Chris Case, Vice President of the Bikepacking Roots board of directors, breaks down the renewed threat to National Monuments with the current administration. Many of these places are cherished bikepacking routes among their myriad other uses. Read on for some perspective on what is going on and how to act…
The Trump administration’s thirst for energy threatens to destroy some of the most culturally and environmentally significant Western landscapes, currently protected as National Monuments, all of which are havens for bikepacking.
Extraction versus contemplative recreation. Leave no trace versus take no prisoners. Energy dominance versus cultural, historical, spiritual, and environmental significance.
Are some of the nation’s most precious and protected paradises about to be unlocked – again – using an “energy emergency” and national security concerns as justification?
Bikepackers Heed Warning
On February 3, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum released SO 3417, which (among other things) called on federal agencies to determine lands within their jurisdictions for potential resource development, particularly energy to rectify our “national energy emergency.” It should be noted that the United States is currently producing more energy than at any other time in its history and is the largest oil and gas producer on Earth.
To many, this was setting the stage for monument reduction. And it wasn’t the first time. Trump looked to reduce Grand Staircase in his first term, and in December of 2017, he successfully cut the monument in half, while simultaneously decreasing Bears Ears National Monument by 85 percent. That decision faced legal battles and, eventually, under the Biden administration, those two national monuments were fully restored, on October 8, 2021.
In response to those original threats, many organizations, including the nonprofit Bikepacking Roots, stood up and spoke out. In the case of Bikepacking Roots co-founders Kurt Refsnider and Kait Boyle rode into these areas, created routes, and metaphorically paved the way to bring the bikepacking community into the landscape to deepen their connection and inspire protection from far and wide.
Less than four years later, (bad) history is poised to repeat itself.
While Burgum’s SO 3417 was vague in its language, in April 2025, leaked documents showed the Department of the Interior plans to shrink or weaken protections for six national monuments in the western United States to promote energy development – opening the door to mining, drilling, and destruction, yet again.
The targeted monuments include Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah, Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon and Ironwood Forest in Arizona, Chuckwalla in California, and Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks in New Mexico.
The documents reveal plans to reassess the boundaries of these protected areas to facilitate mining and oil extraction, aligning with the administration’s broader agenda to enhance U.S. energy production and access to critical minerals.
The current proposals have sparked strong opposition from conservationists, Indigenous groups, and environmental advocates who argue that such changes threaten sacred sites, biodiversity, and local economies reliant on tourism. Legal challenges are anticipated, focusing on the limits of presidential authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906.
Critics contend that these proposed reductions prioritize short-term energy interests over the preservation of America’s natural and cultural heritage. They warn that opening these lands to resource extraction could lead to irreversible environmental damage and the loss of invaluable historical and cultural resources. The debate underscores the ongoing tension between conservation efforts and fossil fuel energy development priorities in U.S. public land management.
So, why is this important for people who want to adventure by bike? It matters because each of these places is a paradise for bikepacking, representing so much more than simply a conserved land. Each has tribal significance, recreational opportunities (from bikes to bullets, hunting and angling, to bird watching and backpacking), and, of course, there is the economic impact that is quantifiable and real.
These are places we ride. Places we love. Places worth fighting for. Organizations like Bikepacking Roots are not just building routes in and around these grand landscapes – they’re building a movement. And they need our help.
Six Reasons (in no particular order) to Pay Attention and Speak Out
1) Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument
Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument spans nearly a million acres, spread across several parcels, including portions along the South Rim and two separate parcels along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
The monument’s name is based on two languages. The first part, Baaj Nwaavjo, comes from the Havasupai language, and translates to “where indigenous people roam.” I’tah Kukveni means “our ancestral footprints” in the Hopi language. Those are two representative tribes of the 13 traditionally associated tribes with the Grand Canyon region.
The monument designation effort was spearheaded and encouraged by an inter-tribal coalition; the various tribes have deep cultural and historical connections to the land here.
