With its challenging terrain, beautiful scenery, plenty of single track and countless miles of old logging roads, the Medicine Bow National Forest is a favorite place to mountain bike. Here are some questions and answers concerning mountain biking and the Citizens' Conservation Plan.

In the Citizens' Conservation Alternative, about 35% of the forest would be protected as wilderness. All other areas (65%) would be open to mountain biking. Trails that will remain open include the Happy Jack trail complex, Headquarters Trail, the Sheep Mountain Trail, and the Corner Mountain Trail. Thousands of miles of dirt roads and jeep trails will also remain open to mountain bikes.

Yes. The Keep the Medicine Bow WILD Plan would designate most of the roadless areas larger than 5,000 acres in size as wilderness. Because the Wilderness Act allows no mechanized equipment inside a wilderness, mountain bikes would be excluded. If you would like to know which areas on the forest the citizens' conservation plan proposes as wilderness, please look at the map inside one of our "Keep the Medicine Bow WILD" brochures or give us a call at our office.

Right now, the Medicine Bow National Forest is the most heavily logged national forest in the entire Southern Rocky Mountain Region, which includes Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. At least 2/3 of the forest has been heavily impacted by logging roads and clearcuts. Because the Medicine Bow is so heavily logged, almost every roadless area on the forest is threatened.

Wilderness designation is the only way to permanently protect special places on the forest from logging. So, people aren't supporting the Keep the Medicine Bow WILD plan because they are against mountain biking. They just want to save what little wild forest is left on the Medicine Bow.