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Big news: Feds to consider allowing bikes on PCT

47K views 203 replies 76 participants last post by  Empty_Beer 
#1 ·
For the last two to three years a small group of us has been working to get mountain bike access to non-Wilderness sections of the Pacific Crest Trail. (About 60% of the PCT lies outside Wilderness.)

We have convinced the Forest Service that its 1988 closure order requires reconsideration.

As a result, the Forest Service is going to begin a rulemaking procedure, probably in March of 2013, to consider making the non-Wilderness parts of the PCT multiuse. This will involve public notice and comment.

When something similar happened with the Continental Divide Trail about four years ago, the Forest Service received about 8000 comments. The PCT reconsideration can be expected to generate even more controversy.

If the Forest Service decides to keep bikes off the Pacific Crest Trail, we can expect that closure to stay in place for the rest of our lives and maybe those of our children. If the Forest Service decides to open it, it will be revolutionary.

Stay tuned. We'll be looking for your help in coming months.
 
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#84 · (Edited)
I was just thinking about my experiences with cycling The Arizona Trail. The AZ trail is around 700 miles long, I believe, and traverses Arizona from the Mexican border all the way up to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Over the years, I've ridden most of it. It's very similar to the PCT in many ways.....it crosses all kinds of terrain, and for the most part it is singletrack. It's much shorter than the PCT, but aside from that, lots of similarities, and traffic on it, whether foot, hoof, or soft-rubber air-filled tire traffic, is very low in general. Just like the PCT in that respect.

The major way it DOES differ from the PCT is that right from the get-go, the AZ trail has always been open to ALL non-motorized users. And I gotta say, that for all of Arizona's boneheaded politics (IMO) I have never encountered a hiker on this trail, or a horse person, who acted like they didn't approve of me being there. In fact, everybody I encountered seemed to be quite friendly to me. One day, the only person I saw for an entire stretch of the trail , from Lake Mary down past Mormon Lake, was a guy who kinda looked like Osama bin Laden! He turned out to be a Sikh, not a Muslim, but he also turned out to be a real friendly guy. He was hiking north, I was riding south. He gave me all kinds of useful info on the trail, and on different segments of the trail....he's hiked the whole route at least once.

In all, my experience with other kinds of trail users on the AZ trail was completely, 100%, positive.
Only here, in CA, do I encounter this highly divisive, possessive attitude towards a public trail on public land used by members of the .....Public.

If anything, people I encountered on the AZ trail were concerned about MY safety, telling me about upcoming obstacles, the size of their mountain lions, etc.... Imagine that!

So, I think that the attitudes of those opposing cycling on the PCT are to a large extent supported by ideological-fueled agendas, which is sad, because when I talk to these people, I find that I share a love for the land, and for nature, and also have a shared value for solitude and the benefit of communing with nature via a solo ride on the trail, that matches their love of hiking the same surface.

It's a damn shame that the 'anti's' are so entrenched in their beliefs, their ideological line in the sand, that they feel entirely comfortable with what amounts to denying me the equal right to enjoy the trail, in my way. I sense that in so many ways, these hiker folk are otherwise entirely decent, reasonable people, and most of the horse-folk are, as well.

So, I'm optimistic about this issue. Call me a hopeless romantic, but I think that, like Rodney King, (God bless that poor tortured soul) we CAN all get along. It's just gonna take some work, and a bit of 'Tough Love', on our part, both towards the haters and also towards our own kind who are bent on bullying other users.

Sorry for the run-on, rantlike statement. I'll try not to let it happen again! :thumbsup:

Oh yeah, and I wanted to mention, that my bikes all have a really nice-sounding, 'mellifluous' two-tone brass bell. Coming up behind a hiker or equestrian, it never fails to deraw a smile, even from the 'haters'. Although in their case the smile is a fleeting one, quickly suppressed, and replaced with the requisite, dissaproving frown.;)

Oh yeah....one other thing. Bells are USELESS in the face of an I-pod wearer. They couldn't hear a rattler if they were about to step on it this their ear buds firmly in place!
 
#54 ·
Well yeah, if I got to play golf on a private golf course all my life, and there were usually only 2 other golfers somewhere else on the course, then suddenly I find out I might have to share my golf course with several other foursomes... some of which might drive their carts past the "no carts beyond here" signs, might make me wait at the tee box for my shot(!), might rudely demand to play through, or might possibly hit/injure me with their golf ball, hit from a different fairway, I'd be upset too! I want my golf course private, and don't want to share it with others... especially if they dress funny too.

