Trail Flow is a roundup of all the mountain bike trail related news of the week including new trail builds, advocacy, and planning. Do you have trail news? Email [email protected] for possible inclusion.
New bike park served by a magic carpet lift at Cone Park
Sioux City, Iowa
A brand-new mountain bike trail system is set to open in Sioux City’s Cone Park on Friday, June 14, 2024, with a Trail Fest to be held the following day to celebrate. The new trail system is home to 10 miles of singletrack trails, plus a paved pumptrack and skills features ranging from beginner to expert. Riders can use the 500-foot-long magic carpet lift to get to the top of one of the hills in the park to minimize the climbing. However, if you think you can handle pedaling 500 feet, Cone Park does offer mellow uphill trails, too.
$6.9 million invested in Butterfield Canyon by Salt Lake City Council after a fresh $2.7 million allocation
Herriman, Utah
Two new downhill mountain biking trails in Butterfield Canyon are nearing completion, with a planned opening before the summer. This will bring the total trail mileage in the system up to 17 miles. In addition, the Salt Lake City Council just voted to invest an additional $2.7 million in this trail system in an effort to ease trail congestion along the crowded Wasatch Front. The investment would “improve the canyon’s trailhead with better equestrian access and construct a county trail maintenance building,” according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Find more details in our recent article, here.
Smith Park trails officially opened
Brentwood, Tennessee
Another brand-new trail system is opening in Brentwood, Tennessee’s Smith Park, with seven miles of singletrack. The singletrack is characterized as flowy XC trails with some built rock features and plenty of climbing and descending, and SORBAMIDTN claims that Smith Park offers trails for every level of mountain biker. (Source)
BLM seeks public input on legalizing a social trail in New Mexico
Farmington, New Mexico
San Juan County, in partnership with the BLM, is proposing the legalization of a social trail, known as the “Boneyard Trail,” near Farmington, New Mexico, for mountain bike and Class 1 e-bike use. The newly legalized trails will be rerouted to avoid sensitive areas and will total about 10 miles with two loops. The comment period runs from Friday, May 3, 2024, through Friday, May 17, 2024.
Mountain bike park in Sagle, Idaho, approved despite controversy
Sagle, Idaho
A conditional use permit was approved for the 170-acre Panhandle Bike Ranch, according to 4 News Now. In a classic case of NIMBYism, some of the local residents aren’t happy about it, despite many restrictions on the bike park already included in the conditional use permit.
Efforts underway to convert an old camp into a public park with MTB trails
Fairview, North Carolina
The project to purchase the former Camp Woodson and convert it into a public park has been talked about for some time, yet it hasn’t made much progress. A $200,000 development grant from the state of North Carolina to Buncombe County aims to change that by kickstarting the project. Eleven miles of beginner and intermediate mountain biking and hiking trails are planned for the 220-acre park. (Source)
546-acre Fish Lake Recreation Area to house 20-mile MTB trail
Mooringsport, Louisiana
A new recreational area near Mooringsport, located just north of Shreveport, known as the “Fish Lake Recreational Area,” has taken a massive leap forward, thanks to the purchase of 438 acres of land to complement an adjacent 108 acres of leased land. A 20-mile, multi-use trail is planned for the property, and mountain biking will be one of the designated use cases for the trail. (Source)
Ribbon cutting on 13 miles of new trails in Northeast Arkansas
Jonesboro, Arkansas
It’s not just Northwest Arkansas building trails—the entire state is getting in on the action. Craighead Forest Park near Jonesboro, in the northeastern corner of the state, is adding 13 miles of new singletrack trails to the existing network. According to K8 news, “the city invested $500,000 into the project with an additional $301,000 grant.” According to a press release, the trails will make Jonesboro a “mountain bike and trail-riding destination,” but they might need more than 13 miles to compete with places like Bentonville.
Two new trails in Boise, including a purpose-built downhill trail
Boise, Idaho
Two new trails are coming to a Boise-area trail system: the 1.8-mile Curlew Connection and the 1.7-mile 8th Street Downhill Mountain Bike Trail. The purpose-built 8th Street Downhill is especially intriguing for mountain bikers, as it is the first ever downhill-specific mountain bike trail built in Boise’s expansive Ridge to Rivers trail system. According to BoiseDev.com, “construction is expected to start in 2025 with the project wrapping up by September 2025.”
New Wildside attraction to include mountain bike trails
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Pigeon Forge is known for its commercial tourist attractions, and adventure tourism is booming. To meet this demand, a new commercial outfit known as “Wildside” is building a trail system on a 900-acre parcel of land, which will include everything from UTV trails to MTB trails. And, of course, there’s a restaurant and bar at the base to refuel after you ride. Wildside expects to open this summer. (Source)
Michigan State Parks considering opening singletrack trails to class 1 and 2 e-bikes
Michigan
Michigan DNR has been evaluating the possibility of opening singletrack trails in Michigan State Parks to e-bike access for over a year now. Class 1 e-bikes (aka pedal-assist e-bikes) are currently allowed on cement or gravel trails but not singletrack trails. Notably, the DNR is considering opening natural surface mountain bike trails to Class 2 e-bikes as well (aka e-bikes with a throttle), as long as the rider has acquired a permit. (Source)
After 8-year legal battle, mountain bikers blocked from riding at Ragged Mountain
Charlottesville, Virginia
An 8-year legal battle between the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, and the county of Albermarle has been settled, granting jurisdiction of the Ragged Mountain Natural Area to the county. This decision has effectively banned mountain bike access from the popular trail system for the time being. However, local advocates are still pursuing a change to the county’s prohibitive policies. (Source)
Construction begins on new 7km trail near Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Construction is underway on a new 7-kilometer mountain bike trail in Yellagonga Regional Park, known as the “Yalbunullup mountain bike trails.” In addition to the new singletrack, the trailhead will be completely revamped with “a new 100-bay carpark, new toilets, large shade pavilion, yarning circle, and interpretive signage highlighting the area’s history and natural attractions, according to MirageNews.com.
New trails from Rock Solid in northern lower Michigan
Cheboygan, Michigan
7.4 miles of new mountain bike trails are now open in the Melvin Family Hiking and Biking trail system. Constructed by the famed Rock Solid Contracting, the new trail system includes “unique trail features like gravity trails, sidewinder segments, skills features, rollers, berms, and more!” according to LandTrust.org. This new trail system is located on the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, not to be confused with Northern Michigan, aka the Upper Peninsula.
Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance is raising funds to build 6 more miles of new trails
Wenatchee, Washington
The Number 2 canyon trail system outside of Wenatchee has quickly become one of the best places to mountain bike in Central Washington, and the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance is working to make it even better. Through their GiveBig fundraiser, they aim to raise $40,000 to add six more miles of trails, including “1 new technical descent trail, 1 new bi-directional tech trail, a skills park for MTB skill progression from beginner to advanced with jump lines and more, a new parking lot at 4-corners that includes new picnic tables, and 18 additional spaces along with ADA and trailer-pull-through spaces, and a vault toilet,” according to the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance.
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May 2, 2024