Action Alert: Protect Our Backcountry Recreation, Defend the Roadless Rule
Words by Eddie Espinosa, Executive Director
Here in Washington, we are incredibly fortunate to have places like the Kettle Crest in the Colville National Forest and the lush forests of the Olympic Peninsula. Having had the opportunity to ride them in recent months, I’m reminded of the sense of scale and solitude that is increasingly rare in the modern world. No audible or visual distractions from cars or highways, and the itch to check your phone screen for an alert gets lost with your cell signal.
But these trails don't exist without our collective effort in protecting them. Their magic comes directly from the intact, unfragmented ecosystems that surround them. The essential character of these rides, the deep immersion in nature, are in danger of being permanently destroyed.
Riding remote singletrack isn’t just an occasional weekend trip; it is the very soul of the mountain biking experience in the Pacific Northwest. Washington State is widely recognized as a global destination for mountain biking precisely because we offer these vast, unspoiled tracts of forested trails. And we must do what we can to preserve them.
Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance is joining Outdoor Alliance Washington in opposing the proposed rescission of the Roadless Rule, which currently protects 45 million acres of National Forest lands across the country. These roadless areas include some of our most iconic places for outdoor recreation and provide opportunities for mountain biking, hiking, climbing, paddling, fishing, hunting, backcountry skiing, and more.
Backcountry mountain bike trails this would impact include:
- Kettle Crest
- Cutthroat Pass
- Bear Mountain (Loup Loup)
- Angel's Staircase
- Devil's Gulch
- Nason Ridge
- Icicle Ridge
- Teanaway- Esmeralda Basin, Stafford Creek, Iron Bear/Miller Peak
- Kachess Ridge
- Palisades/Ranger Creek
- Goat Mountain
- Strawberry Ridge
- Juniper Ridge / Tongue Mountain
Explore the interactive map here.
Rolling back these protections could open these landscapes to irreversible development, including road building, logging, and resource extraction. Once roads and development move into backcountry areas, the character of those places can change for good.
As mountain bikers, we know the value of public lands that offer opportunities to explore beyond the trailhead, experience quiet and solitude, and connect with landscapes that have not been carved up by development. Protecting roadless areas helps ensure these places remain available for recreation and future generations.
We encourage our community to make your voice heard. Share your concerns with decision makers, support the Roadless Area Conservation Act, and, if you have a personal connection to a roadless area, tell that story. The places we ride, explore, and care about are worth speaking up for.
Comments are due by midnight, September 21st.
Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance partners with other recreation stakeholders as an active member of Outdoor Alliance to provide a larger voice on advocacy issues.
