Mammoth Cave Needs Your Help

The trail system at Mammoth Cave National Park will be changing. Trails will be re-routed, and mountain bikers may lose out in the deal. UNLESS people vote. I’ll be directing you to the voting at the end of this post, once I explain the voting options. You must vote by March 24th.

Mammoth Cave has traditionally been a hotbed of contention between hikers, bikers, and equestrians. The trails in the park are all open to hikers. Equestrians have access to all the other trails except one loop. It is the only dirt trail open to mountain bikers. There is a gravel trail now open to mountain bikers and hikers which runs from the park headquarters to Park City, Ky. Any trails open to horses normally have holes and ruts that can restrict hikers.

The trail proposal has five alternatives. I’ve been studying each one and I feel like option 4 is the best for all parties. In the end it’s very friendly to equestrians once again, and allows for a new mountain biking trail. Hikers would continue to have full access.

My comments in Italics.

Alternative #1: this is the No Action Alternative. It is required by National Environmental Policy Act to serve as a baseline for comparing other alternatives. In some cases the best solution to a problem is in taking no action, leaving a situation at the status quo. However, in this trail plan, the No Action Alternative is not acceptable.

Alternative #2: this alternative would allow bicyclists to use Sal Hollow, Buffalo, and a portion of Turnhole Bend (north) trails all year. All northside trails would be designated for hikers and horse users. This restricts hikers and bikers further. Not acceptable.

Alternative #3: this alternative would permit horse use on Sal Hollow from June through October (during the driest months of the year); except for this restriction, horses would be allowed on all other northside trails. Hikers are allowed on all trails. Bicyclists would be allowed on Sal Hollow, Buffalo, and a portion of Turnhole Bend (north) trails all year. This options allows horses on the only trail that mountain bikers and hikers own. This is not acceptable in my view.

Alternative #4: this alternative proposes a new six-mile, single-track loop trail which would be constructed east of the Green River Ferry Road-North for bicycle and hiker use only. All other northside trails would be designated for hikers and horse users. This option is acceptable. The mountain bikers would loose 2 miles of trail, but they would gain a trail designed for them. The only problem with this is that it doesn’t account for the transition. If you vote for this option please note that you want Sal Hollow restricted from horses while the new trail is being built.

Alternative #5, Preferred alternative of the NPS. This alternative would establish First Creek Trail for bicyclist and hiker use only. All other north side trails would be designated for hikers and horse users. This option could be an acceptable plan B in my opinion. It provides about the same amount of non-horse trail as Alternative #4, but the trail is not optimal for mountain bikes. The trailhead is more remote than the Alternative #4 also.

I strongly encourage anyone who has time, to drop by the Mammoth Cave site and vote (cough, cough… alternative 4). You’ll be helping keep the balance as fair as it can be for now, on these multi-use trails.

Go to this site and vote, the link to leave comments is in the upper right.

4 comments March 5th, 2008