Bicyclists lamenting the reluctance of the National Park Service to embrace mountain biking on seemingly suitable park routes may have some good news to celebrate.
The National Park Service just announced today it will expand bicycle access in parks nationwide.
The new rule, available online at: http://www.ofr.gov/inspection.aspx, gives park superintendents the authority to allow bicycles on roads that are closed to the motoring public – like fire roads and roads used by park maintenance vehicles. Bikes are already allowed on park roads that are open to vehicles.
Do not expect a major shift in trail riding restrictions. The rule continues to prohibit bikes in wilderness and other areas where they would have significant impact on the environment or visitor safety. The NPS release specifically says, “The National Park Service will continue to prohibit bicycle use in eligible, study, proposed, recommended, and designated wilderness areas.”
The National Park Service says this rule moves decision making about where bike use is appropriate from a regulatory to a planning process. Nevertheless, to open existing or new trails to bikes the approval process still retains rigorous environmental compliance requirements and mandatory public comment on proposals.
New trails outside of developed areas will continue to require a park-specific special regulation approved by the director of the National Park Service.
National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said, “Bikes are a great way to exercise, get healthy, and experience the great outdoors. This new rule gives park superintendents greater flexibility to determine where bikes can be allowed in a park and additional authority to shut areas where cycling is jeopardizing visitors or park resources.”
The final rule, 36 CFR § 4.30, will be published in the Federal Register on July 6 and will go into effect 30 days later.
Comments
Quoting without contacting the person seems a bit rude to say the least.
I'm pretty sure that the NPCA, being old and stodgy, probably remains anti bike, and will remain so until the dinosaurs die off. That being said, having an article in there admitting that MTBing is the future is pretty telling.
I agree with Zebulon that recent events are pretty significant. The National Parks & Conservation Association has traditionally reflected conservative values. That it ran a balanced article on bicycling on trails in NPS units is both pleasing and surprising.
Even more significant is the change in attitude at the NPS itself. While continuing to insist that bicycles won't be allowed in current or potential Wilderness acreage inside the national parks, the final rule contains a remarkable amount of bicycle-friendly rhetoric:
"[T]he net economic benefits of mountain biking generally exceed those of either hiking or horseback riding."
"Generally, impacts to soils, vegetation, and wildlife from bicycles are similar to impacts from hiking and less than impacts from horseback riding or motorized vehicle use. When a trail is sustainably located, designed, and constructed, it can support low-impact uses such as hiking and biking with minimal maintenance and with no degradation of the natural resources." "When trails are sustainably located, designed, and constructed, [bicycles'] impacts are normally insignificant."
"Bicycle riders of all skill levels and ages enjoy riding on park roads and designated bicycle trails for beautiful scenery, exercise, and adventure. People bicycle alone, with friends, or with family—they bicycle to visit points of interest, to be healthy, and because it's fun." (Obviously the NPS disagrees with the grumblers who can only see mountain bikes as "thrillcraft.")
See https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/07/06/2012-16466/vehicles-...
All of the foregoing suggests that the NPS staff are tired of the naysayers, realize that their attitude is going to jeopardize public support for the national parks system over time, and want to make the national parks more appealing to benign users of nonmotorized equipment and not be limited to allowing only transportation modes that were around in 1850.
The Wilderness prohibition remains significant, however. The national parks in Washington state are between 93% and 97% Wilderness. There'll be no bicycling in Rainier or Olympic national parks unless it's to and from a campground bathroom or alongside retirees' Winnebagos on a paved road. Yosemite, similarly, is 95% Wilderness. Thus, the practical effect of this new regulation is limited. In time, however, the Wilderness ban will be reconsidered and repealed.
People, including me sometimes, complain about government. I was impressed, however, by the evenhanded, dispassionate, and professional tone of the text of the final rule. The people who write these rules are not highly paid—certainly not compared to Wall Street— and have to wrestle with the grinding demands of a number of pressure groups. This rule reflects the highest traditions of the government's civil service and the writers are to be congratulated.
I have a different angle to pursue. Is there talk about encouragi g bicycles as alternatives to cars ENTERING the parks? So if I decide to bike into the park, must I enter the mile long line of cars in order to do so? Might it encourage better environmental impact to encourage more convwnient bicycle access?
Randy