In decisions no doubt welcomed in some circles, and displeasing in others, mountain bikers have gained some access at Rocky Mountain National Park, and more pedaling trails could be coming to Pea Ridge National Military Park.

At Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, officials have agreed to allow bicycle use on a two-mile section of the East Shore Trail. The East Shore Trail is an existing hiking and equestrian trail on the west side of the park near Grand Lake. The East Shore Trail Area is excluded from the park’s designated wilderness.

Debate over whether to allow bike access to this trail dates back well over a decade. Part of the debate was tied to official wilderness designation for part of Rocky Mountain; "Advocates for bicycle use, which included the Town of Grand Lake and the Grand County Commissioners, made it clear that their support of wilderness designation for the park was contingent upon the consideration of bicycle use on the East Shore Trail," the Park Service noted back in 2012 when it embarked on an environmental assessment examining the matter.

Zoom up to the present, and the park staff says trail proponents, including the Headwaters Trails Alliance, will be responsible for completing work on the trail before it opens to public bicycle use. The timeline is still being negotiated.

Meanwhile, the Park Service at Pea Ridge National Military Park in Arkansas is proposing to allow bicycle use on two multi-use trails connecting the park with other proposed trail routes in adjacent communities linking to the regional trail network, which is identified in the Northwest Arkansas Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.

The trails were originally proposed as part of a Trail Master Plan/Environmental Assessment, which is available for review at this site.

The first trail would be a 0.55-mile section from U.S. Highway 62 to the visitor center. The second would be a 1.17-mile trail from Arkansas Highway 72 to the Sugar Creek Greenway on the western edge of the park.

National Park Service regulations require the publication of special regulations, or rules, that designate new trails for bicycle use off park roads and outside of developed areas. Currently, bicycle use in the park is limited to the tour road, which connects visitors to the park's key interpretive sites, and Ford Road, which is currently designated as an administrative road.