Trail Flow Thursday 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.
This week we’re combining trail flow with our monthly review of new trail openings.
New MTB trails that opened in March
Deer Haven Park (Lexington, Kentucky): Multi-use trails at Deer Haven Park officially opened this month thanks to the efforts of the KYMBA Bluegrass club. The park is accessible via the paved Brighton Trail greenway for those who want to ride to the ride.
J Gill Lost Trail (Aledo, Texas): The Weatherford Mountain Bike Club officially opened the newest trail at Western Heritage Park and it looks like a fun one!
The Kidd Dreamline (Johnson City, Tennessee): SORBA Tri-Cities just opened The Kidd Dreamline in Winged Deer park.
The Pit (Aledo, Texas): This brand new kid-friendly mountain bike skills park and trail had a soft opening at the end of February.
Royal Cascade Trail (Cañon City, Colorado): The Royal Cascade Trail has been in various stages of planning and construction since 2015 and thanks to the work of Fremont Adventure Recreation (FAR), a ribbon cutting for the 3.6-mile trail was held earlier this month.
Turkey Mountain (Tulsa, Oklahoma): Two miles of new trails recently opened at Turkey Mountain, thanks to work by Progressive Trail Designs, and another ten miles of singletrack should be open before the end of the summer.
Other mountain bike trail news this week
Prescott, Arizona looks to new gravity trails
There are a lot of mountain bike trails already in the Prescott National Forest, but with more riders, the area is seeing more demand. More trails may be on the way, according to IMBA. The Prescott Mountain Bike Alliance and City of Prescott are proposing 17-miles of bike-optimized gravity trails and trailhead improvements in the Bean Peaks area. The trails will be a “first of its kind in Arizona and will be ideally situated for easy access from town.” Submit your comments on the proposal here.
New Aberdeenshire trail center approved
It’s not every day that a new trail center is approved, and clearly the stoke is high. The Tarland Trails group writes, “Aberdeenshire’s First Large Scale MTB Trail Centre is coming!!!” Trail construction is said to begin immediately, and this release has all the details about the £750K project.
Vermont MTB Association announces almost $1M in grants to chapters for bike trail projects
The VMBA congratulated four chapters this week on receiving Vermont Outdoor Recreation Communities grants totaling $876K. Grant supported projects include three miles of new trails in Killington, improved trailhead facilities in the Mad River Valley, and new trails at Ascutney Mountain.
Salt Lake County adding 12 miles of multi-use trails
This week Salt Lake County, Utah agreed to lease land in the Butterfield Canyon area for new trails and to provide access to existing trails nearby. Plans include a new trailhead and make use of additional land that has been recently acquired and/or leased by the county.
Canmore trails getting $4M upgrade
Starting April 1 some of the trails in the Canmore, Alberta area will be closed as a part of a major project to update trailheads and bridges. Affected mountain bike trails include Reclaimer and Riders of Rohan.
Bike park plans under review in El Dorado Hills, California
The El Dorado Hills Community Services District is moving toward approving plans for a Trail Labs designed bike park. According to the CSD, “District staff met with County Planning to discuss the preliminary design and permitting requirements. Given feedback received from SMUD and PG&E, staff are looking at a revision to the concept to work with the utility easements and development requirements.”
Support needed for new and improved Crested Butte singletrack
IMBA and the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA) are asking mountain bikers to provide feedback to the US Forest Service in support of the project. According to IMBA, “The project will connect existing trails, reroute and decommission non-sustainable routes, and designate proper trail access points and trailhead infrastructure. Its scope consists of eight new trails or trail segments, one trail reroute, and three trailhead parking or day use area expansions and enhancements in Crested Butte and northern Gunnison.” The deadline to provide comments is TODAY so click here to add your voice.
