# Examples of an extravogant Trailhead



## dmars3571 (May 17, 2008)

Our community is applying for a 2015 Outdoor Recreational Grant that will be a 50/50 matching grant between city and state of up to $500,000 total. A recent public hearing was held and the people in attendance, especially the city grants coordinator, was very receptive to the idea of implementing a new trailhead, new mapping, signage, kiosks, bike wash, and etc throughout our trail system which consists of approximately 15 miles. It is a lot of money to spend and ideally, the city wants the maximum amount of grant money to apply for this project. Our group would like to see some examples of the most over the top trailheads you have ever seen and gather some great unique ideas. The Parks Director has designated an area for the project that is approximately 300 yards from the actual trail so new trail will need to be constructed to connect users to the trail. There are bathrooms with running water adjacent to the existing parking lot that will be used for the Trailhead. A skills park would be a nice addition also. The director also stated he wanted this project to be very nice and the grants coordinator asks our group to do the presentation to the mayor and city council if our idea is approved. Your input is very much appreciatied.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

Seems like a lot of money to blow on accessorizing a fairly small trail network. No way it could be spent on expanding the trail system instead probably? I don't know your local situation of course, but personally, I'd rather have more trails than a fancy trailhead and a bunch of kiosks any day.


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## zombinate (Apr 27, 2009)

Sounds like what Lebanon Hills installed in MN a few years ago:

Facilities | Lebanon Hills


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## dmars3571 (May 17, 2008)

Thanks Zombinate, that's exactly the kind of examples we are looking for!


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## epic (Apr 16, 2005)

Yup, that's pretty extravagant.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

We pull-up, take the bikes off the car and lay them away from traffic, walk into the bushes and pee, put our shoes on and go. When we get back we wash off if we have water left over, maybe change behind the car, mount the bikes on the car and go get beer.

Half a mill is a lot of beer.

Kidding. Best wishes.


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## Tres Bottelas (May 27, 2014)

I'm totally blown away that that much money would be devoted to essentially what would be a parking lot. But, I guess I'm not really surprised since the bureaucracy can show it off. Why would you need a skills park when you could use the money to develop a better experience on the actual trails? I could do a lot with $500k.

Extravagance is not what I'd consider a worthwhile pastime.


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## zombinate (Apr 27, 2009)

might also look at the ongoing work to the new Cuyuna Lakes trailhead project. Looks like about double your budget:

https://www.facebook.com/cuyunalakesmtb


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## Cotharyus (Jun 21, 2012)

I'm all for a nice trail head. But $500K? I wish I could find you some good pictures of this, but at the moment, I'm drawing a blank. The Percy Warner MTB trails in Nashville were designed and built by Singletrack Trails for a cost of $350K. The trail head is a parking lot shared with the golf clubhouse at the Percy Warner golf course. Hello, Club Ride Apparel, we'll all step into the bar after the ride. I'm not sure how much the parking lot and (brand new) club house cost the city, but I'm sure if I had $500K I'd get a whole, whole lot more than just a high dollar trail head out of it.

Oh, for the record, the Percy Warner trail head has gates like the one posted further up for closing the trail when wet, etc. - it's also, handily, tied into the Nashville Bikeway.a

I've got nothing against a fancy trail head. But then there's functional and other considerations too. Take this joint:

City of Clarksville, TN : North Ford Street Mountain Bike Trail Park

No pictures of the trail head, but theres a good sized gravel lot - parking for about 20 cars - with room on either side of the lot for a future pump track and jump line. Map kiosk, trail head signs, etc. are there. There's also a nice shaded area to one side of the lot where there are tables and benches to hang out after the ride, or whatever. Plans eventually call for water to be available there, particularly for care of the pump track, etc but probably also a small wash station. I'd like to think we could get bathrooms too. Currently this all exists to support an ongoing building project. We expect to get 8 miles of trail out there, but currently have just over 2 miles built. The key is, it's the first trail in town built for bikes, previously we only had one small park with hiking trails in it we could ride in. The capital budget for this project last year (when pretty much everything that's done so far was done) was $10K.

Be open minded with that budget if you get the grant. Make sure it allows for a lot more than just improving the trail head. Or make sure you get yourself a really nice pump track included in the skills area. Or something.


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## ronski (Jul 28, 2009)

Seems like a waste for 15 miles of trail. Without a plan to build new trail this is a waste of public funding. I'd tie in a trails master plan showing a lot of new trail to justify the expensive trailhead. If no new trail is possible, then we're just back yo this being a waste of money.


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## CycleKrieg (Dec 19, 2013)

zombinate said:


> might also look at the ongoing work to the new Cuyuna Lakes trailhead project. Looks like about double your budget:


The Cuyuna Lakes trailhead is more than for bikes. It includes a invasive species wash area for boaters, a designated swim area (these are mine pits after all, some non-sanctioned swim areas are an awfully big first step), parking, and some massive re-routing of a dangerous and badly eroding mining haul road. If it was just the stuff for mountain bikers (changing area, parking lot, bike wash station) it would be under $250K easily.


