# What the Biking on Long-Distance Trails Act Does

This bill asks the federal government to identify and develop long-distance mountain biking trails on public lands across the country. Specifically, it requires the Department of Interior and Department of Agriculture to find at least 10 existing trails that are already 80 miles or longer and could be connected to create bike routes, plus identify at least 10 more areas where new trails could be built or completed to meet that same length requirement. The goal is to create a network of serious biking routes that span multiple states and regions, similar to famous long-distance hiking trails.

The bill focuses on using dirt and natural surface trails rather than paved roads, though some paved connections are allowed where necessary. The government agencies have 18 months to identify these trails and must involve the public in the process, taking comments from bikers, local communities, and other interested groups. They also need to make sure the trails are spread fairly across different parts of the country rather than concentrated in just a few regions. Within two years, they'll publish a report listing all the trails they've identified and summarizing what people said about them.

An important safeguard in the bill is that these new bike trails cannot interfere with other existing uses of the land. If an area is already used for hiking, horseback riding, or other activities, biking has to coexist peacefully with those uses. The trails also cannot be built in wilderness areas or conflict with how the land is already managed. The agencies can work with local organizations and nonprofits to help maintain and develop these trails, but the bill doesn't require any new federal spending—it's mainly about organizing and promoting trails that already exist or could be created using existing resources.

Biking on Long-Distance Trails Act

Neguse, Joe

Biking on Long-Distance Trails Act This bill establishes requirements related to long-distance bike trails. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) shall identify <ul> <li>not fewer than 10 long-distance bike trails that make use of existing trails and roads, and</li> <li>not fewer than 10 areas in which there is an opportunity to develop or complete a trail that would qualify as a long-distance bike trail.</li> </ul> Interior and USDA shall <ul> <li> develop a process to allow members of the public to comment regarding the identification of trails and areas; and </li> <li>consider the identification, development, and completion of long-distance bike trails in a geographically equitable manner.</li> </ul> The Department concerned shall ensure that each identified long-distance bike trail or area does not conflict with <ul> <li>the uses of any trail or road that is part of that long-distance bike trail;</li> <li>multiple-use areas where biking, hiking, horseback riding, or use by pack and saddle stock are existing uses;</li> <li>the purposes for which any trail was or is established under the National Trails System Act; and</li> <li> any area managed under the Wilderness Act.</li> </ul> The Department concerned shall also ensure that each identified long-distance trail or area complies with land use and management plans of the federal recreational lands that are part of that long-distance bike trail.