A Republican U.S. senator from Utah has introduced legislation that could open wilderness areas to mountain bikes. Sen. Mike Lee said his Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act is needed to "enrich Americans’ enjoyment of the outdoors by expanding recreational opportunities in wilderness areas.”
Under the legislation introduced this week, federal land managers -- including the National Park Service -- would be given the authority to decide whether to allow and how to regulate non-motorized travel in wilderness areas within their jurisdictions.
The Wilderness Act of 1964 prohibits the use of motor vehicles, motorized equipment, motorboats, and other forms of mechanical transport in officially designated wilderness. Current Interior Department policy considers non-motorized mountain bikes to be “mechanical transport," the senator noted.
If enacted, the bill would insert language to the Wilderness Act to ensure that the rules restricting “mechanical transport” do not include forms of nonmotorized travel in which the sole propulsive power is one or more persons.
Through the years there have been many efforts to open officially designated wilderness to mountain bikes. Back in 2017 legislation was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-California, to open wilderness to the bikes. Opposition came not only from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which worried that hikers on the iconic footpath that runs from northern Maine to Georgia could find themselves dodging bikers on some sections of trail, but also from the International Mountain Bicycling Association.
“Mountain bikers and the recreation community depend on public lands and thoughtful conservation. Public lands are being threatened at an unprecedented level right now, and it's imperative that public land users come together to protect these cherished places and offer our voices in this critical dialogue,” Dave Wiens, IMBA's executive director, said at the time. “We know Wilderness hits some mountain bikers’ backyards, and we understand why those riders support this legislation. To continue elevating mountain biking nationally, IMBA must remain focused on its long-term strategy for the bigger picture of our sport.”
Comments
"Primitive and unconfined recreation" in "untrammeled" land is recreation without much more than a human created trail and some signs. No bathrooms, no picnic tables, no cabins, no metal fire rings, no ranger stations, no roads, no convenience stores, no electricity, etc. Whether you walk, run, pedal or horsback ride in a primitive roadless area or a Wilderness area, you are enjoying primitive and unconfined recreation on largely untrammeled lands, where it is up to you and your skills, muscles, equipment and decisions that help you survive and enjoy the solitude and experience.
In the past 15 years mountain bikers in Montana have lost over 1000 miles of trail access to Wilderness and areas that are recomended wilderness and wilderness study areas.
I have been riding here for 30 years. We never see anyone on the back country trails and many are dissapearing due to lack of maintanence. The USFS doesn't have the $$$ for maintanence so we end up doing irt We are not asking for access to every trail or even the trails in wilderness that we have never been allowed on. We simply want to stop losing access and regain access to trails that have a history of past use. And FWIW we do not want to ride in National Parks either.
The Few? Did you know that over 50,000 people go down the Middle Fork of the Salmon river in Idaho in the Frank Church Wilderness. They avearge 6 nights each. So, the few?
OK so no oarlocks and no ski bindings either?
Wilderness.
I don't know what the misunderstanding is. Don't bring your boom boxes, don't bring your chainsaws, don't bring your bikes.
Wilderness areas in the Lower 48 occupy 2% of the total land base. Is it too much to ask that we leave some wild places for the next generations?
Diane Boyer, mountain bikes have never been allowed in Wilderness Areas. The 1984 ruling was a clarification of the Wilderness Act, it didn't change the Wilderness Act. It's obvious that mountain biking is mechanical transport and has always been banned
Todd McMahon, that is a categorically false claim and there is no shortage of historical documentation that shows you are incorrect with your wishful thinking.