Loowit Tier of the Orogenesis Trail. Photo: Gabriel Amadeus Tiller

IMBA and the BOLT Coalition are currently accepting nominations for long-distance mountain bike trails of 80 miles or more to be developed by the BOLT Act. The BOLT Act, which was passed in 2024 as part of the EXPLORE Act, “empowers the Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service to develop and enhance at least 10 existing and 10 new long‑distance bike routes,” according to IMBA.

The BOLT Coalition was formed by IMBA, Bikepacking Roots, and PeopleForBikes, along with other regional and local partners, to help advance the development of these long-distance bikepacking trails. Their first task is to create a public database of potential long-distance trails for enhancement and development. To do so, the Coalition has created a public survey calling for trail nominations. The survey is open until August 1, 2025.

The application process is quite involved, and those nominating trails will need to fill out an extensive form. IMBA has published a PDF containing all the required questions, which will allow you to draft your responses in advance.

Criteria for trail submissions

All trail submissions must meet the criteria outlined by the BOLT Coalition. For existing trails, the criteria include:

• The total trail distance is at least 80 miles
• The majority of the trail is on Federal recreational lands and waters (ie. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, etc)
• While specific parameters have not been defined in the law as how much of a recognized trail must be on Federal land, for the purposes of this data collection process at least one of these criteria should be met:
  • At least 80% of the total trail distance is on Federal Public Land
  • At least 70 miles of the total trail distance is on Federal Public Land
  • To the maximum extent practicable, makes use of existing trails and roads
  • Are primarily dirt/natural surface (short connectors on pavement/improved roads are acceptable)
  • Are composed of generally consistent types of trail (i.e., primarily singletrack, or primarily 4×4 roads)
• May be legally used for mountain biking, road biking, touring, or gravel biking

For the potential development of a new long-distance bike trail, additional criteria include:

• For the purposes of public data collection, potential trails that meet both the level of completeness criteria will receive greater priority:
  • At least 40 miles of the envisioned trail is already existing (does not have to be contiguous)
  • At least 50% of the total trail distance is complete (for example, there is potential for a 90 mile trail with 50 miles complete – ie 55% complete)
• The level of difficulty for completing any remaining miles of a trail will be considered for inclusion in the report and we are focused on trails that have at least a potential path forward to completion (For example, we would be unlikely to consider a trail that has a large number of uncompleted miles that are all in a Wilderness Area inaccessible to bikes without a feasible detour option).

In addition, the Coalition is seeking to identify trails that are dispersed “in a geographically equitable manner across the U.S.” Trails that are supported or stewarded by an existing organization will receive priority. They’ll also consider the potential for positive economic impact to the surrounding communities. For example, if the trail is a loop, it should be a loop that connects several towns or trail systems — not merely a loop within a single trail network.

Loowit Tier of the Orogenesis Trail. Photo: Gabriel Amadeus Tiller

Who should apply?

While the survey is technically “public,” it is clear that the BOLT Coalition is looking for applications from established advocacy organizations and trail coalitions with extensive local knowledge. These organizations must be willing to invest significant time and care into their applications.

While I won’t be submitting any trails myself, I’ll be fascinated to see the resulting database. The list of potential trails — even if they don’t all get accepted for final development — could provide a fantastic bucket list for the intrepid bikepacker.

Loowit Tier of the Orogenesis Trail. Photo: Gabriel Amadeus Tiller

What are the most obvious trail candidates?

While numerous existing trails could benefit from additional funding, maintenance, and signage, one substantial project meets the criteria for new trail development: the Orogenesis Trail.

The Orogenesis Trail promises to be the longest mountain bike trail in the world. Once complete, the long-distance bikepacking route will run roughly 5,000 miles from the Canadian Border to the tip of the Baja Peninsula.

While the Orogenesis Collective is currently mapping and publishing the missing sections of the route, there are currently about 200 miles of gaps in the route where no trail exists. Support from the BOLT Act could be critical for plugging those gaps, helping develop the remaining portions of the route, and even signing the entire epic trail.

For example, in one section of the Western Sierra Nevadas, if one-and-a-half miles of singletrack were built, it would eliminate 60 miles of road riding. With the proper support from the US Forest Service, this epic backcountry MTB route could become a reality sooner rather than later.

Another potential applicant we’ve written about in the past is the Velomont Trail, which will eventually stretch for ~500 miles across the state of Vermont. While the Velomont may struggle with the percentage of Federal Lands criteria, it still seems like a great candidate that offers fantastic geographic diversity.

Your turn: What trail(s) do you think fit the bill? Even if you don’t feel like filling out a four-page application, feel free to sound off in the comments below 👇