“It is a place that has sacred sites; it is a place where we go to pray, to gather, and to continue our traditions, our customs, our songs and dances,” said Bernadine Jones, chairwoman of the Havasupai Tribe. “It is very important to protect this land for us.”
But it goes beyond that. Arizonans overwhelmingly supported and continue to support this National Monument designation, according to polls.
“This national monument is a rather non-partisan issue. Across the political lines, there is broad support for it,” says Forrest Radarian, an educator who works on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and who has created many bikepacking routes in and around the monument and the national park.
According to the poll, 97% of Arizona voters say that national parks and monuments and their natural beauty are essential to Arizona, and 93% agree that public lands are essential for guaranteeing access to outdoor recreation.
At the same time, public support for the monument continues to grow; this is made starkly clear by the numbers: Fully 80% of Arizona voters support Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument, including 68% of Republicans, 81% of Independents, and 91% of Democrats.
“I know this landscape might just look like a bunch of rocks and trees to some people – and it is, no doubt about it. That’s a wonderful thing. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Radarian said. “But I would also argue that it connects me to a sense of purpose, of being an educator in this particular region.”
Radarian’s route creations are extensive. His North Rim – Capes of the Canyon, as an example, covers 569 miles, tracing the edge of the canyon, linking majestic view to majestic view. The loop-and-spur route takes bikepackers from the desert base of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument to the subalpine meadows and sprawling aspen forests of the Kaibab Plateau.
“California condors are out here. And an endless sagebrush sea, a giant chasm in the landscape of ultimate color – and just me out here on my bicycle alone. I can’t wait to share this,” Radarian said, referencing one of his most memorable moments in the monument, at Gunsight Point on the North Rim.
2) Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument
Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument was established in 2014. Originally it was designated to protect sensitive cultural, biological, and geological resources. A broad coalition of community groups engaged in a multi-year effort to identify rare and endemic plants, mammoth rubbing rocks, petroglyphs, slot canyons, and NASA test sites. Now, the monument is essentially a beloved member of the community, a source of pride, according to Matt Mason, creator of the Monumental Loop, and a board member of Bikepacking Roots.
“The most important reason to continue protecting OM-DP is that’s what the community wants.” Mason said.
Aside from losing protection for the unique cultural and historical sites, repealing monument status would put nearly 500,000 acres of wildlife habitat in jeopardy. Climate change looms large over all these decisions. Healthy ecosystems, biodiversity, and intact habitat is critical if humans hope to maintain a livable planet, particularly in parts of the desert Southwest.
Almost trivial in comparison to climate change, but still on the minds of local residents, is the tremendous growth of the outdoor recreation economy. Since OM-DP was designated, visitation to the region has boomed. Thankfully, it hasn’t spoiled the solitude, but it has created jobs.
Even businesses that have no real connection to the outdoors (dentists, insurance companies, plumbers) use an image of the monument and choose either Organ Mountains or Desert Peaks as part of their name. The folks who fought for the monument continue to love it but they’ve been joined by local residents realizing how amazing their home is.
Mason’s relationship with what would become the National Monument began in 2009 when Senator Jeff Bingaman visited to discuss a proposed wilderness designation. Mason was new to town and wanted to participate fully in the discussion; he set out on foot to understand the area better. He took long hikes through each of the six mountain ranges, which quickly helped him realize why people were campaigning for permanent protection.
“From the highway, the rolling hills and jagged peaks appear almost two-dimensional,” Mason said. “But closer inspection and a little patience brings the subtle and serene landscape to life. While on those hikes I dreamt of a long-distance route encircling Las Cruces.”
Mason’s Monumental Loop was born. Traversing the traditional lands of the Piro/Manso/Tiwa, Chiricahua Apache, and Mescalero Apache peoples, in its third iteration, the 365-mile loop encompasses the four mountain ranges in the proposed Mimbres Peaks National Monument. Much like Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, the riding is classic basin and range terrain with relatively flat basins interrupted by small, but dramatic, mountains.
