Wyoming Lawmakers Weigh Charging Mountain Bikers to Use State Trails

Hitting the trails on two wheels in Wyoming could soon come with a price tag.

A draft bill moving through the Legislature would add new user fees for mountain bikers on state-managed trails. Officially titled State parks–non-motorized recreational trails fees, the proposal passed its first step in August and is still in the early stages.

Under the plan, bikers would pay either $5 for a daily pass or $10 for an annual resident pass ($20 for nonresidents). Kids ride free, but anyone caught pedaling without paying could face an $85 fine. These fees would be on top of regular state park entry fees.

The push comes as trail demand grows while state and federal dollars shrink.

“With the expanding trail systems that we have had in Wyoming and the need for new trails, there’s just not a lot of funding availability out there at the state level,” said Austin Burgess, executive director of the Central Wyoming Trail Alliance.

Supporters argue that user fees could provide a reliable funding source for building and maintaining trails—especially since professionally built trails can run anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 per mile. And according to Wyoming State Parks, more than 90% of recent requests for new trails have come from mountain bikers themselves.

That’s also why some riders feel unfairly singled out. Burgess acknowledges the concern but notes that mountain bikers are currently the biggest user group—and the ones most often pushing for new projects. He also hopes the program could expand in the future to include hikers and horseback riders.

This isn’t the first time lawmakers have floated the idea. Similar proposals popped up in 2017 and again in 2022, but failed without a clear funding strategy. This time, the money would go directly into mountain bike trail construction and upkeep.

The draft bill is expected to surface again during the 2026 budget session. If it passes, cyclists will have to pay to play on Wyoming’s state trails.

The original story by Morgan Vanetti for Wyoming News Now.