Lawsuit blocks riders from gaining singletrack access on Mount Tamalpais

A lawsuit filed in October, 2024, has been settled, and mountain bikers continue to be banned from singletrack on Mt. Tam.

By Greg Heil
May 27, 2025 Last Updated: May 28, 2025

21 comments

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A lawsuit filed by the the California Native Plant Society, the Marin Audubon Society, and the Marin Conservation League has successfully blocked a trail sharing pilot program in Marin, California’s Mount Tamalpais Watershed. The program would have allowed mountain bikes and class 1 e-bikes on 6.6 miles of singletrack on Marin Water District lands. Mount Tamalpais, aka Mt. Tam, is widely heralded as the birthplace of the sport of mountain biking.

A long-awaited pilot program brought to a screeching halt

The pilot program was initially hailed by mountain bikers as a momentous win, and was the result of advocacy efforts stretching back to the mid-1990s. “The Marin County Bicycle Coalition (MCBC) is appreciative of all the work, outreach and collaboration done by Marin Water over the past several years. This is a huge win. We were prepared to get one or two trails and we got 10,” said Krista Hoff, MCBC’s Off-Road Director. “We are taking this opportunity seriously. We are conservationists too — we care about the ecology of Mt. Tam as well as other users’ experiences and we intend to be excellent trail stewards.”

The lawsuit, filed on October 1, 2024, alleged that “Marin Water failed to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in its adoption of these programs,” according to a press release. At the time, Marin Water stated that it believed “the planned pilot and trail programs were adopted in compliance with CEQA requirements and are thoughtful progressions in our adaptive management approach to recreational uses on the Mt. Tam Watershed.”

Lawsuit settled, and bikes still aren’t allowed on singletrack on Mt. Tam

The lawsuit was finally settled eight months later, in early May 2025. “As part of the agreement, the District could rescind both pilot programs, which were adopted in September 2024, in exchange for a dismissal of the lawsuit,” wrote Marin Water in an official statement published on May 5, 2025.

In short, the litigants were successful in preventing mountain bikes from gaining legal access to singletrack trails on Mt. Tam.

Following the settlement, the Marin Water Board of Directors announced on May 7 that it will launch a new e-bike pilot program on July 1, 2025, which will allow e-bikes where mountain bikes are currently permitted for a period of up to two years. Unfortunately, mountain bikers are currently limited to riding fire roads on Mt. Tam, and do not have any singletrack access in the birthplace of mountain biking.

“This is a major blow to Marin’s mountain biking community and a frustrating step back after years of public process, partnership-building, and trail stewardship,” wrote Access4Bikes, MCBC, and the California Mountain Biking Coalition in a combined post on Instagram.

“This is not about science or responsible land management. Unfortunately, it is about the ability to share. The leadership at Marin Conservation League, Marin Audubon, and the CA Native Plant Society are selfish, and have decided that since bikes are banned from trails, they’d prefer to keep it that way through litigation,” wrote Access4Bikes in a recent comment. “These 3 bad actors have chosen lawyers over science.”

“Marin Water will continue to explore options for bike access on select single-track trails on the watershed, and this will be done as part of a broader planning effort that will include community input throughout the process,” the May 5th press release continues. “Any future action in this area will be guided by additional California Environmental Quality Act review. Initial discussion about next steps for exploring trail access will be covered during a Roads and Trails planning update at a Watershed Committee Meeting in June.”

Updated 8:30am MDT on May 28, 2025, with additional comments from Access4Bikes.

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21 Comments

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Gary S 2015
3 weeks ago

Sad but not surprising. This happens all over the country, smaller groups get bullied by bigger groups with these 11th hour shenanigans. You can do everything right and still get stopped by a couple shitheels. It's amazing anyone bothers trying anymore.

4 reply

Combinednathan Washington // 2025
3 weeks ago

it's the playbook thats destroying dirt bike trail riding in Washington. I don't want to see the same for mtn biking anywhere, even in California

1 reply

the.bler Washington // 2020
3 weeks ago

I've found WA less restrictive than CA

Growing up in the Bay, I remember losing access to single track throughout basically a 100 mile area around Marin due to the shenanigans happening on Mt Tam. They effected many many riders and literally caused me to stop riding MTB

This should be a good example of why we should be working with communities to build relationships around MTB access. Which requires all riders to adhere to high ethical standards and always give right of way, this is the hardest part.

2 reply

snn32 2018
3 weeks ago

100% agree. I lived in Marin in 1990-91. The trails were mostly closed & more would close that year. I now live in Bellingham and mostly hike. It's funny how you can have 20 riders bombing down Chuckanut mtb trails & all you hear as a hiker is a few chain slaps or a "whoop". As long as you can designate a few mtb trails, everyone can be happy.

