HLCNF Forest Plan

Do you like riding in the South Hills?  The Elkhorns?  The Big Belts?  The Continental Divide?  Big changes may be coming to where you ride, and your comments are VITAL in determining the future of bicycle use on the Helena – Lewis and Clark National Forest (HLCNF).  The Draft Plan and Environmental Impact Statement is open for public comment until October 9th and we’re asking YOU to comment!

Visit the HLCNF planning website to look over the various documents.  Once you’ve drafted your comments, you can submit them electronically or you can send a hard copy to the address listed on their website.

Some basic information and bullets are below, but the most important thing is that you write about those trails and experiences that are important to you!  The Forest Service is interested in knowing about those areas and topics that are most important to you, so don’t be afraid to be specific.  And if you don’t have time to say much, at least say something!  This is the first time the Forest Plan will have been updated since 1986, so this revision will have consequences for at least the next 30 years.  Also, keep in mind as you craft your comments that you don’t have to pick one alternative over another for the entire Forest Plan; instead, feel free to call out those things you like from each alternative or point to things that you see missing.

Restricting Bikes in Recommended Wilderness Areas.

There are some primary distinctions between the five alternatives in the Draft Plan that you need to know about.  Two of those alternatives — Alternative B and Alternative D — would no longer allow mountain biking in any form in Recommended Wilderness Areas (RWAs).  This is a change from how the forests are currently managed (Alternative A), which allows for bikes in existing RWAs.  Alternative C is generally the best alternative for bicycle recreation across the HLCNF landscape because it would allow continued bicycle access to RWAs and recognizes that bicycle activity doesn’t reduce wilderness characteristics.  I say that Alternative C is generally the best overall approach because, even though it would continue to allow mountain bikes in RWAs, in certain specific areas, Alternative C is actually detrimental to mountain bikes.  For example, in the Elkhorns, Alternative C would actually prohibit mountain bikes from entering a designated “core area” of those mountains, including Casey Peak.

If you oppose restricting bicycles from areas that have not been congressionally designated as wilderness (Alternatives B and D), say so in your comments.  But again, these alternatives are not one size fits all.  So if you want to see some other type of hybrid approach which takes certain aspects from different alternatives, make sure to include those in your comments.  What is most important is that you are specific with what you want the HLCNF to do and why.  For example: “I want to continue riding my mountain bike in primitive areas such as the Big Snowy ice caves loop because quiet dispersed recreational experiences are important to me, and I rarely encounter other users.”

Primitive Recreation Opportunity Setting.  The MBG advocates for bicycles being specifically identified within the definition of “Primitive ROS.”  Doing so would help account for future changes and may leave the door open for bikes to be encountered in certain Primitive ROS landscapes (i.e., in certain areas that are not yet designated as wilderness).  By specifying that “mechanized use” (or bikes) “may be encountered” in the definition of Primitive ROS, it would create consistency within the Forest Plan and may, in turn, allow for bikes to be allowed in certain “primitive” landscapes.

Specific Geographic Areas. 

Please take the time to look at each of the specific geographic areas to see if they have a personal interest to you.  For instance, many of these areas have recommended wilderness proposals that may be of importance to the areas that you like to ride or recreate in.  However, since we’re based in Helena, and to not keep this too long, here’s a short summary of some specific items that can be commented on.   Please note your own use of the trails in any of these areas, whether you desire to expand the opportunity for semi-primitive non motorized trail opportunities, and anything else you would like the USFS to know about.

  • Divide Geographic Area. This is the backdrop of Helena and an important area for local mountain bikers to want to protect.  Here’s some important things for you to focus on:
    • Please make sure to voice your support for making the Helena South Hills a National Recreation Area!  Both Alternatives B and C would provide an emphasis for managing the Helena South Hills specifically for trail-related recreation opportunities, including trails “ranging from those that are easy and readily accessible to those that are more difficult and require greater skills.”  Take a look, and let the HLCNF know that you are in support of this!
    • However, although Alternative D would similarly create the South Hills National Recreation Area, that alternative identifies the Colorado Gulch area as recommended wilderness. One of its stated purposes would be to restrict bikes from that area.  The MBG opposes Alternative D for the South Hills Recreation Area.
  • Big Belts.
    • The MBG supports additional non-motorized trails in Middleman/Trout Creek Area.
  • Elkhorns Geographic Area.
    • The MBG proposes that the Elkhorns continue to be managed as it currently is.  Further, we do not support the creation of a “core area” in the Elkhorns which would prohibit mountain bike use.   Alternative C is the alternative that would create this “core area” and would prohibit mountain bikes.
  • Snowy Mountains.
    • Bicyclists would be banned from the Crystal Lake trail loop in the Snowy Mountains south of Lewistown under the draft Forest Plan. Please comment to help keep these and other trails open for bicycling in the Snowy Mountains!

Thanks for reading this over.  Please contact Denny at denny@montanabicycleguild.org or anyone else with the MBG if you have any questions.

THANK YOU so much for taking the time to submit comments!!