A 656-acre parcel of land outside of Morganton, NC, was slated for housing development, but the locals didn’t want to see even more houses built. There aren’t many large parcels of undeveloped land left this close to Morganton, making this plot of land truly special. Instead of more houses, this acreage is now home to a community park and a burgeoning mountain bike trail system just 10 minutes from downtown, thanks to the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina.
The Foothills Conservancy is “here to inspire conservation in our region through protecting land and water resources,” said Shane Prisby, Trails Program Director for the Foothills Conservancy. Since 1995, the Foothills Conservancy has protected over 70,000 acres of land and transferred over 54,000 acres to public ownership. Over 10,000 acres are still held in their preserves.
Thanks to hard work by the Foothills Conservancy, including extensive fundraising and garnering of public support, this 656-acre parcel was saved from development. But the Foothills Conservancy isn’t your average land trust. While they do focus on protecting land, they’re also serious about stewardship of that land and the recreation opportunities it provides.
What better recreation opportunity than mountain biking?
The new mountain bike trails at Oak Hill Community Park and Forest
As the Foothills Conservancy worked on a proposed master plan for the property in advance of the purchase, they identified trails as “a really big feature,” according to Prisby. “We wanted to do something truly new for us, which was manage this like a park.”
During the master planning process, the Foothills Conservancy realized that what is now called Oak Hill Community Park and Forest could fill a gap in the local mountain bike opportunities. Not only is Oak Hill much closer to downtown Morganton than any other trails in the region, but it also provided the opportunity to build progressive, sustainable beginner and intermediate-friendly singletrack. “There’s a lot of advanced trails in our region, but there’s a real lack of beginner and intermediate,” said Prisby. “We really want something that fills that need for the community.”
The trail system is designed to be “user-friendly and is fit for riders at any skill level,” including families and beginners, according to Prisby. They’ve been partnering with Overmountain Cycles to host beginner ride days for people who may be new to mountain biking. “The trails are built in a way that gives them the skillset and confidence to try it,” said Prisby. It’s not like they’re […] going to go straight down the hill too fast and have a bad experience the first time and not want to get back on a bike.”
Todd Branham, owner of Long Cane Trails, was contracted to help design and build the trails at Oak Hill. Branham is known as a master flow trail builder, and the trails at Oak Hill are no exception.
“I just like that it doesn’t have a ton of elevation,” said Branham. “An expert could go there and pedal hard and certainly get a workout, but a beginner could do it too, and have a good time. And I think that’s what’s really unique about it. The design in the way it contours the hills, goes along the creeks, the different types of forest it goes through.”
How much singletrack does Oak Hill offer?
As of press time, five miles of singletrack are already open to the public, and Branham is currently finishing work on an additional four miles that should open sometime this fall. Of those nine total miles, five miles are beginner trails and four miles are intermediate trails. In addition, there’s currently two miles of hike-only trail in the park.
But Foothills has a lot more planned.
“I think we have 27 17 miles of trails in the plan that’s already been permitted,” said Prisby. “So really, it’s about just raising the grant funding to build it. We have the permits in place to build out the network, which is really exciting.”
Forethought and intentionality
The Foothills Conservancy is definitely planning ahead. One of the first amenities they built for the new community park was a massive 70-car parking lot. In the past, trailhead amenities have often been added as an afterthought, and they’ve sometimes been overrun due to unexpected popularity. Now, Foothills is planning ahead.
In addition, “we’re working on a septic system and flush restrooms, as well as a pavilion, a future amphitheater — the park is going to be continuously growing. It really is a living project for us,” said Prisby.
Above and beyond trails, the work at Oak Hill includes “forest stewardship, land protection, stream restoration, community and educational events, science projects, a community agriculture program and sensory garden, hosting fundraisers, collaboration with community partners and more,” according to the conservancy.
It’s clear that at every turn, the Foothills Conservancy has thought deeply about this project and done its best to peer ahead into the future to imagine how Oak Hill Community Park and Forest can serve the Morganton community for years to come. This is just the beginning for the burgeoning mountain bike scene in this pocket of North Carolina.
