Bikes not allowed on the Arizona Trail in Grand Canyon National Park -- Bogus?

[Rooster Cogburn]

I'm doing some planning for a tour on the Kaibab Plateau and the National Geographic map of Grand Canyon National Park has a note indicating no bikes are allowed on the Arizona Trail for the north rim within the park boundaries.  Nothing on the National Park website indicates such a restriction.  Anyone know about this?  I'll be there prior to the paved road gate being opened so I imagine no one would be around to enforce this restriction if it exists.  Still, would like to know.  Also, has anyone ridden much of the Ken Patrick Trail within the park?

[evdog]

Right now bikes are not officially allowed on the North Rim AZT segment, but there aren't any no bikes signs posted, so the thinking is that we are unofficially allowed to ride it.  It is an old powerline road.  The good news is the NPS is considering making this segment officially open to bikes, along with a couple other old roads currently identified as unmaintained hiking trails. 

I don't know about Ken Patrick Tr (can't see it on maps in the project documents) but I would imagine it is not open to bikes - none of the singletrack seems to be.  There is a lot of Wilderness in the GC National Park. 

See the thread I posted here for more info and send in a comment if you have a few mins --> http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/bikepacking/possible-changes-to-bike-access-in-grand-canyon-backcountry-plan-comments-need/

[Rooster Cogburn]

Thanks for the link to the other thread and to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.  It looks like we have 11 more days to submit comments on the decision making process.  I would encourage others to submit their input using this site: (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=65&projectID=22633&documentID=69426.

After reading the EIS here is my take on the situation:

Currently, backcountry bicycle use is limited to park roads open to motorized vehicles which means the Arizona Trail North Rim segment is off limits to bicycles, as are the other trails in the park.  No day use permit is currently needed to walk from rim to rim.  These current practices are designated as Alternative A in the EIS.

Under the other three Alternatives (Alternative B is the Park Service's preferred alternative), bicycles would be allowed on the Arizona Trail North Rim segment, the Basin Road (Point Sublime), Kanabownits, and Swamp and Fire Point Roads would remain open to use by cyclists, however a permit would be required for rim-to-rim hikers.  If it is anything like getting a backcountry permit for overnight hiking in the canyon, the process is cumbersome.  For through-bikers and those (unofficially!) racing the AZT this would be a big deal, especially if the rim-to-rim runners have already snatched up all the permits allocated for the day.   

The EIS make no mention of the current practice of the Park Service allowing a bicycle to be carried on your back through the canyon.  Maybe it is better not to bring up this topic during this process.