Our friends at Bikepacking Roots just sounded the alarm to the AZT Association asking for public comment from the cycling community.
After a 14 year wait, the USDA Forest Service just released the Draft Comprehensive Plan for the Arizona National Scenic Trail, and you’re invited to comment!
The Arizona Trail Mountain Bike Route is beloved by cyclists of all levels of experience, and we want to make sure it is protected and cared for into the future. Additionally, this will be the first ever comprehensive plan for a National Scenic Trail that mentions mountain biking as a specific trail use!
Once created, these documents are almost never revised so now is a crucial time to ensure that the voice of the bikepacking, bicycle tourist, and mountain bike community is considered in the trail plan. Bikepacking Roots has been in consultation with our friends at the Arizona Trail Association and we will be working to submit an organizational comment letter, but we also want to encourage all of you to submit comments as well!
Please visit the AZTAssociation website for details on how to comment. Don’t wait, the comment period is only open until March 25th.
If you want some guidance on what to include in your comment, here are a few key points:
1. Thank the Forest Service for recognizing bikepacking as a managed use.
2. Encourage the Forest Service to continue to manage the trail with bikepacking in mind.
3. Encourage the Forest Service to keep the proposed 1-mile wide trail planning corridor in the Comprehensive Plan to support the trail experience and protect scenic resources.
4. Encourage the Forest Service to designate and develop official alternate routes for wilderness bypasses for mountain bikes, consistent with the AZT experience.
5. Share a personal story about what the Arizona Trail means to you, if you have one!
6. Thank the Forest Service for creating this plan, and for the opportunity to comment.
Thanks for lending your voice to support cycling access on this beautiful trail for generations to come!