0 reply

Zoso 2016
3 weeks ago

That's certainly part of the equation but I'd say the main problem is how uptight the outdoor culture is there locally.

rwoz Arkansas // 2024
3 weeks ago

"This should be a good example of why we should be working with communities to build relationships around MTB access. Which requires all riders to adhere to high ethical standards and always give right of way, this is the hardest part."

The problem is that this requires mountain bikers to actually be decent and, facing reality, a lot of us aren't. I live in a destination area and the amount of rude, disrespectful behavior I see from riders on bikes is more than other groups combined. Locals here try to accept bikes, but it's hard to do when people act the way that they do towards others.

I don't know how you contain this problem. We've tried education but it doesn't reach people from outside the area that are the main aggravators. I've tried to ask people _POLITELY_ to not poach the busiest hiking trails in the area on holiday weekends when they are full of people, only to be rebuffed. I've had people directly tell me: "I don't live here, so if access is lost it doesn't effect me" - word for word.

You can't teach or advocate for someone to have integrity and be a good person. Unfortunately the world is full of bad, arrogant, mean people and that includes mountain bikers. I don't know what happened in Marin County, but I can say that this is a major access issue here and one that is an escalating problem.

I absolutely agree, we should be looking at riding as a privilege not a right we are entitled to.

Marin access issues go away back to the balloon tire days when guys ripped up the single track trails without regard to hikers.

Enough people complained that the state (and regional) parks completely closed access to single track for cyclists indefinitely.

I'm still upset over it but it was the very infancy of MTB and the folks causing the issues felt entitled to use the trails causing even more of a rift between trail users.

So you expect it would be up to the community to accept MTB without any outreach? Highly doubt that will happen, trail etiquette states cyclists have the least amount of right of way. Which means they are the first ones kicked out of trail access if there are any issues.

What part of the "uptight outdoor culture" do you feel would restrict MTB access?

-1 reply

bikepete Oregon // 2019
3 weeks ago

And let's admit it...these are the consumptive losers who are melting Antarctica....history will not be kind.

DUBBER California // 2025
3 weeks ago

I think the E-bike inclusion was a bit much. Time to go full guerilla. You can’t stop me if you can’t catch me!

Marin county. Always SMH.

bpmaiden 2021
3 weeks ago

Since the lawsuit was settled instead of going to court, does that mean this decision is the end of the line? Seems harsh for mountain biking. I'm all for a healthy, clean, quiet environment, but I think this is going too far. We can have both environmental stewardship and mountain biking, it doesn't have to be us versus them. It's all us. If that means we need rules to rein in unruly riders, I would think that would be desirable for almost everybody. (And if you're unruly and don't like that, maybe cool it.)

caseyj0nes Ohio // 2025
3 weeks ago

Clean environment. Latest study showing the amount of microplastics and PFAS released from tires would make anyone reconsider allowing them in a watershed.

-3 reply

CycleKrieg Minnesota // 2017
3 weeks ago

Mike Vandeman, is that you? :-)

Seriously though:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723010896

Only Karen's care about that. This isn't about plastic, this is about control. Stop worrying about things that don't affect you, you'll be happier for it.

All those automobile tires are ok, though? It's literally raining PFAS, a few bike tires aren't going to matter

5 reply

AUTHOR

Greg Heil Colorado // 2008
3 weeks ago

This. Microplastics are being shed by almost EVERYTHING in our developed society. Think your hiking boots and trail running shoes don't shed microplastics? Think again.

LeonardPowell California // 2012
3 weeks ago

Hmmm. Sounds like the Agency ran afoul of CEQA procedures. If so, this is a terrible and preventable tragedy. I’ve worked a lot with CEQA so this very much interests me. I’ll look for that lawsuit and certainly learn from it.

Repoman1121 California // 2025
3 weeks ago

I have been mountain biking in Brent County since 1989. I've been on just about every trail on fire road in the whole county using the old Rambler's Guide. In all the dead riding from the ocean to the bay and from Sausalito to Petaluma I can't think of a single single track trail that can't be shared it's just downright ridiculous. I love to hike as well and I am fine with bikes and hiking trails when I'm riding on a trail I just pull my bike completely off the trail for other people go by I am so utterly frustrated.

BrianLBrown Missouri // 2022
3 weeks ago

I heard about a dude who once uttered this simple pipe dream: "Can't we all just get along?"

A long-awaited pilot program brought to a screeching halt

Lawsuit settled, and bikes still aren’t allowed on singletrack on Mt. Tam

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