Mason has had countless amazing moments in OM-DP – from tracking javelina across a ridge, to summiting the Needle (the highest point in the monument) in a storm, to spending countless nights sitting quietly under the shooting stars.
Recently, he added to that list when he rode with a high school outdoor club as they completed their first bikepacking trip. The group rode from their school on the Monumental Loop and camped in one of Mason’s favorite spots. Many of them rode singletrack for the first time.
“Despite being on loaded bikes in challenging terrain, their attitudes were amazing,” Mason said. “Their desire to be outside together moving under their own power through a landscape that had really only been a backdrop was inspiring. Every hill was worth climbing, every plant worth smelling. They devoured it all with boundless energy. It’s doubtful this trip would have taken place if OM-DP hadn’t been designated in 2014.”
3) Ironwood Forest National Monument
Ironwood National Monument is a hidden gem; just 40 minutes from Tucson, yet it feels far away from it all, according to Molly Sugar, a designer and bikepacking route creator.
“What makes it so special isn’t just the sweeping desert views or the quiet solitude, but the incredible layers of life and history it holds,” Sugar said.
Ironwood is home to the largest and richest stand of ironwood trees, which are vital to the desert ecosystem. These trees are like elders in the Sonoran Desert – some are over 800 years old – and they provide shade, shelter, and nutrients for hundreds of other plant and animal species.
There’s even more beneath the surface. Ironwood shelters threatened and endangered species like the Nichol’s Turk’s head cactus, the lesser long-nosed bat, and the desert tortoise.
The land has been part of human history for at least 8,000 years. From ancient hunter-gatherers to the Tohono O’odham and Hohokam peoples, it holds the stories of those who’ve lived and moved through this place long before us.
Protecting Ironwood means protecting biodiversity, honoring cultural heritage, and preserving a place where people can connect deeply with nature – whether it’s through-hiking, biking, camping, or simply being present in the quiet beauty of the desert.
“Every time I ride through the area, I’m reminded how fragile and rare this kind of habitat is,” Sugar said.
Friends of Ironwood Forest is a local non-profit organization that works for the permanent protection of the biological, geological, archaeological, and historical resources and values for which the Ironwood Forest National Monument was established.
The monument, which recently had a public celebration for its 25th anniversary, has become increasingly popular and now sees well over 100,000 visitors a year. But that all stands to be lost if monument status is rescinded.
“This is exactly what we’ve feared,” said Tom Hannagan, President of Friends of Ironwood Forest. “This move would open the door to irreversible destruction of vital Sonoran Desert habitat that is beloved by both our local community and tens of thousands of visitors each year.”
Ironwood Forest National Monument is part of a critical corridor for wildlife, connecting seven mountain ranges and serving as the core habitat for the region’s last indigenous herd of desert bighorn sheep in the Waterman and Silverbell Mountains. The introduction of mining infrastructure – access roads, heavy machinery, and nonstop noise – would devastate native ecosystems and sever wildlife connectivity.
The Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, who was instrumental in the monument’s creation in 2000, is working with their 31 member groups to advocate for the continued protection of Ironwood Forest.
“This monument is an integral part of federal, state, and local government plans to protect Sonoran Desert habitat and wildlife corridors for current and future generations,” said Kate Hotten, co-executive director of the Coalition. “Fortunately, we know that removing protections for public lands, especially ones as scenic and appreciated as Ironwood Forest National Monument, is hugely unpopular.”
Ironwood holds a special place in Sugar’s heart. A year ago, she created a bikepacking overnighter route through Ironwood National Monument to help more people discover just how stunning and accessible this area is for both biking and camping – it’s only a short trip from town, but it feels secluded and remote.
The 48-mile route winds through views of three desert mountain ranges and passes two historical sites: Cocoraque Butte and the Titan II Missile Silo.
Sugar has ridden the route – or nearby variations – at least 10 times in just two years. It’s become her go-to spot and, without a doubt, her favorite place to camp and bike around Tucson.
