HMBA Opposes Closing Tower Ridge Road to Bicycles

HMBA Members, Supporters, and Indiana Cycling Community,

We need your help protecting bicycle access to Tower Ridge Road in the Hoosier National Forest.

The Hoosier National Forest is considering a proposal that would close approximately three miles of Tower Ridge Road between Todd Cemetery and the Grubb Ridge Trailhead to motor vehicles and bicycles.

𝗛𝗠𝗕𝗔 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗶𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀.

The history of this road is important.

When the Charles C. Deam Wilderness was established by Congress in 1982, there was significant debate about its boundaries. Tower Ridge Road was important to the local community for access to the Hoosier National Forest and Lake Monroe. A compromise ultimately left Tower Ridge Road outside the Wilderness, with Wilderness areas on both sides of the road.

That distinction still matters today. Tower Ridge Road is not within the Deam Wilderness boundary.

HMBA supports responsible management of our public lands and understands the challenges of balancing recreation, maintenance, safety, and protection of natural resources. However, we do not believe managing Tower Ridge Road in a manner that eliminates bicycle access is the right solution.

For decades, HMBA has worked to bring responsible mountain biking and outdoor recreation opportunities to Brown County and throughout Indiana. We are extremely proud of that history. Although we have handed the baton of some of that work to others, we continue to support the organizations, volunteers, advocates, and riders carrying it forward.

Tower Ridge Road is bigger than mountain biking. It is an important connection for mountain bikers, gravel cyclists, road cyclists, and events such as the Gravel Grovel and Death March. Gravel cycling in particular has grown tremendously, and roads like Tower Ridge provide exactly the type of public-land experience that attracts riders to Southern Indiana.

We believe eliminating bicycle access would unnecessarily remove a long-standing recreational use of this public road and would be inconsistent with the historical decision to leave Tower Ridge Road outside the Wilderness boundary.

𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘂𝗽.

The Forest Service is accepting public comments through September 24. We strongly encourage mountain bikers, gravel riders, road cyclists, event participants, local businesses, and everyone who values responsible access to our public lands to submit respectful comments opposing the closure of Tower Ridge Road to bicycles.

Please make your comments personal. Explain how you use Tower Ridge Road, why bicycle access matters, and what losing this connection would mean to cycling and outdoor recreation in Southern Indiana.

Learn more and submit comments here:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/hoosier/projects/375236

HMBA has spent decades advocating for responsible bicycle access to Indiana's public lands. We believe protecting those opportunities requires cyclists to participate when access decisions are being made.

𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻. 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗶𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀.