[kbatku]

http://sportsyakima.com/2011/08/sandsberry-mountain-bikers-belong-in-the-wilderness/

[Go Jo]

Interesting read and comments, thanks for the link.

[Ingunn]

[33teeth]

[Malachai Constant]

Well this is a topic close to my heart. I actively hike AND mountain bike. My opinion is that anywhere horses are allowed bikes should be allowed. That is the position taken by most of the land managers here. Bikes can be incompatible with hikers on some trails such as many in the NW. Where a competent mountain biker descending a steep single track could pose a safety hazard to some hikers. As far as damage to trails I think that is a red herring as a competent biker will not drag the rear. I think horses should also be eliminated on such trails as their damage is more severe than bikers. The problem with implementing such a policy is that it requires thinking and common sense attributes often lacking in bureaucratic minds which demand strict adherence to "bright line" rules.

[onemoremile]

Would allowing bicycles open the door for allowing other 'wheeled' items? I know I have a game cart that would enjoy a trip into the wilderness.

[rasbo]

well I see a can of worms here..seems anyplace wheels are let in problems arise...mt bikers jumping rocks riding of the trail,complaining about horses and people on the trail not yielding...Much of the same we see on trails here that allow bikes..And since you going to allow bikes how about the handicapped,should the trails be widened and made accessible for them to ride their cycles in there,,just my thoughts...I cant think of a more unpleasant trip into the wilderness than a guy on a bike yelling passing on the right...then zooming by...

[John Morrow]

[kbatku]

follow-up story

[More Cowbell]

I'm curious, do bicycle clubs ever do trail maintenance to clear the downed trees or fix the nasty ruts in the trail they create? And to add to the list: French Cabin Creek trail is also a death trap for hikers due to speeding Mt. Bikers.

[kbatku]

people would be a LOT more pissed about horses if they galloped down the trails at 15 mph (btw)

[rasbo]

I have never seen a horse running in the wilderness,or had one get an attitude cause I was on the trail and it had to slow down....But have been on a few bucking in the wilderness..horses are a good way for some folks that cant walk well, or age has affected their abilities.

[wamtngal]

[Token Civilian]

Duthie: Maintained constantly by the MTB club, yet it's muddy and rutty. Bikes don't cause damage? - Duthie falsifies that belief. Malachai - your comment about "competent" is the key. As with any user group, be they hikers, horsemen or bikers, the "competent" ones (as in following LNT practices, shoveling their horse sh*t off the trail, camping in hard sites, washing away from water sources, etc , for example) are sadly too uncommon. I love to hike. I also love me some sweet, sweet single track (Trek 6700 hard tail that handles like a dream on winding, twisting trail...mmmmm, single track). But the last thing I want when I hike is to be run down by a biker tear @$$ing down the trail, alternately silent so I get squashed as they come around a blind corner, or squealing brakes I can hear from a mile away, depending on their maintenance - either way they ruin the experience for other users. The flashing of typically gaudy colors through pristine scenery at unnatural speed also ruins the experience. Nope.....bikes stay on designated bike trails. There's plenty out there outside of Wilderness. If bikes are allowed into Wilderness, it'll destroy it for the vast majority of hikers. Yet another lowering of the bar. And BIKERS aren't prohibited from Wilderness - just their bikes. Bikers (the people) are free to hike or ride a horse back into Wilderness any time. Just leave your bikes at home.

[Quark]

Backcountry Bicycle Club does a lot of trailwork (as does 4 wheel clubs and Backcountry Horsemen). The issue is that bicycles are mechanized contraptions, and mechanized widgets are prohibited in Wilderness except for necessary maintenance. To change that, it would require an Act of Congress, and the proposal would likely not get that far due to advocates against it. Nice try, though.