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## cglasford (Sep 26, 2011)

$500k when you are talking a large asphalt and concrete parking lot, actual building with electricity and plumbing-toilets, sinks, water fountains, showers...ect, isn't all that much money and it will be a nice addition to your trail. 
It depends on where you live but if they are adding any paved connector path ways to link to other bike paths... they city will blow through that easily. The biggest thing a nice trail head will add is, 1 legitimacy to your trail- the city and community will start to see it as an actual amenity and facility, it will also attract new users as they will know notice what wasn't there 3. it will allow for bigger and better events to happen that will hopefully generate more money for your park.

the lebanon hills example, they use that for camps and other events, the skills park is used by the local youth that aren't really into MTB yet but find it fun to ride there... so its like planting the seed.

and there is nothing you can do if that is what the land manager has decided to spend the money on, best case, embrace it and make the most out of it! I think it is rad they are willing to invest into your trail system, even if it isn't building more miles... 15 miles is a good number. Quality over quantity, IMHO... milage isn't everything


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## Tres Bottelas (May 27, 2014)

cglasford said:


> $500k when you are talking a large asphalt and concrete parking lot, actual building with electricity and plumbing-toilets, sinks, water fountains, showers...ect, isn't all that much money and it will be a nice addition to your trail.
> It depends on where you live but if they are adding any paved connector path ways to link to other bike paths... they city will blow through that easily. The biggest thing a nice trail head will add is, 1 legitimacy to your trail- the city and community will start to see it as an actual amenity and facility, it will also attract new users as they will know notice what wasn't there 3. it will allow for bigger and better events to happen that will hopefully generate more money for your park.
> 
> the lebanon hills example, they use that for camps and other events, the skills park is used by the local youth that aren't really into MTB yet but find it fun to ride there... so its like planting the seed.
> ...


I like the idea of providing a welcoming mat. I think it is awesome that public land managers are seeing the value in providing outdoor recreation to tax payers. That said, 15 miles is not a lot of terrain for a mountain biker. If you throw hikers in the mix crowding could quickly become a problem. Even though I applaud the effort, I think this is a genuine case of putting the cart before the horse. What is the population density here? 500k for such a project screams of 1) high population (tax revenue) or 2) upscale private community. I suspect it is the latter, and if that is the case they will likely have to hire security to detour "unwanted" traffic. Either way, once you throw out the welcome mat, be prepared.


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## radair (Dec 19, 2002)

Sorry, I'm in the too extravagant camp on this one. You guys are diminishing your chances of getting a grant and depleting the available grant money for everyone else by going over the top.

Bike washes and changing rooms are nice to have but with well designed & constructed trails, bike washes are usually not even needed. We're putting in a couple of kiosks with built-in changing stalls for a few hundred bucks.

Best wishes with your project anyway.


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## cglasford (Sep 26, 2011)

you are right... if you have to share 15 miles with other users it is not. It is also not a lot if it is your only trail with in that area. But if it is the most popular of numerous trails then ok. To the example earlier of lebanon hills, I don't even think that trail system has 15 miles, I think 13 to be exact but it is one of 11 trails and 2 bike parks in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Actually we only have like 1 actual trail system, I'm aware of, in all of MN that has more than 15 miles in one shot and that is Cuyuna. Most of our trail systems are 5-10 miles in length but it is probably the most popular and most supported. They did the upgrade to support the parking issue as people were parking on the road and the city didn't like that... they just decided to make all the other cool stuff but I doubt if it cost a 1/2 mil either


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## dmars3571 (May 17, 2008)

Thanks for all the responses everybody, I really respect the differing opinions and ideas. Let me give some more detailed information regarding our area. The population of Jonesboro is 71,000 people with a two county area surpassing roughly 170,000 people. We are also a college community. Our local park is Craighead Forest Park that encompasses 692 acres. There is a 3.1 mile paved road that wraps around the lake making a circle, a 2 mile chat trail that borders the lake, and also a large ATV area on the NW side of the park. All the rest of the area is our trail system. Some trails lead out of the park to different neighborhoods, no signage, and about 6 different areas where people park to get on the trails. The grant the city is seeking is with the Arkansas Highway & Transportation Dept. They apply for it every year. Approximately 10 years ago, the ATV area was awarded a grant to develop their trail system that included a gravel parking lot, huge boulders strategically placed to keep the atvs confined to the specific area and chainlink fencing all for a total of about $110,000. As for our park, there is no need for any additional parking and there is currently a small bathroom including mens and womens stalls. Of course with grants and government, projects usually end up costing a whole lot more than what we could accomplish as a group. We are hoping to enhance the park and the trail system through professional means. The trailhead idea is in competition with other ideas for this grant. Dog parks, an Amphi-theatre, walkways connecting the park are a few examples. One way or another, the Parks Dept will spend the money, we just hope they spend it on the trails.


