Rhett Jones, a high schooler from Texas, made waves in 2023 by fundraising, building, and opening a shuttle-served bike park in the Texas hill country near Austin. Station Mountain Bike Park features an astonishing 20 unique trails with 370 feet of vertical drop, including a jump trail with 75 jumps.
Now, the 130-acre property that the bike park is built on is for sale for $3.2 million.
Jones raised $350,000 for the construction of the trails on the property, but the property itself was purchased by a group of real estate investors “for over $3 million under a secured part-equity locked lease deal,” according to Singletracks writer Richard Shoop.
Jones recruited the group of real estate investors with “either the goal of making a return over ten years, or making a return in one year and selling the property,” according to an interview on the Berm Peak YouTube channel. “You can build vacation rentals, RV parks, gun range, horse trails. I don’t think you’d get a huge return on investment that you’d see in a downtown rental property,” Jones said, but the bike park offers numerous attractive benefits to the prospective buyer.
Station Mountain will continue to operate
While the contract details are negotiable, Station Mountain is seeking a lease lasting until 2028. In exchange, they propose to pay annual property taxes for the duration of the lease, share 10% of their weekly profits with the landowner, and take care of the ranch/road maintenance on the property—which includes maintenance of two included Kubota tractors. Jones plans to operate the bike park “Friday-Sunday only with the new owner having undisturbed access to the property and home throughout the week,” according to a property listing on LandAndFarm.com. The bike park is also fully insured and qualifies as agritourism.
Amenities included with the property
In addition to the bike park and Kubota tractors, the property also includes a “1.5 level barndominium with 2 beds, 2 baths, and a bonus room upstairs,” a 900sf two-bay shop, solar, septic, two wind-powered wells, and more. Both Jones and the real estate listing highlight that “the upper approx. 30 acres are not used by the park and has enough level topography to provide multiple build sites with incredible views.”
Of course, the property’s natural beauty is its main selling point, and in addition to the substantial vertical drop (for Texas), there are several caves on the property, cliffs, “a flowing spring head,” and a wet-weather creek.
Interestingly, the sale of the property could include partial equity or even complete ownership of the bike park. Jones hasn’t yet made any money off the bike park. “Right now, my goal is to pay back the investors, make the land investor happy, and secure the future of the park,” said Jones. “Selling the land is the most obvious way to successfully do that.”
It’s clear from his interviews that Jones has a big vision for his future. The sale of Station Mountain indicates that he views this bike park as a stepping stone to even bigger and better projects. “After Station Mountain, I want to make the next Whistler,” said Jones in an interview with Singletracks.
In order to make that leap, Jones will need to find the perfect buyer for this property. “I personally wouldn’t have the vision or stomach for an investment like this, but I sure hope that someone out there does, because Station Mountain is a good time,” said professional YouTuber Seth Alvo.
Station Mountain’s for-sale announcement comes hot on the heels of Mulberry Gap’s own announcement, with a list price of $3.695 million. If you’re a real estate investor with a love for mountain biking, there’s no shortage of options available.
For a behind-the-scenes view of the property, be sure to watch Seth’s recent video:
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