Reaching new heights
Newly signed EXPLORE Act to increase recreation opportunities on public lands
A climber makes his way up a route in Rocky Mountain National Park. The long-simmering topic of use of permanent anchors on climbing routes in wilderness and national parks has been put to rest with the EXPLORE Act, which allows anchors to remain./ Photo National Park Service
The great outdoors are about to become a lot more accessible and user-friendly. On Sat., Jan. 4, President Joe Biden signed a massive bipartisan outdoor recreation bill into law. The new bill will enact a host of initiatives on federal lands, from allowing fixed climbing anchors to more trailhead parking, bike trails and even wi-fi access.
Known as the “Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences, or EXPLORE Act, it passed its final hurdle late last year when the Senate passed it on Dec. 19, before its holiday recess.
“This is really, really good news for our country,” Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W. Va., said upon the bill’s passage. Manchin led the charge on the bill, along with Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo.
The bill aims to expand and improve outdoor recreation opportunities across the country and includes a number of Colorado priorities.
Introduced in November 2023 by House Natural Resources Committee Chair Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., and Ranking Member Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., the package combines outdoor recreation policy and access with support for public-private partnerships and even broadband access at recreation sites. Colorado Reps. Joe Neguse, Doug Lamborn and Brittany Pettersen were co-sponsors of the House bill.
“It will help create more fun all across the country,” Westerman said after the passage. “This isn’t something that just happened overnight. Some of this legislation has been going on for years, and we finally got it all packaged up and got it passed. So it’s a great day for outdoor recreation.”
A number of efforts championed by Colorado lawmakers made it into the package. That includes the Biking on Long-Distance Trails (BOLT) initiative, introduced by Neguse, which encourages the development of long-distance bike trails on federal lands. It also includes Protecting America’s Rock Climbing, which would continue to allow fixed bolts for climbing in wilderness areas and national parks and was pushed by Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.
“Our booming outdoor recreation economy creates jobs and drives local economies across Colorado,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “We’re making it easier for our outdoor rec businesses and outfitters to thrive while improving access to our public lands.”
Hickenlooper also celebrated provisions of the bill that would lead to more parking at federal recreation sites and trailheads. The package also reauthorizes the U.S. Forest Service to lease administrative sites for housing. It’s an idea championed by Neguse and Sen. Michael Bennet to help mountain communities address affordable housing needs.
“It’s as simple as this: In Colorado, the preservation of our public lands and the strength of our outdoor recreation economy is not only integral to the spirit of our state but to the success of our people,” Neguse said in a statement. “I am proud to see these bills through to the finish line – and even more excited for the ways in which they will deliver for our communities.”
Bennet echoed this sentiment in his own statement: “By passing this legislation, Congress is finally recognizing its importance to rural economies and ensuring that as demand for outdoor recreation grows, rural economies grow too.”
The package also includes provisions to streamline permitting for outdoor guides and outfitters, set up new shooting ranges on public land, do more to increase youth recreation and military and veterans access to federal lands, and combat aquatic invasive species, like the zebra mussel.
Westerman also credited several outdoor groups for getting the bill over the finish line.
Jessica Wahl Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, called the bill transformative. “The EXPLORE Act will supercharge the outdoor recreation industry and is a victory for our economy, our communities, our quality of life, and our shared connection to the outdoors,” she said in a statement. “By advancing this transformative legislation, Congress has shown its commitment to ensuring every American has access to world-class outdoor experiences, from our backyard to the backcountry, while supporting the businesses, workers and communities who make those experiences possible.”
According to a survey from Colorado State University, output related to outdoor recreation by Colorado residents amounted to $56.8 billion in 2023, contributing $36.5 billion to the state’s GDP and $11.2 billion in tax revenue.
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