WASHINGTON – Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) introduced the Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Act Wednesday, a bill that would allow more Americans to mountain bike in wilderness areas.

“Our National Wilderness Preservation System was created so that the American people could enjoy the solitude and recreational opportunities of this continent’s priceless natural areas,” Lee said. “This bill would enrich Americans enjoyment of the outdoors by making it easier for them to mountain bike in wilderness areas.”

“Utah is blessed with an abundance of beautiful wilderness, and Americans should be free to enjoy it,” Hatch said. “This bill presents a reasonable approach to allowing the use of mountain bikes on trails and grant federal land managers the ability to do necessary maintenance.”

Specifically, the Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Act would:

(1) Allow local land managers to decide whether to allow and how to manage mountain biking in wilderness areas; and

(2) Allow federal employees or designees to use non-invasive, minimal technology to maintain wilderness trails.

Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act by Senator Mike Lee on Scribd