Mountain bikers no longer allowed on some trails near Kelly Canyon, and here’s why

IDAHO FALLS – An effort from Caribou-Targhee National Forest to restrict mountain bike use on a series of trails near Kelly Canyon is raising some concerns.

The project focuses on trails north of Swan Valley in areas surrounding Buckskin Morgan Ridge, Table Rock, Fish Creek, and Windy Ridge.

In December, the U.S. Forest Service announced a project designating “a formal non-motorized trail system that would provide for better recreation management and trail maintenance.”

RELATED | Scoping begins on the Kelly Canyon Mountain Bike Trails project

There are about 15 miles of trails in that area, as shown in the map below.

Courtesy U.S. Forest Service

Tracy Hollingshead with the Palisades Ranger District, where the trails are located, is overseeing the project. She tells EastIdahoNews.com the Fish Creek area is reserved for wildlife and cattle grazing and was never meant for mountain bikes. The proximity of designated trails led to an increase in user-built trails in the Fish Creek area.

Though people have biked in the Fish Creek area for decades, Hollingshead says a 2008 travel management plan from the U.S. Forest Service made it illegal.

Going forward, some of these trails will be closed to mountain bike riding.

The Forest Service is working to make that clear to the public, which could come in the form of posted signage or fences blocking it off. Those details are still being determined.

They’ll also be connecting many of the trails that are designated for mountain bikers.

“Fish Creek will have a trail system that connects to some of the trails (in the southwest corner of the map),” she says. “We got some really good input during a public comment period and we think we’re going to make some changes to what’s proposed on this map.”

Going forward, those caught biking in that area could be subject to fines.

The goal is to have this project completed by June.

Mountain biker on the Fish Creek trail. | Courtesy TrailForks

Mountain biker concerns

Josh Cummings, a business owner in Ammon who frequently rides in that area with a mountain biking group, feels the project unfairly restricts people.

Despite the 2008 plan making it illegal, Cummings says the Forest Service knows it’s been popular for decades and should have made it clear it was illegal.

“It’s unfortunate that it wasn’t clear to anybody out there,” Hollingshead says in response.

Since this announcement has been on ongoing conversation for years, Hollingshead says it was a conscious decision not to enforce it until a plan was in place. Law enforcement added additional details to the 2008 order, which also delayed its enforcement.

Cummings notes the area designated for mountain bike use is about nine miles of trails, which he says isn’t adequate for the number of people who bike in the area.

“You get 30 people on nine miles of trails and it’s crowded,” Cummings says. “There’s a safety factor.”

He’s critical of the timing of the Forest’s announcement, which occurred on Dec. 14 — eleven days before Christmas. He suggests the decision to release it at a time of year when most people are pre-occupied with shopping and family gatherings was deliberate.

No deadline is specified on the project’s website, but Cummings says an employee he spoke with told him the deadline was Jan. 8.

Hollingshead says the timing of the announcement was coincidental and there was no agenda behind it.

A box on the website indicating a date of “N/A” for a comment period is referring to an environmental impact assessment, she says.

Box from the project website showing the date for the comment period. | Courtesy Caribou-Targhee National Forest

At the bottom of the website, a letter about the project says “comments would be most useful if received by Jan. 8.”

“The reason we said that was the most useful timeframe is because we wanted to get on with the decision (so we could have it completed in time for summer),” Hollingshead says. “We don’t have to offer an official comment period in this process. We chose to do that because we wanted input from the folks that use the trails.”

There’s not an official cutoff point for submitting public comment about the project. Those wanting to comment can still do so, providing it’s submitted soon.

“The longer we delay, the less likely we’ll have this in place for summer,” she says.

Comments can be sent to Amanda Brown, who is the project lead. Her email is [email protected].

‘This is not the manner we wish our public lands to be managed’

In a letter to EastIdahoNews.com, Cummings expresses disagreement with the Forest Service’s decision. The longterm effect will be detrimental to the community, he says.

“This is being sold to the public as a good thing, when in fact, it will negatively impact many business owners, bike shops, members of the community, and especially the youth that seek to navigate healthy recreational opportunities and healthy lifestyles,” Cummings writes. “This is not the manner we wish our public lands to be managed.”

Hollingshead says they’re keenly aware of how important mountain biking is to people and there’s no emotion involved in this decision. They hope to come up with the “best solution they can” in a timely manner.

“Our goal is to come up with the best solution we can in the shortest amount of time so we’re not dragging this on for years. We want to see a sustainable, usable system of mountain bike trails in that area,” says Hollingshead.