If backpacking was the most important thing in my life, I'd fight for exclusion too. And I'd fight dirty as well. ("Phony photo-ops of fake trail maintenance"???). There... I put myself in their shoes :)

The hiking contingent essentially says "you have enough bike trails, leave this one for us." I say "You're incorrect about "enough"... and you've had this one to yourselves for 24 years... plus you also have all the Wilderness Areas and National Parks already (not to mention regional areas/trails). Time to share."

If bicycles weren't unjustly banned in '88, we wouldn't be having this discussion. If the rule changes, we won't be having this discussion in 2030. The PCT will not die. Thru-hikers won't disappear.

I've come across more than 50 people in my years of exploring the PCT on a bicycle. 1 person went ape$hit, a couple scoldings, several dirty looks, and tons of friendly conversations with happy hikers and a few equestrians. Hikers are usually just happy to see someone, especially someone that provides trail info, maybe some water, and often times a chocolate chip cookie. Nobody I've come across has ever been forced off the trail, had to jump off the trail, or been injured... well, the ape$hit guy might have been emotionally injured from yelling and screaming at a friendly person walking a bike on dirt.
 
#155 ·
"Is nothing sacred?"
- To who? One person's ideal of non-motorized recreation, or the other person's? (Hint: premier trail in premier places is sacred to all.)

Remember, the people that carved the trail into the Earth caused the most damage... everything after that, whether it be from boot, hoove, knobby tire, or rain is negligible.

I've never heard of a day mountain biker causing a forest fire. A hiker caused forest fire trumps any evidence of bikes on dirt trails, ever.
 
#156 ·
"Is nothing sacred?"
- To who? One person's ideal of non-motorized recreation, or the other person's? (Hint: premier trail in premier places is sacred to all.)

Remember, the people that carved the trail into the Earth caused the most damage... everything after that, whether it be from boot, hoove, knobby tire, or rain is negligible.

I've never heard of a day mountain biker causing a forest fire. A hiker caused forest fire trumps any evidence of bikes on dirt trails, ever.
True. Three miles of trail built to standard specs is a one acre cleacut.

How many hikers have I seen smoking while hiking? I could not count. I have never seen a mountain biker smoke while riding.

I also cannot recall a single forest fire started by a biker. There may be one, somewhere, sometime... I do not know of it.
 
#3 ·
Thanks, Kyle509. A lot of places would have exciting, even epic, new riding options. We appreciate your early support.

Here's what you can do now if you're interested. If you belong to any mountain bike organization, let it know that you support this initiative and ask it to support it as well. Much political maneuvering tends to occur when something of this magnitude appears, and some mtb groups might be hesitant about supporting PCT access (because of a relationship with a particular Forest Service office or employee, for example). There's nothing to worry about. If this goes through, it'll mean that the Forest Service wanted to do it. But change can make people nervous.
 
#41 ·
Yep. I just adapt. I ain't calling myself mtb'er, hiker, or whatever. I just wanna enjoy the outdoors and if they let me ride my bike on the PCT, I'd explore more of it than I ever would just hiking. I think things like hiking the Sierras and maybe climbing Mt Whitney is something a hiker would enjoy more than PCT, but it's nice to have some nice trails to get experience on before trying something like that. I'm not a serious hiker, but if I wanted to challenge myself hiking, HTFU and accepting mtb'ers would be the easier part of the challenge.
 
#109 ·
I don't have the patience to read this thread in it's entirety, but having submitted a "Mountain Biker Survey" a few days ago, and afterwards I found this whole other thread was bumped-up, I'm not sure if this point has already been included in the argument "for" MTB's to be allowed on PCT... I am an individual "off-road" cyclist. I am lumped in to a much larger group of "Mountain Bikers", and of course as any other group that is seen from the outside, we are subject to generalizations. i.e. the Mountain Dew Downhiller Extreme dudes that we are perceived as by "naturalist" hikers. This is as always an unfortunate reality. I am a 48 year old asthmatic, I started riding again 3-4 years ago. I enjoy the challenge of a back country singletrack, but, I'm slow as hell! I stop to rest often, I walk my bike often, I occasionally get passed by hikers, (and don't feel the need to catch up and "put them in their place!") I'm of course faster on the declines, but I still ride within my capabilities, and try to be considerate of other trail users AND the resident critters. To "CHUM" and the other advocates that are working to get the PCT access for us, please let me know if there is anything else that we as individuals can do to help.
 
