Washington State Parks has opened nominations for the Scenic Bikeways Program, allowing businesses and individuals to submit bike routes they think should become Washington state’s first Scenic Bikeways. The pilot nomination round will advance up to 15 proposed routes for further consideration.
The inaugural nomination round for the Scenic Bikeways Program closes Nov. 30.
State Parks will oversee the route nomination and implementation process. The agency is also the final decision-making authority that will designate a proposed route as a Scenic Bikeway, a news release from the State Parks stated.
Proposed Scenic Bikeways should be fun to ride and can comprise shared use paths, bike lanes and/or roadways with exceptional scenic, cultural, historic or recreational value.
Routes should:
• Have exceptional scenic, cultural, historic or recreational value
• Be contiguous and fully constructed
• Connect scenic vistas, parks and open spaces
• Have places to fix your bike, get food, rehydrate and stay overnight
• Encourage local economic activity
• Be located where all land managers provide their consent
Proponents should be prepared to submit a map of their proposed route, provide information on how to access the route, and include photos and a description of the scenic, cultural, historic or recreational value of that route.
Designating an official Scenic Bikeway has five steps: nomination, route presentations, development of a memorandum of understanding, designation by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, and implementation.
For more information about the Scenic Bikeways Program and to learn more about the nomination process, visit the Scenic Bikeways program webpage at https://tinyurl.com/uachyccy where the Scenic Bikeways Program Manual is available.
Email ScenicBikeways@parks.wa.gov with questions.
