NPS/Neal Herbert
January 21, 2021 – The National Park Service is announcing a 30-day public review on a written determination to allow bicycle use on the newly constructed Arches Visitor Center Connector Trail, which connects the Arches National Park visitor center to the Moab Canyon Pathway.
The review period gives the public an opportunity to signal if they think bicycle use on the trail would negatively impact Arches’ natural, scenic, and aesthetic values, affect safety, disturb wildlife or park resources.
The trail would allow park visitors, employees, and residents to safely access the Arches visitor center on a bike from the existing bicycle and pedestrian path (Moab Canyon Pathway) outside the park. Currently, people entering Arches National Park on bikes must use the main entrance road, which creates safety issues for vehicles and cyclists.
In January 2020, the public shared their feedback on the environmental assessment (EA), which evaluated the impacts of bicycle use on the trail. After incorporating the comments received, the NPS finalized that environmental assessment process in May 2020 with a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).
Agency regulations tied to the creation or designation of bicycle paths on public lands require the NPS to first complete an environmental review, then second complete a formal written determination (36 CFR § 4.30). With the environmental review complete, the NPS is now working to finalize the written determination. Written determinations are published in the Federal Register Notice, and available for a 30-day public period.
The Visitor Center Connector Trail EA and FONSI, which provide information and context for the written determination are available at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/documentsList.cfm?projectID=92060.
The public can access the written determination at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/FRNotice_ARCHbiketrail. Comments will be received through February 22. 2021. The Arches National Park Superintendent, Patty Trap, will work with the Regional Director, Mike Reynolds, to review the comments and finalize the written determination.
How to submit comments:
You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
(1) Electronically: Visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/arch and click on the link entitled “Open for Comment”.
(2) By hard copy: Mail to Park Superintendent, Arches National Park 2282 S West Resource Blvd. Moab, UT 84532.
The NPS finding was “No significant impact”. Really???? We already know there is SIGNIFICANT impact from people on foot within Arches National Park, so how can they say that bicycles will have “No significant impact”. Why don’t they ask someone who has visited the park nearly 30 years ago. The landscape in and around Arches National Park has SIGNIFICANTLY been beaten down since that time. The NPS is NOT about protecting the park. They are about squeezing every nickel they can from as many people as they can. The NPS should aggressively protect Arches National Park, and all of our national parks, so they can be enjoyed for centuries to come, but unfortunately, I’ve witnessed more times that I can count when NPS employees simply look the other way when people go off-trail, or park where they shouldn’t. The NPS solution seems to be “Let’s build more parking lots”. Very sad indeed.
Pleas, no bikes. They are a menace everywhere, with riders always having conflicts with walkers.