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Can anyone clarify the current laws for a 750 watt ebike relative to wilderness areas? Are they considered the same as regular bikes in Colorado or different? Thanks.........Badbull
Can you take a bike into a wilderness area?
Under 36 CFR 261.18, the following are prohibited in a Wilderness: • Possessing or using a motor vehicle, motorboat or motorized equipment except as authorized by Federal Law or regulation. • Possessing or using a hang glider or bicycle. • Landing of aircraft, or dropping or picking up of any material, supplies, or person by means of aircraft, including a helicopter
Which really sucks because I just bought a two-wheeled, 1500W, electric powered, amphibious, hang glider to haul my elk out this fall.
"Can you take a bike into a wilderness area?" The answer would be no, but you knew that already!
To be clear, you can not take any bike E bike or regular peddle only bike, into any wilderness
For other areas. That actually do allow peddle bikes but no “motorized” vehicles....... the jury is still out.
No to wilderness areas. By state law they can go anywhere a regular bike can go UNLESS jurisdictions rule otherwise. USFS amd BLM consider them motorized vehicles for now, but the wheels are slowly moving toward allowing them on closed roads. Pilot programs are underway.
Thanks Jaquomo, that is the answer to some better questions that I should have asked with more detail. That is actually what I wanted to know. Thanks for the other responses also. I have heard various opinions regarding this subject in the past.......Badbull
The CO state law is HB17-1151. Class 1 and 2 fall under this law. The USFS Regional Trails Supervisor told me he believes they (Class 1 and 2) should be permitted wherever bikes are allowed in NF, but the bureaucrats in DC don't really understand the distinction between the various classes and lumped them all together. He said he believes they will eventually be permitted but "the wheels turn slowly in DC".
You can't even bring a cooler with wheels into a wilderness area, FWIW.
Funny how you can bring a bow with training wheels tho.
Frankly I'm up for whatever rules make elk hunting harder/rougher/tougher. It really thins out the human herd, who can hit up the NFS trails like Mad Max instead and push all the elk into their favorite hidey holes where few dare go...
Funny, but a lot of people don't realize you can't take a single-wheel game cart into a wilderness area. They do it and never get caught. Outfitters take chain saws in to clear trails too.
Outfitter in the wilderness I hunt keeps the trails well groomed with his chain saws.
txhunter58's Link
Here is a pretty informative article on the order. Will have to see how it plays out.
Most interesting is this excerpt:
"Wyoming and the Interior specify three classes of e-bikes. The first provides motor assistance only when the rider is pedaling up to 20 mph; the second is a motor that can operate when the rider is not pedaling but won’t run faster than 20 mph; and the third is a motor that can assist when the rider is pedaling and will continue to assist up to 28 mph."
Someone pointed out that this order does not apply to national forest because that is managed by sept of Agriculture.
Correct. Thanks for pointing that out. Will be interesting to see if USDA follows along now that this major precedent has been set. USFS doesnt seem to be enforcing their rule anyway - I've seen an older bowhunter and a muzzleloader hunter riding on trails and closed roads from trailheads where I'm hunting, and just like the "14 day camping" restriction, it appears to be a "look the other way unless somebody complains" situation.
I called the local forest service office for the San Juan forest where I hunt and asked about Ebikes. They were pretty clear that nothing has changed for national forest and Ebikes are NOT legal on non motorized trails.