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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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#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.
 
#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.
 
#20 ·
I'm in.. huge hiker myself but also always willing and glad to share the trails. If I am on my bike I slow down and say hi to hikers or equestrian folks. If I am hiking I move out of the way as much as I can. I don't get all the hate. The PCT should be open to all.. I was just on a portion of it last month and it is amazing. I bet you.. no I guarantee you more maintenance would be done by the MTBers.
 
#21 ·
Thanks to everyone who's expressed interest or is offering to help. It might be a while before we ask for anything. Following suggestions on various mtbr threads (I've posted this news on 5 Pacific or Nevada regional forums plus the Passion forum), I realize we should create a Facebook page. I'll be working on that and report back.

007, your enthusiasm is most welcome! The idea of a petition makes sense. It can't hurt, even though the Forest Service will be asking for everyone's input when the decision-making process gets going, hopefully in just five months. If you'd like to work with me on designing one, please send me a private message.

There are two other things that you can and others can do now if you have time and motivation:

The first is to contact the sports editor of your local newspaper and ask him/her to write a story about this. There's been some great sports coverage about mountain biking access in the past:

Sandsberry: Mountain bikers belong in the Wilderness : Sports Yakima

The second very helpful thing would be to contact one board member (assuming that's all you have time for) of the Pacific Crest Trail Association (Pacific Crest Trail Association - Home) and talk with him/her about the value of including mountain bikers in the PCT trail community. The PCTA is conservative; the staff are opposed to bicycles on the trail, and that is the group's official policy. But it's the PCTA board that sets the policy. Some of the board members might be willing to change the policy. Here's a link to the board members:

Pacific Crest Trail Association
 
#22 ·
PM Sent. I think the value in a petition is that it can provide an indication to legislators of the extent of interest surrounding this topic. Even though its you are correct that the actual decision making will involve input from multiple sources, this can be one loud voice if we get enough people on board. It would SUCK to see the opposition come to the table with a few thousand signatures if we weren't prepared.
 
#26 · (Edited)
"I know a section moto guys thrash often."

If you don't mind saying, which section is that, how often do motorcycles use it, and what damage (if any) do they do?

We're trying to gather all the information we can about the actual conditions on the PCT, as opposed to people's mental image of the trail, which may not jibe with reality. Everyone's personal knowledge is most helpful.

Thanks.
 
#31 ·
Honestly, I don't want to see mountain bikers when I'm out on the PCT. I've considered how great of a trail it would be to bike, but still, I like to backpack on backpacking trails. Keeping it continuous would be great. Sorry to rain on the parade of those interested, I know some people would love it. This is just a conflict of interest. Because of past conflicts with cyclists while hiking multi use trails, I usually don't hike multi use. It seems like another deterrent for the PCT to me.
 
#32 ·
It brings up the point that you need more points that better support your message, than something unreliable like that, when delivered in a concise manner. You can't give someone like that a 3 paragraph message and expect them to read it all, considering how busy they are. Most people wouldn't know what to say when they try to contact...

You got to have plenty of reliable support for your statement in order to convince someone, yet keep it concise. Best if you cite a reputable source (pref non-biased) and use their credentials to enhance your claims.

I've also hiked trails and find it disturbing how inconsiderate how a vast majority of mtn bikers were to hikers, especially those in groups. Hikers on the trails can feel like cyclists on a road. On a narrow road with plenty of traffic, a cyclist can feel unwelcome and prefer a road where there's no cars. The more bikers on a trail, a hiker can feel unwelcome and may prefer a trail with no bikers. I don't hike much since they seem too much of a minority and minorities in these kinds of cases tend to lose. I don't think opening trails in general to mtn bikers is a bad thing though. Still plenty of places to hike where bikers can't ride (up at least), which are true gems.
 
#35 · (Edited)
That's amazing. I don't know where you live, but I have to wonder if there's something in the air or the water there. I've ridden perhaps 30,000 miles on trails and dirt roads and have hiked and backpacked hundreds of miles, and I can barely remember any unpleasantnesses. Admittedly I hike much less than I used to, because I much prefer mountain biking; and when I backpacked in the 1970s and 1980s there were few if any trail cyclists around. But on recent hikes, the mountain bikers I've encountered have been just fine.

I do hear stories like this from adamantly antibicycle old-school hikers, and they sometimes allege they were injured by a mountain biker, but no one has ever been able to document a bad encounter with a police report, a hospital record, or the like. Our local park statistics show a number of allegations of rude or dangerous mountain biker behavior but, according to official records, zero documentation of actual injury. I think they're making the injury claims up. I see it as being like claims of voter fraud in states that lack a photo ID requirement to vote: allegations of fraud all over the place but virtually no proof that any has occurred (maybe it's happened once or twice).
 
#36 ·
Well that's a bummer. The bad apples in every user group sure do some PR damage... but I think they'll always be the exception, not the norm. I personally feel that the PCT goes through some very remote areas that even when it opens, will see very little bicycle traffic. Not a lot of people (from any user group) typically go much more than 5-10 miles beyond any trailhead. If I was hiking the PCT for several weeks, and was 20 miles from nowhere, and I bumped into a mt. biker or bikers, I think I'd be thrilled to see/talk with another person(s), and possibly get info about what's ahead of me.
 
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