“Every time I get to share Ironwood with others feels like a special moment,” Sugar said.
One that really stands out was this past January. Sugar helped lead a group of 13 riders from the RAR Tucson Chapter on the Ironwood Overnighter. For most of them, it was their first time visiting Ironwood National Monument – and for many, their first experience bikepacking off pavement.
“There’s something really powerful about seeing a place you love through someone else’s fresh eyes,” Sugar said.
4) Chuckwalla National Monument
Chuckwalla National Monument was established on January 14, 2025. President Biden designated the monument using his authority under the Antiquities Act, protecting over 848,000 acres of land in California. The monument is located south of Joshua Tree National Park and extends from the Coachella Valley region to near the Colorado River.
Bringing national monument status to the area enhanced protections of its immense archeological and historical sites, wildlife and sensitive plants, and invited co-stewardship with local tribes – the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations all have ties to this area, and evidence of their presence is easy to find. The designation also, importantly, bars resource extraction from the area, which is known to hold gold, silver, lead, and other minerals.
Brendan Collier has been exploring this area by bicycle for some seven years. Finding and learning about the Chuckwalla’s special spots has been time-consuming but rewarding, he said. It has also inspired him to carefully share these spots on upcoming bikepacking routes as part of The Desert Collective.
“I’ve found walls covered in petroglyphs, and other native artifacts. I’ve also found more recent, non-native historical sites in the area; most notably among them being the homestead of local legend Burro Bill, who wandered and prospected the area in the early 20th century with a pack of burros,” Collier said.
There are also a number of historical standing structures dating back to the 1890s and early 1900s, various gravesites, and remnants from Camp Coxcomb, which was part of the Desert Training Center that General Patton used to train U.S. troops to prepare for desert warfare in WWII.
Most of these sites are currently undesignated, with little or no interpretive information offered, and unprotected. Many sites have had items removed over the years, and some have been vandalized.
Collier aims to complement and enhance good stewardship practices through the creation of a bikepacking route that avoids sensitive areas and is supported by well-researched interpretive information.
5) Bears Ears National Monument
The Bears Ears are two adjacent buttes, together resembling a pair of bear ears, that rise from a high plateau in southeastern Utah. Visible from many vantages for a hundred miles or more in most directions, these buttes have stood throughout human time and have deep cultural, historic, and political significance.
On December 28, 2016, President Obama signed a proclamation that designated Bears Ears National Monument. The new 1.35-million-acre Monument protected one of the most significant cultural areas in the United States, home to over 100,000 cultural and archaeological sites and sacred to many Indigenous groups. Not only did the designation of Bears Ears promise to protect the cultural and archaeological resources, but it marked the first time in history that a National Monument was created in response to the voices and advocacy of the Indigenous groups who call the landscape home.
Leaders from the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni, and Ute Indian Tribe formed the Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition in 2015 to represent a consortium of tribes unified in protecting and promoting the cultural, archeological, scientific, historical and natural resources of the Bears Ears region.
Although the designation of Bears Ears National Monument was a momentous victory for the Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition and conservation groups, the Monument designation was not unanimously celebrated. For years, there was debate among local residents, lawmakers, environmentalists, and tribal representatives on how to best conserve public lands the southeastern Utah and Bears Ears regions.
Nearly all parties agreed that the region needed protection, but no one could agree upon how much or what kind of designation and protections should be instituted.
On December 3, 2017, just 11 months after the designation of Bears Ears National Monument, then newly-elected President Donald Trump revoked the National Monument statuses of Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in an unprecedented executive action. Following a public review process that highlighted overwhelming public support for these two National Monuments, Trump allegedly exceeded authority granted to the President and reduced Bears Ears by 85% and the 1.88-million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante by nearly 50%. It is estimated that in this undoing, 74% of Bears Ears artifacts and cultural sites were removed from protection.
