In May of 2023, we reported on a study in Vermont aiming to gauge attitudes and perceptions toward electric mountain bikes (eMTBs).
The study, conducted in 2022, showed that trail user attitudes toward eMTBs have become more positive than negative and there is a “general willingness and even motivation to enable further integration of eMTBs into the sport.” Research was conducted in partnership with Fellowship of the Wheel and on multi-use Hinesburg Town Forest trails, opening class 1 eMTB access on trails during the study.
Trail impacts were minimal—no more than a regular mountain bike. Data on safety and etiquette reflected the individual, not the type of bike, and participants didn’t think adding eMTBs would lead to overcrowding on the trails.
One voice, however, that was absent from the Vermont study was land managers. So, our ears perked up when Singletracks caught wind of a proposal from the Forest Service (USFS) allowing e-bikes on select trails in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Allowing eMTBs on existing trails has many excited about the access they provide to those who may need pedal assistance on some rides. eMTBs also have the potential to free up vehicle congestion at trailheads.
On the other hand, others are concerned about even more wear and tear on the area’s trails and high speeds. The controversy seems to continue—are these bikes, or are they something entirely different? We tried to get a pulse on the happenings in Jackson, Wyoming.
Digging into the proposal
We reached out to the Jackson Ranger District, who declined an interview. “The project is still very much a work in progress. Since it is likely to develop quite a bit over the next few months, we are thinking that a story in a publication is premature,” responded Linda Merigliano in an email.
Merigliano, the Jackson area’s USFS Recreation and Wilderness Program Manager, did, however, send links to all the public information on the proposal. This included the district’s scoping letter to the public, laying out the proposal’s intent.
If passed, the proposal will allow class-1 eMTBs access to 27.5 miles across ten existing mountain bike and multi-use Teton Pass trails. Four proposed trails currently allow biking, hiking, and horseback riding. One trail only allows hiking and biking, while the remaining five are currently biking only.
The proposal also extends the season for class-1 e-bikes in the Horsetail Creek and Munger Mountain areas. E-bikes are currently allowed access during summer on the motorized trails in the two areas. If passed, eMTBs will have year-round access to Munger Mountain and extended access to the Horsetail Creek area by nearly three months.
In the USFS’s scoping letter, they recognize the growing trend of e-bike sales and usage. The proposal introduces the topic, stating: “Electric bikes (e-bikes) are growing in popularity and offer the potential for new opportunities to experience National Forest System lands. Yet, if left unmanaged, e-bikes also have the potential to increase user conflicts and create safety issues on already heavily used trail systems. With a rapid increase in e-bike use in the Jackson area, Forest staff believe now is the time to address this topic.”
The scoping letter states, “data from local patrol logs documents an increase of unauthorized e-bike use on our non-motorized trail system.”
The USFS also said, “Research shows that prohibiting a certain use without providing opportunities for that use elsewhere is ineffective.”
As for now, opportunities to ride eMTBs in the Jackson area are limited to motorized trails, which often have riders on off-highway vehicle (OHV) trails. The USFS recognizes this isn’t the experience many eMTB-ers are seeking when they ride.
They also see it as an opportunity for certain groups to access trails they may not be able to on a traditional mountain bike, like riders with disabilities, heart, and other physical limitations.
A permit system is also a part of the proposal mentioned in the scoping letter. Those wanting to ride the proposed trails on their eMTB would obtain a sticker from a local bike shop. This sticker would identify their eMTB as a class-1 e-bike. Failing to have a sticker or attempting to ride the proposed trails on a class-2 or 3 e-bike could result in a fine.
If passed, the proposal will go into effect in May. This will take eMTB access up to 12% (this figure includes motorized trails eMTBs currently have access to) of trails in the Jackson Ranger District.
Advocates for Multi-Use of Public Lands
Will Mook, Executive Director of Advocates for Multi-Use of Public Lands (AMPL), has been working on this proposal with the Jackson Ranger District from the beginning. AMPL is one of several mountain bike groups and bike shops involved. AMPL advocates for recreational access to public land and works with the USFS to build and maintain trails in the area.
The Jackson area is known for its epic backcountry mountain biking trails. However, many of the area’s trails are out of reach for eMTB-ers as they are on USFS land. The “motorized” and “non-motorized” distinction the USFS has keeps eMTBs off the non-motorized singletrack that makes up the majority of the trail systems in Jackson. And it is this traditional mountain bike singletrack that many e-bikers are looking for.
Mook explained there are currently three singletrack trails that allow eMTBs. These, of course, are motorized trails. And while these three trails have decent mileage, they are isolated and unconnected.
Rutted dirt bike tracks with no trail network were not the experience eMTB-ers in the community sought. They desired trails that “scratch that itch of the traditional mountain bike field, but with pedal assist,” as Mook put it.
“I was approached by a local mountain bike rider who was getting older,” Mook told us, reflecting on the proposal’s origins a little over a year ago. “He was complaining that the Jackson area doesn’t have adequate singletrack—like a mountain bike experience trail—for e-bikes.”
The local rider who first approached Mook on the matter involved some others. “This working group came together,” Mook said. “We approached the Forest Service to try to be constructive and figure out if there was an area that already has existing trails that could be appropriate for e-bikes to be allowed on.”
Mook said that while AMPL was like a “contributing member” and played a part in developing the proposal, the local rider who initially approached him deserves a lot of credit.
E-bikers desired singletrack, which was proposed, with one exception: Old Pass Road. “That’s a paved pathway that goes from Trail Creek, which is at the bottom of the pass, up to the summit,” Mook said. “The thinking there was because there are downhill only and downhill-specific jump trails being proposed for e-bikes.”
Allowing e-bikes on Old Pass Road will allow the road to work as a climbing trail for eMTB-ers. Mook told us that the route is a popular shuttle road for mountain bikers. Giving eMTBs access to Old Pass Road will ease some of the shuttling traffic in the area.
Traffic and congestion are another area where Mook sees the e-bike proposal benefiting the trails. Due to heavy traffic, Mook told us that traveling even just a handful of miles has taken him over an hour. For some, allowing eMTBs eliminates the need for a vehicle.
“So another idea behind this proposal is you could theoretically get on your e-bike at your house in Jackson, get on a pathway, and bike straight to the pass,” Mook told us. “Climb on your e-bike, have some downhill riding, and bike home, just keeping cars off the highway.”
But, what does the public think?
Like anything proposed on public land, the proposal requires public input and opinion. The comment period was open until October 30, 2023, and received 334 online comments.
As you can imagine, the comments presented mixed feedback on the controversial issue.
There did seem to be some themes popping up in many of the comments we looked at. Many in opposition to the proposal were concerned about trail and wildlife impacts and user conflicts. Those for the proposal mentioned class-1 eMTBs not having more of a trail impact than traditional mountain bikes.
The USFS held an open house on October 12, 2023. Mook attended, hoping to get a feel for the public’s leaning. “That’s just not what that meeting was about,” he said. “It was definitely an informational, true open house style [meeting].”
Mook felt the open house was also an opportunity to educate the public on what a class-1 e-bike is.
“A local bike shop brought a couple of different bikes to have on display. I think he had a pathway e-bike, a mountain e-bike, and just a normal analog bike,” Mook told us. Mook believes many concerns around eMTBs come from a lack of understanding and experience.
The USFS plans to hold another meeting about the proposal in February, though Mook hasn’t heard of a specific date. We’ll share any updates on the trail plan as they develop.
