Proposal would open 27 miles of singletrack on Mt. Tam after decades-long bike ban

Rules excluding bikes on singletrack date back to a period when trail managers lacked data about mountain bike impacts. Vernon Huffman, executive director of MTS, says that rather than seeking new information, the watershed district restricted bikes outright. Long-serving board members resisted change, and at one point the district even discussed fencing the watershed to limit access during the pandemic.

Two new board members who ride mountain bikes were elected to the Marin Water Board. Huffman credits their election with changing the board's stance on access and enabling progress toward expanding bike access. One early success under the new board was opening Liberty Gulch, a true singletrack, to bikes.

MTS concluded that the existing RTMP — 22 years old and without a category for singletrack bike use — needed a full rewrite. Rather than attempt further limited trials that could be blocked or litigated, the strategy shifted to updating the RTMP with environmental assessments and policies that explicitly address bikes on singletrack.

The RTMP rewrite being pursued by MTS and the district would include provisions to open about 27 miles of singletrack in the watershed to mountain biking. That would represent the first sustained, formal permission for singletrack riding on Mt. Tam since the bike ban was put in place decades ago.

Practical considerations and next steps

• Environmental review: MTS has been lining up environmental assessments to support the RTMP rewrite. The prior lawsuit illustrates that procedural compliance with California Environmental Quality Act requirements will be essential.
• Stakeholder conflict: Conservation groups successfully sued to stop the initial six-mile trial, signaling ongoing contention between access advocates and conservation groups. Any plan will need to address those concerns directly.
• Governance: Board composition affects outcomes. The recent elections show how local elections can change land-management decisions.

If the RTMP rewrite is adopted and survives legal and regulatory review, riders could gain access to roughly 27 miles of singletrack on Mt. Tam for the first time in decades. That would expand options beyond the existing fire-road network and restore some singletrack access in the homeland of mountain biking.