#120 ·
Think that restricting mountain bikers from certain trails is more due to a concern of speed and surprise rather than trail erosion. We as mountain bikers know that horses do much more trail damage than a mountain bike, yet claims are made that mountain bikers harm trails by erosion. In my opinion hiker's aversion to mountain biking is due mostly to the surprise of a rider sneaking up on them and scaring them around a corner or blind spot. I think we can help our cause by being polite to hikers by taking a few seconds to pull over for them and show them courtesy. Wearing a bear bell is also a big help. Just my 2 copper Lincolns.
 
#123 ·
I agree with that, except for the part about bear bells. I've heard that some hikers find other hikers' use of them annoying, so maybe they wouldn't appreciate them on handlebars or CamelBaks either. The main thing is that we should be scrupulously honest with ourselves about our impact, always assessing it to see how it affects others, and then, to the extent there is a real problem (as opposed to a perceived or invented problem) in a particular area, fix it.
One alternative to the constantly ringing bear bell (which I also find incredibly annoying) is an activated bell. I ride with one on my bars and I ring it any time I'm approaching a blind turn.

I also agree with imtnbke that we need to be honest with ourselves about what we do to the trails . . . both environmentally and socially. It's the best and only way we are going to increase our access broadly, beyond just the PCT.
 
#158 ·
One other reason to allow Bikes, It allows persons with disabilities to rise some of the trail.
I am one of those. I am 40% disabled from my 20 years in the Navy. My knees are shot. I can't Hike but I can ride a bike.

ADA where are you,
Thanks.
This is a very valid point. I also have many disabilities and retained hardware that makes it difficult to hike for any length of time, but I can ride my well-adjusted bike for 20 miles or further with no pain penalty.
I'll bet there are more than a few trail users out there in the same boat.
 
#5 ·
Holy crap. I've never even heard of the PCT until now, and I tell you what . . . it looks pretty amazing. I'm interested in how this unfolds and certainly support its movement.
 
#9 ·
For the last two to three years a small group of us has been working to get mountain bike access to non-Wilderness sections of the Pacific Crest Trail. (About 60% of the PCT lies outside Wilderness.)

We have convinced the Forest Service that its 1988 closure order requires reconsideration.

As a result, the Forest Service is going to begin a rulemaking procedure, probably in March of 2013, to consider making the non-Wilderness parts of the PCT multiuse. This will involve public notice and comment.

When something similar happened with the Continental Divide Trail about four years ago, the Forest Service received about 8000 comments. The PCT reconsideration can be expected to generate even more controversy.

If the Forest Service decides to keep bikes off the Pacific Crest Trail, we can expect that closure to stay in place for the rest of our lives and maybe those of our children. If the Forest Service decides to open it, it will be revolutionary.

Stay tuned. We'll be looking for your help in coming months.
WOW very nice
 
#10 ·
I've looked at the PCT site a few times over several years. If you search mountain biking on the site you'll find extremely negative anit-bicycle LIES on the site posted by a trail somebody. This will be a battle that will take MANY of us to counter the BS but WE CAN WIN with our VOTES and COMMENTS, DO IT!!!
This trail is thousands of miles long, lots to see.
 
#12 ·
Hi, nwbikur — Thanks! We don't have a website and we should. I hadn't thought of that and no one else in our group has mentioned it. Do you know of anyone with the expertise to create one? (Free hosting would also be great, but I don't know if that's feasible.)
 
#17 ·
Hi, nwbikur - Thanks! We don't have a website and we should. I hadn't thought of that and no one else in our group has mentioned it. Do you know of anyone with the expertise to create one? (Free hosting would also be great, but I don't know if that's feasible.)
Agreed on the website. I don't know the first thing about building a webpage so I'm useless in that regard.

Edit: How about this: Change.org
I don't have any expertise either but maybe somebody could jump in and lend a hand now that the word is out.

It seems like something like this might take some coordination so having a website seems like a good start. We're going to be up against some stiff and very organized opposition on this. Anything that could unite the various local trail advocacy groups would be essential. I'm sure there will come a time when public comment will be needed so the website might be good for making announcements like this as well.

Exciting stuff ahead!!
 
#18 ·
The Change.org petitions look very simple. I think the important part of it will be a) getting the correct information on the petition and b) getting the word out. I think it will not be hard to garner "support" or signatures from a large volume of MTBers based on this site and all the local boards that the trail will affect.
 
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