Support Historic Opportunity for NEW Mountain Bike Access in Marin County, California

California State Parks has announced a proposal to open singletrack for mountain biking in Marin County, on the shoulders of Mt. Tamalpais. The agency plans to permit bicycle use on the 4-mile Bill’s Trail segment and is soliciting public commentary on the project.

This landmark opportunity is the direct result of more than three years of partnership building with the parks department by IMBA California, Access4Bikes and the Bicycle Trails Council of Marin. A successful opening of Bill’s Trail will set the stage for bicycle access to several other singletrack trails in Marin, which is widely considered to be one of the birthplaces of modern mountain biking. Despite its historic role, Marin has seen precious few opportunities for mountain biking open to the public in recent years.

Take Action! Tell California State Parks you support their decision to open Bill’s Trail to bicycles. The commentary period ends on June 26.

Additional Information

Located within the Mt. Tamaplais watershed in Samuel Taylor State Park, Bill’s Trail winds through native ferns, wildflowers and hazelnut trees. It averages a reasonable 7-percent grade, and its six switchbacks provide riders with multiple views of the surrounding landscapes. While it is expected that bike access on Bill’s Trail will be limited to alternate days at first, the parks department states that this stipulation will be open to further review.

California State Parks is expected to announce opportunities for bicycling on other nearby routes in upcoming months. The Diaz Ridge Trail, which runs through Mt. Tamalpais State Park and Golden Gate National Recreation Area property, is scheduled to receive a major reroute this summer. This project could produce shared-use singletrack joining State Parks and National Park Service properties.

A small number of local hiking and equestrian groups have vowed to fight against any new access for mountain biking in Marin County, despite plentiful evidence that well-designed trails can be successfully shared by various user groups, and that mountain biking is a sustainable, low-impact form of recreation. “I think that, broadly speaking, the community of trail users in Marin is ready for this,” says IMBA California Policy Advisor Tom Ward. “We have seen great success with our volunteer mountain bike patrol program there. Mountain bikers care deeply about protecting the gorgeous trails and natural areas in Marin, and we will continue working with like-minded groups.”

Last Day to Support Bikes in National Parks

Action Alert – Deadline for official comments is Feb. 17.

For Immediate Release
02-12-09
Contact: Drew Vankat, Policy Analyst
drew@imba.com
303-545-9011

Ask all of your riding friends to take action and support improved mountain biking opportunities in U.S. national parks. We’re down to the final week for public comments — this is your last chance! Please forward this alert to everyone who rides; we need their support to create better trail experiences in America’s most treasured parks.

Take Action!

IMBA’s online form makes it easy to send your letter to the National Park Service (NPS).

This important rule change will let individual parks — using established processes for public comment and environmental review — decide whether to expand mountain biking on dirt trails. This is a monumental change that benefits mountain bikers in several ways:

More Great Riding Near You

NPS properties can be found in rural, suburban and urban areas throughout the country. With 391 park units, there are NPS lands you may not even know about.

Increased Park Visitation Fosters Environmental Stewardship

As a “gateway sport,” bicycling attracts new people to outdoor recreation in national parks and provides them an ideal way to appreciate the natural world.

Bicycling Will Gain Momentum

With the NPS rule change official, trail users, land managers and public officials will receive a strong message that bicycling is a positive form of outdoor recreation. Picture the impact this will have on state and regional parks, as well as future environmental planning and recreation across the country.

Want to learn more about the proposed rule change? See our comprehensive analysis, including NPS issues mountain biking can alleviate.

IMBA has been asking for this change since 1993. The time is upon us and we need you to support the NPS in their efforts to improve mountain bike access in our national parks.

By joining IMBA you demonstrate your support of national parks and bicycling.

The advances this decision will make for the parks, environment and your riding lifestyle are truly remarkable. But the clock is ticking – we urge you to become a member today. If you care about mountain biking and national parks, you belong with us.

Riding Green – 10 Tips for Riding Responsibly

As mountain bikers, we often pride ourselves as being ‘green’ outdoors-folks; individuals who would rather spend a day outside sweating and grunting up a mountain, than sitting inside and watching the PGA Tour. We tend to be more of the trash-recycling, organic Whole-Foods eating, micro-brew drinking, free-trade coffee sipping and earth-loving crowd. Yet do we practice our progressive “green” habits on the trail as well? As we mount our aluminum, carbon fiber and titanium beasts of speed, we often forget that the trails we ride on are actually fragile living beings. They’re comprised of roots that grow, layers of rock and mud that constantly shift, and living plants and organisms that anchor their sides. A trail left unridden will actually grow-over and disappear given enough time. But abusing a trail will actually destroy its somewhat fragile structure and ‘kill’ it even faster.

So with that being said, when you’re out ripping-it-up on your favorite trail, please keep these ‘green’ riding tips in mind.

1) Stay on the trail.

Sure, that tree stump or natural rock ramp a couple feet off the trail might be all too tempting for a quick jump or bunny-hop, but the fact is that it is not part of your trail. Where one goes, others are sure to follow… As your tread marks are much more visible on the softer off-trail, other riders are going to follow your fresh path to that ‘hidden’ jump… Before you know it, your ‘little secret’ is now everyone’s favorite hop-spot and the once narrow groomed trail is now a sprawling free-for-all playground.

2) Ride through puddles, not around them!

Riding around a puddle only compacts the ground surrounding the puddle, leveling it lower and allowing the puddle to grow. I’m sure we’ve all seen it, trails that pinch and bloat where wet-sections are prominent. Seems like nobody wants to ride their $2000 mountain bike through a little mud… c’mon folks, it’s a knobby bike, not a road bike! Trust me – your bike’s bearings and seals can take much more grit than a few calm puddles can dish out.

Fact is, the center of the puddle has the most compacted base. That is why the puddle is not being absorbed by the trail. By riding around the circumference, you are actually compressing the softer, more fragile edge of the puddle, which will inevitably either compact, allowing the puddle to grow and the trail to bloat, or it will contribute to overall trail erosion. The best thing you can do for the trail is ride right smack-dab through the center. Eventually the puddle will dry up, but the damage to trails from poor puddle-riding is irreversible.

So when you see that puddle up ahead, get some speed, coast through the center and don’t forget to keep your mouth shut. Or if you simply don’t want to get a little dirty… God forbid… dismount your bike and walk across.

3) Stay in-line, No Shortcuts.

Shortcutting causes erosion. Trails are built and designed to take a beating – either by foot, hoof or tire. Everything else should be considered fragile ecosystem. 2 feet off the trail is still off-the-trail. If a log, tree, boulder or other obstacle blocks your trail, your only options should be to bunny-hop over or pause your ride, dismount your bike, and carry your bike over the obstacle before continuing. Just like puddles, a trail will grow and bloat when riders take short cuts.

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