I had to address this on my offroad Jeep website. This hobby parallels so much with offroading and caving so I'll just copy and paste the stickied answer: "So you're a J'n00b. We all were once.
Based off our own experience we'll share with you that there's some questions you're not going to want to pop off right away.
"Where's that trail at?" would be one of the big ones.
As silly as it sounds, not everyone likes offroading. Some people think you should not be able to go further than your Prius can take you. Closing things off is their method of thought, because if they can't enjoy it, no one should. This however becomes less and less silly of a scenario when you've seen trail damage and trashed desert/forest first hand. Unfortunately it only takes a small minority of trespassing and inconsiderate wheelers to shine a light on all the rest of us and shine it with their solar powered flashlights they will. Arizona is not immune to trail closures. This past year we've seen losses in our most popular spots in Table Mesa and Florence Junction. Trails get damaged, get closed, and the next thing you know there's change missing from your dresser and your daughter's knocked up. I've seen it a hundred times.
In short, we're forced to be stronger stewards of our privileged hobby, pulling the weeds ourselves and checking the guest list twice. There are people who just plain don't belong on some trails whether their equipment doesn't clear for the type of obstacles featured or their experience doesn't match up. It could even be as blunt as "I don't know you bro, hang around a little longer, or ask about upcoming runs instead." We'll try not slap you too bad with a
here's your sign comeback, but you gotta remember these trails are ours to protect."