If you’ve spent any time on a back-of-beyond back country route lately, you’ve seen the state of things. It’s literal rot. Bridges that look like they’ve survived a landmine, trailheads reclaimed by the forest, and infrastructure held together by a prayer and some twenty-year-old zip-ties. It’s a miracle we aren’t all getting swallowed by potholes larger than a Smart car.
The national parks, forests, and public lands are in disrepair. The original Great American Outdoors Act tried to put a band-aid on it, but without a sustained cash infusion, that progress is about to stall, leaving your favorite trail on life support just as participation is hitting an all-time high.
The $1.2 Trillion Cash Infusion
Enter Senate Bill 1547. A bipartisan group of senators, including Angus King (I-ME) and Steve Daines (R-MT), just introduced the America the Beautiful Act. This isn’t just about preserving nature and staring at sunsets, though those are fine pastimes. It’s about securing $1.2 trillion in economic output.
The bill seeks to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) through 2033, expanding the most critical funding tool land managers have to tackle the massive deferred maintenance backlog.
Outdoor recreation supports 5 million jobs and accounts for 2.3% of U.S. GDP. In gateway communities, roughly one in five jobs relies directly on public land access. Trails are not just “amenities”; they are the literal economic infrastructure that fuels local economies, tourism, and a multi-billion dollar cycling industry.
This is the Feds Paying the Rent
When trails, bridges, and campgrounds fall into disrepair, it’s not just a bummer for your Strava segment. It creates real safety concerns, limits access, and chokes off the economic benefits that flow into local businesses. Riders depend on well-maintained networks. Keeping the national backyard in good working order is just good business.
The America the Beautiful Act also introduces smarter project planning and clearer reporting, hopefully reducing the bureaucratic drag on getting repairs done. For trail users, that means safer bridges, resilient corridors, and trailheads that can handle the modern demand.
PeopleForBikes is championing this push. Without congressional action, the LRF will expire, leaving land managers broke just as the riding season heats up. We’re backing Senate Bill 1547, and you should too.