Areas underlain by uranium-rich rock units were removed from the Monument after heavy lobbying by Energy Fuels Limited, the nation’s largest uranium producer. This company also runs the only uranium processing facility in the country, located just outside the Monument near the town of Blanding.
Arguably worst of all, this Monumental reduction is a blatant dismissal of the tribal voices that have fought to preserve their histories and cultures. In a direct affront to the request of the Intertribal Coalition, the southern unit of the Monument was named the Shásh Jaa’ Unit (using the Diné name for Bears Ears). The Coalition had insisted upon the use of the English “Bears Ears” name for the Monument rather than in any one tribe’s language in solidarity and unity.
The modern interpretations of the Bears Ears landscape are informed by complex and disparate perspectives, biases, and cultures. Bikepacking Roots created Bears Ears Loops to immerse bikepackers in this immense, complex, magnificent, and threatened landscape.
“We’ve created these routes and extensive planning resources to allow more riders to safely adventure through this region, to have immersive experiences here, to learn more about the landscape and its sacredness to Indigenous groups,” Refsnider said. “That understanding and connection is what builds new conservation advocates.”
6) Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Long a target of Republican political ire, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a vast and diverse landscape in southern Utah, covering almost two million acres of public land.
Just as with the other monuments, recent public opinion surveys strongly indicate that people want to reject efforts to reduce its size. Support comes in many forms, from many people, for myriad reasons.
In Escalante, the economic importance of the monument is undeniable, as most Main Street businesses are dedicated to lodging, guiding, or supplying tourists with the requisite gear for safe and enjoyable exploration of the backcountry environs. This is basecamp for the northern part of Grand Staircase, and visiting families shuffle in and out shops, fueling up before heading out.
“Economics is one justification for a national monument,” said David Tucker, a board member of Bikepacking Roots who recently rode the High Plateaus Loop through the monument. “There are others. Tribal sovereignty, biological diversity, ecological integrity – the list is long and shouldn’t be ignored. Many people value this place for many reasons.”
The wondrous loop through the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is on nearly 100% dirt, nearly 100% public lands, and through stunning Colorado Plateau canyon and plateau country (colorful smaller plateaus on the bigger Plateau).
“There are few places like this left on Earth, and fewer every day,” Tucker writes in a recent article about his trip there. “Up here, things go about their business, as they have – and hopefully will continue to do – forever. This is a bit of an illusion but one I am happy to indulge as the sun makes its way toward the western horizon…”
The same could be said about each of these monuments, and so many more of our public lands.
A Protection Emergency
As of May 18, no reduction plan has been publicly released, but is it merely a matter of time? The Trump Administration has repeatedly shown that they intend to follow through with even the most unpopular (and potentially illegal) actions. If they say they want to do something, it is clear they believe they have the political power to do it, despite any opposition to it.
For now, those of us that value these places, for whatever reasons, whether up close or from afar, should be ready to act on their behalf. Soon, these lands will need us to speak up for them, and we hope you’ll join the chorus.
Public pressure on the administration can work. Our biggest chance at preventing the loss of National Monuments protection is to show them this is universally unpopular. How do we do that?
Write Congress and the administration! Make phone calls, and urge others to do so.
And, of course, support Bikepacking Roots’ ongoing advocacy work. The organization is working behind the scenes with other outdoor recreation and conservation groups to elevate the voice of the bikepacking community. It does this by working closely with other advocacy organizations and representatives who are key public lands champions within Congress.
Bikepacking Roots also constantly strives to strengthen its network of Regional Advocacy Stewards to create a local-regional-national feedback loop to engage on important issues impacting the landscapes we all love to ride in.
Take action today to protect our cherished National Monuments.
Consider supporting Bikepacking Roots’ advocacy work by becoming a monthly donor.
Chris Case is a writer, editor, and book author, and founder of Alter Exploration, which creates challenging cycling and bikepacking tours. He currently serves as vice president of the board of directors of Bikepacking Roots.