I’ve gotten a few e-mails including ones from IMBA and the Medicine Wheel Email List about the Management Plan for the Pike and San Isabel National Forests being revised. The Pike and San Isabel National Forests cover a huge area along the Front Range and into the central mountains. The area includes epic mountain bike rides like the Monarch Crest Trail, Buffalo Creek, sections of the Colorado and Continental Divide Trails, and numerous trails near Colorado Springs, Salida, Leadville, and Pueblo.

There is a page on the web that gives ways to get your opinion heard. The Forest Service is holding 7 public meetings. Two of them have already taken place. One is scheduled for this Tuesday in Denver and our Colorado Springs meeting is planned for Wednesday night. Unfortunately I won’t be able to attend it but hopefully I’ll be able to get some information on what happens there. I know at least one person from Pikes Peak Velo plans to go.

The biggest issue is some people would like to see the whole west and south slope of Pikes Peak, among 10 other places in central Colorado, be designated as Wilderness. I’ve spent plenty of time backpacking in wilderness areas and think they are important but they don’t allow mountain bikes. According to the email on from theMedicine Wheel Email List, the Central Colorado Wilderness Coalition would like to see Wilderness designation and they are planning on attending/commenting in large numbers. If you can’t make any of the meetings, you can send an email to r2_psicc_webmail@fs.fed.us or snail mail comments to

Pike-San Isabel National Forests
Attn: Forest Plan Revision Team
2840 Kachina Drive,
Pueblo, CO 81008