Mountain Biking in U.S. National Parks

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) and the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) have announced 12 partnership projects for 2006, including three pilot programs.

Pilot mountain bike programs will be carried out in Big Bend National Park (Texas), Fort Dupont National Park (Washington, DC) and Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio). Each of the three programs is unique, but all will involve substantial study of the recreational benefits and potential impacts that mountain biking brings to national park units.

In addition to the three pilot programs, the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crews hope to visit as many as nine U.S. National Park units in 2006. More than 40 of the units already provide mountain bikers with the opportunity to explore their parks on dirt roads and trails.