most of its positive reviews having been left by motorcycle riders. In fact a significant amount of single track in the area’s National Forests is open to riders, though this situation puts that usage under threat, which undoubtedly pleases the perpetrators.

While the Sheriff sounds downright pissed and has made some strong statements about the investigation, county officials are “shocked and dismayed” in their public statements, with San Miguel County Manager saying “This type of vigilantism hurts everybody in our community and often has unintended consequences.” 

The fact Bordogna used the word “vigilantism” says officials don’t think this is kids being dumb, but instead, is likely about ecoterrorism, carried out by people unhappy to share the trail with motorized vehicles, conservationists playing god or pissed off land owners. As usual, the real conversation regarding this type of thing happens in the comments that follow these official statements. 

One person who appears to have firsthand knowledge of the incidents commented that “the first wire was set up after a couple of riders went through an area twice and a third rider hit the wire. The third rider was 30-60 minutes behind the first two. That could point to a nearby landowner, and I know a couple have been interviewed already.” These landowners would be sprawling ranches, not small lots with houses, and at least one spread on Wilson Mesa has been held by the same family since 1882. 

It’s easy to go all Yellowstone taking motorcyclists to the dreaded “train station” and that’s because the act is just so outrageous it’s hard to believe it’s real life. You just don’t want to believe people living in our society would commit such a horrendous and pointedly homicidal act. 

Closing the Wilson Mesa trail doesn’t feel like an answer. Either it’s a win for the bad guys who want OHVs off that specific track, or worse, the vigilantes set up shop on a different trail. Sheriff Masters says in the meantime “we can’t emphasize enough to have situational awareness when recreating in this area.” 

If anyone has information related to the events, they are asked to call the San Miguel County Sheriff’s dispatch at 970-728-1911.

Author: Jamie Elvidge

Jamie has been a motorcycle journalist for more than 30 years, testing the entire range of bikes for the major print magazines and specializing in adventure-travel related stories. To date she’s written and supplied photography for articles describing what it’s like to ride in all 50 states and 43 foreign countries, receiving two Lowell Thomas Society of American Travel Writer’s Awards along the way. Her most-challenging adventure yet has been riding in the 2018 GS Trophy in Mongolia as Team AusAmerica’s embedded journalist.