The U.S. Forest Service still clings to the fallacy of ATVers and cyclists peacefully and safely sharing the same trail.
Case in point. The Superior Ranger District of the Lolo National Forest has released a long-awaited “scoping notice” for a 30-mile corridor in western Montana from Taft to St. Regis along the abandoned Milwaukee Road railbed. The proposed recreation trail, tentatively named the Route of the Olympian, could extend the extremely popular Route of the Hiawatha bicycle trail, which runs 17 miles on the same railbed, over four trestles and through nine tunnels, from Taft to Pearson, Idaho.
Making this route a bicycle trail would create a spectacular, 47-mile rail trail that would attract cyclists from all over the world, promote healthful outdoor activities and booster local travel-related businesses. But it won’t happen unless the Forest Service abandons the folly of promoting this as a “multiple-use trail” open to ATVs and bicycles.
Except a short section at the beginning, the route of the Hiawatha is a bicycle-only trail, which is precisely what makes it so popular. Last year, 32,000 cyclists enjoyed it, each paying a not-insignificant fee ($9 for adults, $6 for kids) to ride the trail, but they didn’t object because it’s such a rare and delightful opportunity to enjoy a scenic bicycle trip – often with children in tow – without worrying about conflict or safety issues posed by motor vehicles.
The Forest Service could orchestrate a repeat performance with the Route of the Olympian, which has a tunnel and two trestles, but instead, the multiple-use mindset is making the agency squander this rare opportunity.
The agency not only wants to mix ATVers and cyclists on the same trail, but also believes both will enjoy it and not have safety concerns. It even wants part of the trail for “family ATV use,” i.e. sort of a training ground for children to learn how to drive ATVs.
As a cyclist, a shiver goes up my spine when I visualize how it will be dodging 10-year-olds motoring around at 30 to 40 mph on ATVs on an eight-foot-wide rail trail.
In a phone conversation, Superior District Ranger Sharon Sweeney and Elizabeth Kennedy from her resource staff said the agency is a year or more from the final decision on use of the rail trail corridor. They said the scoping notice is meant to solicit comments, and then the Forest Service will prepare a draft Environmental Assessment (EA), which will include a list of alternatives.
So, at this point in time, the onus is on cyclists to make sure the agency gets enough feedback to make sure a non-motorized alternative makes the cut. If the agency keeps hearing mostly from local folks who strongly support motorized use, well, the Route of the Olympian will be an ATV trail. The mixed-use plan will prevail unless cyclists convince the Forest Service to rise above local pressure.
In the scoping notice, the Forest Service sold their plan as a “collaborative effort” and said a “collaborative group” supported it. After making a few calls, though, I’d say that’s a push at best.
The Forest Service lists collaborative group members as Nightriders Snowmobile Club, Bitterroot ATV Club, St. Regis Resort Board, Friends of the Coeur d’Alene Trails, Milwaukee Rails to Trails Group and Adventure Cycling Association (ACA).
To me, it seemed strange that ACA would support mixing bicycles and ATVs on the same trail. And sure enough – and contrary to the scoping notice – executive director Jim Sayer told me ACA had not taken any position on the current proposal and that he’d already called the Forest Service to ask that his group’s name be removed from the scoping notice.
John Weyhrich, representing the Milwaukee Rails to Trails Group, told me his group supports “further development of the trail, but we’re still waiting to see what sort of consensus comes out of the process as far a use goes.”
I was unable to contact anybody from the Friends of the Coeur d’Alene Trails group.
Nonetheless, Sweeney assured me that bicycling interests were invited and involved in the meetings. “Cyclists were represented,” she said.
She also emphasized that her agency could include a bicycle-only alternative in the upcoming EA “if we get some comments to this regard.”
Four small towns along the trail – Saltese, Haugan, DeBorgia and St. Regis – could see big-time benefits from out-of-state bicycle bucks, just like business owners along the nearby Coeur d’Alene Trails have. There, merchants get as much as 80 percent of their business from bicycle tourists traveling to northern Idaho from all over the world to enjoy the scenic bicycle trail.
So that begs the question, where are travel business promoters? This 47-mile rail trail could be a tourism home run, but it’s going be a strike out unless travel agencies and businesses join cyclists in efforts to devote the route to bicycle use.
Fortunately, we have time to get the project on track, create a world-renown bicycle trail, and give Montana’s tourism business a major league boost.
E-mail your comments to both of these e-mail address: [email protected] and [email protected]. Don’t rant. Instead, politely encourage the Forest Service to include a bicycle-only option in the upcoming EA, perhaps even making it the preferred alternative. If we don’t make a splash right now, there probably won’t even be a non-motorized option in the EA, and we can chalk this one up to lost opportunity.