He starts near Bungalow on the North Fork of the Clearwater River and rides up and across Pot Mountain to Mush Saddle. From there he rides past Cold Springs Peak and Elizabeth Mountain before dropping down to the Black Canyon Road. He rides up Kelly Creek and the Junction Mountain Trail to Windy Ridge and eventually to Cook Mountain and back down Fourth of July Creek. It's 87 miles in all.
But this year could be the last Deyo rides the route. A draft travel management plan released by the Clearwater National Forest last week would close large stretches of trails he likes to travel to motorcycles. The agency is closing the trails to provide security to animals like elk and to protect habitat for fish. But Deyo doesn't believe motorcycles affect elk or trout.
"There has never been a study on the Clearwater forest, as far as I know, that shows elk are killed by motorcycles or the cutthroat trout in Weitas Creek die when they hear a motorcycle go by. I don't know where they get this."
Deyo also said if the trails are closed to motorcycles they may well be effectively closed to everybody. He and some of his riding partners, at the request of the agency, spend time each spring and summer cutting trees out of the trails that have fallen during the previous winter.
"We start as soon as the roads are plowed, cutting windfall out of lower-elevation trails and as the snow melts we work our way up to higher elevations," he said. "I wonder who is going to do the logging out of these trails when the motorcycles are closed out. The Forest Service says they have no money to do it."
The Clearwater's draft travel management plan is receiving mixed reviews, with some all-terrain vehicle riders and environmental groups giving it a thumbs up. But motorcyclists like Deyo say it goes too far and some environmental groups say it doesn't go far enough.
The forest released its draft plan last week that spells out which roads and trails can be used by motor vehicles. The biggest changes are likely to be on trails and long-distance motorcycle riders have the most to lose.
The plan contains three alternatives. Alternative B keeps a liberal amount of trails open, while alternative D closes most trails to ATVs and motorcycles. The third option, alternative C, which is the one preferred by the agency, attempts to strike middle ground.
"Obviously B is the best one for everybody but I don't think C hurts us any. ATVs, it really doesn't affect all too much," said John Erbst of Orofino, who likes to ride ATVs and owns a business that guides ATV riders in the forest.
He said many local ATV groups have a good working relationship with forest officials and have worked with the agency to create new ATV trails at places like Sheep Mountain and Clarke Mountain. "I don't think this new road policy is going to bother that," Erbst said. "I think we will be able to continue to work with them."
The Forest Service nationwide is updating its policy that guides motor vehicle use on national forests. In the past, most forest trails and roads were open unless specifically closed to motorized travel. Under the new policy, each road and trail will be designated open or closed and cross-country travel through the forests will largely be a thing of the past.
Brad Brooks of the Wilderness Society at Boise said the Clearwater's draft plan seems to be on the right track.
"On the whole, I think it strikes a pretty good balance in terms of providing opportunities for everybody. Certainly the plan does well to protect wilderness values and non-motorized recreation values but I do think it provides opportunities for everybody no matter what your interests."
Brooks said his group may take issue with some of the trails the agency has tagged to leave open, but on the whole it is pleased with the plan.
The environmental community is not united in that view. Gary Macfarlane of the Moscow-based Friends of the Clearwater said the plan falls far short of his expectations. He said even alternative D, the one that restricts motorized travel the most, is too liberal.
"Even D, in a couple of places, violates the existing forest plan when meeting elk habitat standards," he said. "We are very disappointed. At least they should have had a baseline that was their existing forest plan and they don't even have that."
Macfarlane also said the plan allows too much snowmobile use in areas important for wolverines and lynx.
In 2007, when the forest began to write the draft plan, it said many of the trails now open to motorcycles could be closed. Forest officials received more than 4,500 comments. Many where from motorcycle riders who wanted long loops left open. Doug Gober, the ranger of the North Fork District, said alternative C was crafted to both protect elk and fish and also leave some long loop opportunities to dirt bikers.
But Deyo said the preferred alternative would leave motorcycle riders with far fewer choices than they have now. They would still be able to ride up Weitas Creek to 12-mile Saddle and down the Windy Ridge Trail to the Cook Mountain Road. But they wouldn't be able to drop into the Fourth of July drainage.
"I'm spoiled," he said. "I've been able to ride a lot of different trails my whole life in the North Fork. I realize times change but not this much at once, I would hope."
A 45-day comment period for the draft plan started last week. But printed maps that show which trails would be open and closed under each alternative have been late to arrive. The comment period may be extended from 45 days starting when the maps become available. The plan is available for viewing at area libraries, Clearwater forest offices and on the Internet at http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/clearwater/ under the link "Travel Planning and OHV Rule." The option requires viewers to have a fast Internet connection.
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Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273.
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