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## Tres Bottelas (May 27, 2014)

dmars3571 said:


> Thanks for all the responses everybody, I really respect the differing opinions and ideas. Let me give some more detailed information regarding our area. The population of Jonesboro is 71,000 people with a two county area surpassing roughly 170,000 people. We are also a college community. Our local park is Craighead Forest Park that encompasses 692 acres. There is a 3.1 mile paved road that wraps around the lake making a circle, a 2 mile chat trail that borders the lake, and also a large ATV area on the NW side of the park. All the rest of the area is our trail system. Some trails lead out of the park to different neighborhoods, no signage, and about 6 different areas where people park to get on the trails. The grant the city is seeking is with the Arkansas Highway & Transportation Dept. They apply for it every year. Approximately 10 years ago, the ATV area was awarded a grant to develop their trail system that included a gravel parking lot, huge boulders strategically placed to keep the atvs confined to the specific area and chainlink fencing all for a total of about $110,000. As for our park, there is no need for any additional parking and there is currently a small bathroom including mens and womens stalls. Of course with grants and government, projects usually end up costing a whole lot more than what we could accomplish as a group. We are hoping to enhance the park and the trail system through professional means. The trailhead idea is in competition with other ideas for this grant. Dog parks, an Amphi-theatre, walkways connecting the park are a few examples. One way or another, the Parks Dept will spend the money, we just hope they spend it on the trails.


Thanks, but you are asking about ideas revolving around extravagant trailheads, and not ideas for the actual trails. Like I said, I would spend the bulk of them money making improvements to the spaces where people will spend the majority of their time. An amphitheater might be neat, too.


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## bsieb (Aug 23, 2003)

Who will be responsible for maintenance and utilities on an ongoing basis?


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## blum585 (Mar 28, 2012)

If one had 500K to add new trails and improve existing trails or build some over blown trail head facility I would say build the trails... The community I live is doing the exact same thing though... Spending a shitton of cash on a trail head facility that is literally the exact opposite of what the users asked for. The users asked for: water, bathrooms and a place for tool storage. Instead we are getting water (no bathrooms yet) a bike wash (even though trails shouldn't be ridden when muddy) and some elaborate deck so people have a place to look out... All this at a 9 mile trail network. More trails are needed more than some bloated spending crap. Our community has an elevated platform that the City spent 3 million on a mile from this one for the exact purpose of looking out.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

It's tough to funnel money to local contractors for trail building, and that seems to be the main goal in a lot of these types of projects.


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## PhxChem (Aug 4, 2010)

$500,000? That's chicken feed for Scottsdale......

Partial Quote:

"Today, the investment from taxpayers, combined with hard work by preservationists, is celebrated with the debut of Scottsdale's newest trailhead.

The $3.8 million Brown's Ranch Trailhead, 30301 N. Alma School Parkway, provides parking and other amenities for visitors to better access the newly acquired desert, which runs east of Pima Road and south of the Tonto National Forest."


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## Tom Shaw (Feb 19, 2014)

This is a bike repair stand we put in at one of our trailheads. Steam Whistle Pilsner is a club sponsor. No tax dollars involved, all paid for by the Good Beer Folks!


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## cglasford (Sep 26, 2011)

we have a similar set up at a couple of our trails here in MN Twin Cities...

this picture is from the Cottage Grove bike park, the pump is on the other side. 
https://www.facebook.com/

donated to us by a local company bike fixtation
Bike Fixtation


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## zrm (Oct 11, 2006)

blum585 said:


> If one had 500K to add new trails and improve existing trails or build some over blown trail head facility I would say build the trails... The community I live is doing the exact same thing though... Spending a shitton of cash on a trail head facility that is literally the exact opposite of what the users asked for. The users asked for: water, bathrooms and a place for tool storage. Instead we are getting water (no bathrooms yet) a bike wash (even though trails shouldn't be ridden when muddy) and some elaborate deck so people have a place to look out... All this at a 9 mile trail network. More trails are needed more than some bloated spending crap. Our community has an elevated platform that the City spent 3 million on a mile from this one for the exact purpose of looking out.


What if there is no room to expand the trails?


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## dmars3571 (May 17, 2008)

Well here is the update: The city does not quite have the matching funds to apply for the grant and we found out there is Master Plan already in place for the park. What we did get is funding from the city which we will be able to build a kiosk, create a map, mark all gps coordinates of the trail, signage for all of the loop systems, a corner of green space for future projects that connects to the bathrooms, water access for outdoor showers and bike wash, and soon all of the acreage from the ATV area which is being moved to another section of the park. All this and we can begin immediately without waiting on the grant and government process. Thanks everybody for all of the examples and ideas. I will try to follow up with pictures as the process begins.


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## ABud (Feb 12, 2012)

bsieb said:


> Who will be responsible for maintenance and utilities on an ongoing basis?


Great Question.

My thought like the other hammerheads we don't need no stinking toilets, we want good trails.

But if money is no object I would slip some equipment into the budget a Dingo some saws and trimmers, maybe an ATV. I like equipment and it will probably be more useful for ongoing maintenace of the important part "the Dirt".


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