Roadless Rule Update

For cyclists, inventoried roadless areas (IRAs) are the crown jewels of our public lands. They offer a unique “wilderness-like” experience without the restrictions on bicycles found in designated Wilderness areas. This means we can access some of the most remote and scenic singletrack trails out there.

In California, these areas cover about 4.4 million acres across 21 national forests, including the Angeles, Tahoe, and Inyo National Forests. In practical terms, the Roadless Rule currently protects about one-third of America’s National Forest land, including 25,121 miles of trails, 8,659 climbing routes, 768 miles of whitewater, and 10,794 miles of mountain biking. 

The administration has made rolling back the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule a major policy priority, aiming to open roughly 58.5 million acres of National Forest System lands to road construction, timber harvesting, and industrial development.

In response, lawmakers introduced the Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2025 (H.R. 3930 and S. 2042). Sponsored by Rep. Andrea Salinas (OR) and supported by over 45 members of Congress, the bill seeks to codify the 2001 Roadless Rule into permanent law. This would mean the protections could only be undone by an act of Congress, rather than by executive branch rulemaking.

Roadless Rule Update: Timeline

• Executive Order (January 2025): President Trump issued an executive order prioritizing the expansion of domestic timber production and directing the Secretary of Agriculture to roll back Biden-era protections. This immediately targeted areas like Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.
• Notice of Intent to Rescind (Summer 2025): USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins formally announced the administration’s intention to completely rescind the national 2001 Roadless Rule. In August 2025, the USDA announced it would prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to formalize this process.
• Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Spring 2026): The USDA has been moving through the formal rulemaking process, with the draft EIS and proposed rule to rescind the protections scheduled for release in the Spring of 2026.

Support for Roadless Areas:

• Recreation Stakeholders: provides wilderness-light experience. Allows for a broad range of recreational use, while still maintaining the backcountry experience.
• Environmental/Conservation Stakeholders: Less ecosystem impacts, such as watershed degradation and habitat fragmentation from commercial extraction operations and resulting increase of roads. Fuels management still permitted, commercial extraction is not.

Roadless Spaces and Places

The 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule is actually one of the most important – and cherished – designations for mountain bikers in California. Here are some of the most popular and legendary mountain bike trails in California that lie within or traverse these protected Roadless areas:

1. Pauley Creek & Second Divide Trails (Downieville)
2. Stanford Rock Trail (West Shore, Lake Tahoe)
3. South Fork Trinity River Trail (Hayfork / Northern CA)
4. Meeks Ridge & Lost Lake (West Shore, Lake Tahoe)
5. Cannell Trail / The Cannell Plunge (Kernville)
6. Condor Peak Trail (Los Angeles Area)
7. Sisson-Callahan Trail (Mt. Shasta Area)

Never been in a Roadless Area? Check out the Radavist’s Condor Peak Trail Guide featuring coalition members, Lowelifes Respectable Citizens’ Club and their work on Condor Peak.

Next Steps

Following release of the draft EIS and proposed rule to rescind the Roadless Rule has been released:

• Public Comment Period: The release will immediately trigger a formal public comment period (typically 45 to 90 days). This is expected to draw a massive response, similar to the hundreds of thousands of comments submitted during the initial scoping phase in late 2025.
• Alternative Plans: The draft will outline several “alternatives” for managing these public lands, ranging from taking no action (leaving the 2001 rule intact) to the administration’s preferred alternative of fully rescinding the protections and returning management discretion to local levels.
• Final Decision: After reviewing the comments from this upcoming period, the USDA aims to publish the final EIS and the final Record of Decision (ROD) by late 2026 to officially formalize the rollback.

Upcoming Public Meetings

• May 7: Orange County Event @ Oak Grove Park
• May 12, 5p-8p: Rocklin Event @ Sierra Rocklin College
• May 13, 5p-8p: Tahoe Event @ Lake Tahoe Community College