This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The reason bicycles in wilderness areas is such a horrible idea is that they cause severe erosion that humans, horses and other animals do not.
A hiker's foot leaves a slight indentation, but between every step there is undisturbed trail. This prevents a pathway for rain water to flow down the trails.
However, a bicycle wheel leaves a continuous rut. Water flows freely down the rut and cuts a channel which erodes deeper with every storm. Such channels are found in virtually every public lands trail where bicycles are allowed. Hikers must either straddle the channel or walk on the narrow side of the trail.
The Wilderness Act defines wilderness: Wilderness is "an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man is himself a visitor who does not remain." It is land which has "been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable." To even consider allowing bicycles on wilderness trails would stand the purpose of preserving wilderness on its head.
F. Alan Fletcher
Murray