6. Tahepia Lake, Montana
Not far southwest of Butte, MT (straight line, that is—it’s quite a circuitous drive to get there) lies a stunning montane lake which had been a long-favored route among local mountain bikers. However, it lies in the Torrey Mountain RWA and, per the judge’s ruling, is never again to be touched by knobby tires. I learned of this route via the Montana Mountain Bike Alliance, as they had identified it as under threat and had begun efforts to preserve it as a legal mountain biking route. But alas, it fell just like the others, and it now sits in that “long shot” portion of my bucket list.
-John Fisch
7. The Gallatin Crest, Montana
The Gallatin Crest, which sits in the Hyalite Porcupine Buffalo WSA, is the granddaddy of them all. This mega-epic, with routes as long as 40 miles available depending on entry and exit points, ascends to the spine of one of the most dramatic ranges on our planet and rides it, complete with million-mile views of our nation’s most dramatic terrain on a variety of smooth and very rocky singletrack. You’ve heard of the famous Monarch Crest in Colorado? By any measure, that’s entry-level stuff compared to the Gallatin Crest. However, the Gallatin Crest is no longer, for those of us who would do it on two wheels. I’m now over 50, and if the closure was somehow reversed, I may no longer be up to the task… but I’d sure love to have the opportunity! If it is beyond me, I’d be happy just for the rest of you to have the opportunity.
-John Fisch
8. Dolly Sods Wilderness, West Virginia
This is another tale of me moving too slow. When I was transferred to DC, I was on the hunt for great backcountry rides–which, as you can imagine, are pretty scarce in the national capital megalopolis. However, I heard of an area called Dolly Sods not far over the border in West Virginia, which was plentiful with rock rather than roots, which really appealed to a westerner like me. Fortunately, the proposed route lay outside the Dolly Sods Wilderness. But not so fast there, Mr. Eastern Adventurer! Shortly after my arrival in DC, the Dolly Sods Wilderness expanded, grabbing up one of the East’s marquee rides.
Curses, foiled again!
-John Fisch
9. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina / Tennessee
While the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) is known for the Appalachian Trail passing through it, there are hundreds of miles of little-used singletrack throughout this expansive park. In fact, there’s actually no Wilderness in this national park, meaning that these trails could legally be opened to mountain bikes even without the passage of the STC’s bill. At one time, there were even rumors to that effect, but if you’re familiar with riding in North Carolina, you can tell how far those rumors made it.
While the passage of the Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act isn’t necessary to make this dream a reality, it could only help speed the process along! If the trails aside from the AT were legalized in GSMNP, it would easily be the best mountain bike destination on the East Coast, and one of the best in the world!
-Greg Heil
10. Red-Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness and Munds Mountain Wilderness, Sedona, Arizona
Your Turn: Where do YOU wish you could legally ride your mountain bike? Let us know in the comments section below!
