Idaho Retains Top Ranking in IMBA Mountain Bike Report Card
For Immediate Release
11-28-01
Contact: Dan Vardamis, Advocacy Associate and IMBA Trail News Editor
303-545-9011
The state famous for its potatoes may need a new slogan. For the second straight year, Idaho received the top grade in the International Mountain Bicycling Association's Mountain Bike Access Report Card, solidifying its status as the best state for mountain biking.
Serpentine trails, expansive public lands and a low population are key components in Idaho's success. Idaho received the top grade in the inaugural 2000 IMBA Report Card, but that didn't make the local cyclists complacent. Riding opportunities improved this year around Boise, Idaho's largest city, as mountain bikers played a central role in creating new urban fringe trails.
South Dakota closely followed Idaho as the best place to ride receiving an A minus. South Dakota boasts super singletrack and uncrowded trails in the Black Hills.
The report card also confirmed that there are states where mountain bike access needs work. Louisiana's Mardi Gras is unmatched, but its mountain bike access is nothing to celebrate. The state has limited trails, lots of swamps and needs a statewide mountain biker organization. These factors shaped Louisiana's D+ grade, the lowest in the report.
The IMBA Report Card is designed to help mountain bike leaders chart their accomplishments and inspire new efforts. Mountain bikers in Ohio, a state that graded poorly last year, got organized and improved relations with land managers to build new trails. This positive momentum boosted Ohio's grade from a D to a C, the biggest improvement of any state.
In 2001, the report card considered other countries for the first time, grading access in four Canadian provinces and the United Kingdom.
Leading the international class was British Columbia with an A minus. Kid's mountain biking programs in the province are more popular than little league baseball.
"Every state, regardless of its natural terrain, is capable of earning an A," said IMBA executive director Tim Blumenthal. "All it takes is enthusiastic volunteer organizations, steady cooperation with land managers and a variety of established trail systems."
Grades are based on many factors: amount of singletrack, effectiveness of local mountain bike groups, land manager relations, an IMBA website survey and feedback from IMBA leaders.
Grades and comments are listed below.
| State | Grade | Phat | Flat | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | A | Endless public land and singletrack | Population growth |  |
| South Dakota | A- | Black Hills rule | Few maps, more crops than cyclists | |
| Alaska | B+ | Improving trails | Swamps and mosquitoes | |
| Arizona | B+ | Urban trails, Arizona Trail | Developers versus trails | |
| Arkansas | B+ | Womble & Ouachita, solid advocates | Ice storm damage |  |
| Florida | B+ | Sunshine State has super singletrack | Sprawl, sandy, sea level | |
| Kentucky | B+ | KYMBA unifies diverse state | Lack of media relations | |
| Massachusetts | B+ | NEMBA: Energetic regional group | Building pavement, not dirt | |
| Michigan | B+ | MMBA: Dynamic statewide org. | DNR bans new trails; urban sprawl. | |
| Nevada | B+ | Gambling = money for trails | Lack of riding info | |
| New Mexico | B+ | Federal agency & ski area support | Los Alamos fires, Santa Fe tension | |
| North Dakota | B+ | Medora becoming MB destination | A long way from anywhere else | |
| Utah | B+ | Slickrock and red rock | Lack of MB groups | |
| West Virginia | B+ | Not a flat inch in the whole state | Hunters come first | |
| California | B | State park progress; MB leadership | Lots of conflict | |
| Colorado | B | Jeffco trails national model | Crowded roads, crowded trails | |
| Delaware | B | Great trails in a tiny state | Nowhere to add trails | |
| Maine | B | 90 percent forested | Few organized trail systems | |
| Maryland | B | MORE: innovative & resilient | Unauthorized trailbuilding near DC |  |
| Montana | B | Progressive rec planning near cities | Bikers need to organize, long winter | |
| Nebraska | B | W. Nebraska = untapped singletrack | Not well organized | |
| North Carolina | B | Nantahalla & Pisgah NF awesome | Urban trails still restricted | |
| Oregon | B | Abundant, diverse riding | Portland access remains tricky | |
| Pennsylvania | B | KMBA becoming statewide force | State game land access threatened | |
| Texas | B | Effective multi-level bike advocacy | 97% private land | |
| Virginia | B | West VA: mountainous, great trails | Eastern VA: Baseball fields, not trails | |
| Wyoming | B | Wide open for mountain biking | Ranch closes key Laramie connector | |
| Georgia | B- | SORBA has political & financial clout | Where to ride close to Atlanta? | |
| Hawaii | B- | All State parks have MB routes | Restricted trail access near Honolulu | |
| Indiana | B- | DNR opened trails in state forests | Roadies and MBers must cooperate | |
| Missouri | B- | Kansas City and St. Louis have mo' | Access limited in state parks | |
| New Hampshire | B- | Rich trail tradition, White River NF | Long, legal rides are in south | |
| Oklahoma | B- | Oklahoma Earthbike Fellowship rocks | Flat and dusty | |
| South Carolina | B- | RTP funding helps build new singletrack | Yet to turn trail plans into reality | |
| Tennessee | B- | Vigilant advocates; lots of trails | Lack of central state organization | |
| Vermont | B- | Wooded, rolling & getting organized | Private land interrupts public trails | |
| Washington | B- | Middle Fork progress | Seattle singletrack access still limited | |
| Wisconsin | B- | WORBA: 12-years of MB leadership | Trails in south crowded | |
| Mississippi | C+ | Tri-county MBers make progress | Limited statewide leadership | |
| Alabama | C | BUMP: great organization & website | Mountain bikers lack state presence | |
| Connecticut | C | Better than 2000 grade reflected | Hiking-only trails limit northern riding | |
| Iowa | C | Solid clubs, improving MB leadership | Lack of federal land; agricultural | |
| Minnesota | C | New Twin City trails | Limited parks & trails near cities | |
| New Jersey | C | Good club momentum in S. Jersey | JORBA in transition | |
| New York | C | Adirondack model can be replicated | NYC: too many people, too few trails | |
| Ohio | C | New trails, new clubs, new energy | Cleveland and N.E. still shaky | |
| Rhode Island | C | Singletrack in Arcadia forest | Providence can't provide good riding | |
| Illinois | C- | DNR supports mountain biking | Shawnee Forest shuns bikes | |
| Kansas | C- | Flint Hills & riverside trails | More silos than singletrack | |
| Louisiana | D+ | Baton Rouge advocates solid | Limited trails, no leadership | |
| Trend: Better Worse Same | ||||
