Whew! It just ain't so.

Mountain bikes are NOT banned from the Bigelow Preserve, nor is there any plan to do so, according to Kathy Eichenburg of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.

Woo-hoo!!!

An ecstatic mountain biker rejoices at the news!
Carey Kish photo

I had a real nice and rather lengthy conversation with Eichenburg this morning about a variety of issues regarding the Bigelow Preserve and the newly minted management plan.

Mountain bikes are a welcome part of the recreational mix, Eichenburg assured me, just as they have been for a long time.

In a effort to clear up any misunderstandings on this hot button issue Eichenburg issued a press release today detailing the state's official position on mountain bikes in the preserve.

Rather than highlight, synopsize or risk muddying up the singletrack in any way, here's the message--the good news for concerned mountain bikers--straight from the BPL:

Mountain Biking on the Bigelow Preserve Is Allowed Under the New Flagstaff Regional Management Plan adopted by the State Bureau of Parks and Lands

An article in the August 3, 2007 Morning Sentinel has raised concerns that the Bureau of Parks & Lands plans to eliminate a favored mountain bike route on the Bigelow Preserve. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the new Flagstaff Region Management Plan explicitly recognizes mountain biking as an allowed use on the Preserve for the first time in the Preserve’s history. Mountain biking was not addressed in the previous management plan for this area, the 1989 Bigelow Preserve Management Plan. In designating mountain biking as a new allowed use, the Plan stated “It is the Bureau’s view that mountain biking, as a backcountry touring experience, can be compatible with the quiet backcountry recreation opportunities that are currently provided in the Preserve in the non-winter seasons.”

Contrary to what was reported on August 3, the new Flagstaff Region Management Plan adopted on June 12 of this year will not restrict mountain bikes to roads designated for automobile use. The Plan will allow mountain biking on designated management roads and trails, which are identified in the Plan to include the East and West Flagstaff Roads, the Stratton Brook Road, the extension of the Huston Brook Road that links with the Stratton Brook Road, and the woods management road linking the Stratton Brook Road to Stratton. This system includes the route that is presently used by the mountain biking community. The Plan recognized that some use conflicts could occur, but has addressed these through its policy of limiting mountain bikes to designated trails.

The Bigelow Preserve and the nearby state properties on Flagstaff Lake and the surrounding region offer great opportunities for outdoor recreation, including hiking the Appalachian Trail, canoeing and kayaking on Flagstaff Lake and the Dead River, hunting, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, backcountry skiing, mountain biking and more – a great place to “Take it Outside.”

This is great news! For mountain bikers and other multiple-use users of the Bigelow Preserve, a very special place that we all care about deeply. Thank you Kathy and the BPL for your continued hard work and dedication to Maine's outdoors.

If you have any questions about the plan or want to download a copy of it check with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.

I can go back to my happy place now...