It's always been a struggle for me when I bring my bike to Yosemite or any other national park.  Because of the difficulty of siting any kind of mountain bike trail, you're stuck on the paved roads with the Winnebagos and tour buses.  Frankly, that scares the snot out of me.  I wind up riding in places I shouldn't be, and that's bad too.  The International Mountain Bike Association has been working for years to improve off-pavement bicycle access in National Parks and many other places.  The Park Service has finally come up with a proposed new policy which will make it a little easier to site some trails in national parks.  There is one week left for you to get your comments in on the new rule.  You can read more about it and find a sample letter at the IMBA web site.

On the Sacramento front, SAMBA has been fighting for local trails for five years now.  The newly updated American River Parkway Plan provides for an off-pavement bicycle trail network in between Parkway miles 2 and 6.  These areas are known as Woodlake and Cal Expo.  We could have up to 6 or 8 miles of trails in these areas, mostly on existing roads that are used by rangers and the folks who maintain the power lines.  There is still some legislative work that needs to be done, so those trails probably can't happen until 2010, and even then there are some conditions we will have to meet regarding signage and buffer zones.  SAMBA will be working on that over the next few years and needs your help.

These trails are going to be a great spot for family riding and also for people who are new to the sport. The terrain is mostly flat, and there are very few places--actually, no places--that require expert skill or nerves of steel.  What folks in Sacramento and everywhere do need is more fun ways to get exercise that don't involve driving up to the mountains or out to the coast.  Keep the fun local, and save the gas.  Visit SAMBA on the web to get more info and the latest events.