
Utah's Bonneville Shoreline Trail / Photo by Eric Acre for IMBA
When President Biden signed the EXPLORE Act into law, adventure cyclists across the country also celebrated the passage of the Biking on Long-Distance Trails Act, a piece of legislation that was included as part of the massive public lands omnibus bill.
The BOLT Act was passed as a standalone bill by both the House and the Senate last year, but failed to move to the president’s desk before the end of the Congressional term. Supporters worked to include it in the EXPLORE Act, which finally push the BOLT Act over the line and into law.
The International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) initially proposed the creation of federally funded long-distance bike trails in 2018, according to Eleanor Blick, Director of Communications at IMBA. The bill was first introduced in Congress by Senators Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) in 2021.
“In New Mexico and across America, there are millions of acres of federal lands that have gone untapped for responsible outdoor recreation use,” said Senator Lujan in a statement back in 2021. “This bipartisan legislation will make bike trails more accessible and safer across America and will provide a much-needed boost to the growing outdoor recreation economy.”
The BOLT Act is basically a big tip of the cap from the federal government to the mountain biking community. An acknowledgment that adventure biking has grown to the point of assuming a place alongside traditional, and often federally protected, activities like hiking, climbing, and camping on our public lands.
In the past decade or so, bikepacking has taken off in outdoor recreation communities. Often, bikepacking routes are piecemeal, connections of trails here and there, possibly over public lands managed by multiple agencies. Some national park units allow bikes on some trails, and some don’t. It can be a challenge to plan your own long-distance bike routes through the backcountry. Dedicated, federally approved bike routes through public lands would go a long way to making such rides easier, logistically.
What the BOLT Act does, primarily, is direct the Department of Interior to establish at least 10 long-distance bike routes that will enjoy federal funding. The BOLT Act defines a long-distance trail as being at least 80 miles long, and predominately dirt or, at least, unpaved. Some paved road sections that serve as connectors are allowed by the bill’s language. Interior is also directed to identify at least 10 more potential long-distance routes, perhaps through linking existing, but shorter bike trails.
“The BOLT Act doesn’t fund the construction of new trails, at least not yet,” Blick told the Traveler. It does, however, give federal agencies leeway when it comes to proposing construction.
The funding disbursed by the BOLT Act will go to better and more thorough on-trail signage, maps, and marketing and promotion of trails. Also, in a potential boon to out-of-the-way towns located near the these federally identified trails, federal funding for outdoor economic programs and improved infrastructure near trailheads is also made available by the BOLT Act.
Some of the areas that stand to benefit from the BOLT Act include, as identified by IMBA: The Ouachita National Recreation Trail in Arkansas, High Country Pathway in Michigan, Maah Daah Hey in North Dakota, the Great Divide Mountain Bike Trail that runs from the Canada to Mexico border, and, when completed, the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in Utah.
The Bonneville Shoreline Trail is a great example of how BOLT can work to smooth difficulties in connecting disparate trail segments.
"The Bonneville Shoreline Trail Advancement Act (passed Dec 2022) helped adjust land management boundaries for better trail connectivity," said Blick. "Now the full 280-mile trail plan could become a reality. Some segments still need to be built - having the BOLT Act identify the BST as a priority opportunity could help net more support for completion. It's a cool example of a long distance trail that is also close to home for so many, since it traverses six Utah counties in the Salt Lake Valley."
IMBA will be part of deciding which trails ultimately get BOLT funding.
“Our next step is to create an inventory of existing trails, and of opportunities for new long-distance trails, maybe trails that are on their way and just need support,” said Blick. “We’ll work with Interior on selecting those first 10 trails.”
Of course, the Trump Administration has recently declared war on federal funding, so it’s anyone’s guess whether the funding outlined in the EXPLORE Act will be disbursed as intended, even though it was passed by Congress. Unanimously passed, too.
The EXPLORE Act, and bills it includes like BOLT, is a rare recent instance of total bipartisan agreement that public lands are worth protecting and that outdoor recreation opportunities are important not just for the people who enjoy them, but for the often isolated communities that serve as gateways for public lands adventures.