Bikepacking (May 20, 2026) by Daniel Jessee

As has become common over the last 15 months, it’s almost impossible to keep up with all the changes within the agencies that manage and protect our public lands in the United States. In this update, we share recent developments that could impact our public lands around the country. Although public lands affect far more than just bike trails, we highlight decisions and changes that could impact areas relevant to bikepacking.

US Forest Service HQ Move

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is moving the US Forest Service headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City, Utah, and completely reorganizing how the agency looks. We first reported on this proposal last August. Now, the USDA is making it official and adding more details. What’s more, the Forest Service will close all nine regional offices and move to a 15-unit, state-based structure. All scientific research leadership will consolidate in the Fort Collins office. It is unclear which research facilities across the country may be closed. The USDA claims, “The Forest Service is not shutting down any of its experimental forests and ranges… We have proposed to close select facilities at some experimental forests, often facilities that are under-utilized or vacant.”

This organizational move mirrors a similar change for the Bureau of Land Management, which the first Trump Administration relocated to Grand Junction, Colorado, in 2020. Out of more than 300 employees who were ordered to relocate, only 41 accepted relocation, and only three ended up in the Grand Junction office. Under the Biden Administration, the national office was moved back to Washington, D.C.

Thousands of miles of routes on our website, such as The Real Pisgah, The Colorado Trail, and M.O.R.E. depend on effective national forest management to remain viable.

Roadless Rule Rescission

The US Forest Service is expected to release a draft Environmental Impact Statement on its decision to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule at any time. We first reported on the notice of intent to rescind and the subsequent abbreviated comment period last September. If rescinded, the Roadless Rule could impact over 10,000 miles of mountain bike trails across 42 states, in addition to countless other trails and waterways. There have been no public hearings by the USFS since the intent to rescind was announced. This is in contrast to over 600 hearings before the original rule was created. Local organizations like the California Mountain Bike Association have been holding their own public information sessions in the absence of federal meetings. Keep an eye out for a tight public input window when the comment period opens.

AZT Southern Terminus

Along the same lines, CBP’s construction of the physical border wall is prompting the Arizona Trail Association (ATA) to move the southern terminus of its eponymous trail, which has famously ended at Monument 102—one of 258 stone obelisks placed by surveyors in the mid-19th century along the US-Mexico border. As this is along a hiking-only section of the trail, bikepackers have traditionally found their southern terminus one mile to the west at Monument 103. In April, the Arizona Trail Association announced that the last mile of the trail was closed indefinitely and that they were working with the National Park Service to establish a new terminus atop Coronado Peak near the border.

The Arizona Trail Race and bikepacking route have also had to change the southern terminus to about a quarter mile north of Monument 103, since border wall construction is using the existing border road and cutting off access to the border itself. The ATA also reports that the plan is for two parallel 30-foot walls with a 150-foot access road in between them.

Public Lands Rule

In May, the US Department of the Interior announced that it was rescinding the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) 2024 Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, better known as the Public Lands Rule. At its core, the Public Lands Rule required that conservation be considered as a viable “use” of public land, placing it on the same legal footing as extraction, grazing, recreation, and hunting. In reading the BLM’s decision, they state that “many of the public comments supported the BLM’s proposal.” This is in contrast to findings by other organizations suggesting that as much as 98% of comments were against rescinding the rule. Rescinding the rule means the BLM will continue to manage public lands the same way it has since 1983, before lithium extraction, fracking, and side-by-sides were common, and when the US population was 100 million people smaller. The new rule will go into effect on June 11, 2026.

The above stories are only a sample of the issues with recent updates that could have major impacts on our public lands, air, and water here in the United States. Do you know about other major challenges that could affect the land we rely on for recreation? Drop them in the Conversation below. You can also use our Route Alert feature on specific guides for any access issues, route impediments, or other necessary updates.

 

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