# Any City MB Parks?



## old_dude (Jan 27, 2004)

Does anyone know of a city, that has created a new city park or modified an existing city park to include extensive mountain biking trails? 

I am not talking about bike paths here. The bike paths, which I have seen, are suitable for prams and wheelchairs.

I have seen communities lose their local trails to property development. This seems to be a common occurance. I find myself wondering if anyone has experience with a city that has provided a venue suitable for mountain biking, or is this a one way process, where trails only disappear due to city planning and development.

old_dude


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## The Preacher (Jan 12, 2004)

Hi old_dude,

The city of Thousand Oaks, CA has approx. 100 miles (and growing) of trails on about 15,000 acres of open space, which is managed by COSCA and COSF. These trails begin their lives as multi-use (MTBs, hikers and horses).

Thousand Oaks is also recognized as a "Trail Town USA" by the American Hiking Society, but I can't find a good link to that right now. It has to do with the amount of trails and open space comapred to the population, among other things.

CORBA is the local MTB advocacy group and does a lot of volunteer work in the area, including their recent adoption of the Los Robles Trail... a very popular local trail that is also part of the historical De Anza route.


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## smilycook (Jan 13, 2004)

*Sure check out Boise Idaho*

check out www.ridgetorivers.org and we are also constructing a dirt jump park in a city park in march.

Chris
Boise,ID


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## catzilla (Jan 31, 2004)

They're all over South Florida. Actually, it seems like the local and state government of Florida does a pretty damned good job of embracing mountain bike trails. I mean, we don't get budgets and we still have to fight fears of liability, but trails exist in a decent number of parks. 

Oleta State Park in N. Miami gets approximately 1000 riders on any given weekend. Markham, Amelia, Quiet Waters, and Hanna Park (in North Florida) are also examples of parks embracing mountain bike trails in major cities. 

These are a mix of county and state parks.


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## LeeMan (Feb 9, 2004)

*Colorado Springs rules!*



old_dude said:


> Does anyone know of a city, that has created a new city park or modified an existing city park to include extensive mountain biking trails?
> 
> I am not talking about bike paths here. The bike paths, which I have seen, are suitable for prams and wheelchairs.
> 
> ...


 

Check out Palmer Park in Colordao Springs. All sorts of trails there, from intermediate to Hans Rey! The first time I rode there I got lost, so there's plenty of trails. Many of the trail improvements are due to a group called Medicine Whell. (Check out medwheel.org.)

There's also Cheyene Mountain Park (new, not quite opened) on the So. end of town, the Falcon Trail on the Air Force Academy on the No., and Cheyen Canon on the West. And that's just a few.

I haven't found a park any place that compares to Palmer Park for access and fun (though I'm not that widely travelled


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## VaughnA (Jan 21, 2004)

Lynchburg VA... We have about 9 miles of trails at peaksview park in Lynchburg. Great singletrack with decent short climbs. A great trail system for everyone. The local mountain bike club the Central Virginia Mountain bike Assoc (http://www.lynchburg.net/cvma/) built the trails with the help of some members of the Appalachian Trail Club(!). We even had our first race their last summer (My first and only podium!) . The support has been pretty good from the city as far as letting us build them but the financial support has been pretty small. They paved the bike path to the trails but we are still trying to get all of the signage up. We have weekly night rides in the winter and after work rides in the summer.

VaughnA


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## mtbjen (Jan 31, 2004)

*Charlotte, NC*

Charlotte currently has four county-owned parks with about 30 miles of singletrack. The Tarheel Trailblazers are also in the process of building more singletrack on city property adjacent to a sewer treatment plant (not as bad as some may think -- and great technical terrain!)


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## JmZ (Jan 10, 2004)

*Rum Village in South Bend*

Rum Village in South Bend IN started out this way.

The city didn't put us in the confines of the park, but opened up an annex to the park and let the local mountain bike group put in and maintain the trails. Worked out better this way, we have over 5 miles of trail in the park.

Still going strong 10 years later. 

JmZ


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## NorCAMBA Prez (Jan 30, 2004)

The City of Fairfield in Northern California. They have Rockville Park and are working with cyclists to establish North Shore style stunts to keep people from creating new trails.


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## tpmbt (Jan 5, 2005)

old_dude said:


> Does anyone know of a city, that has created a new city park or modified an existing city park to include extensive mountain biking trails?
> ...
> old_dude


Though not extensive, Tranquility Park Mountain Bike Trail is the first authorized MTB trail in an Omaha, Nebraska park. Check my sig line link for a description and maps. Phase 1 was opened 7.12.04 and phase 2 12.20.04.

We are hoping the relationship between Bike Masters Cycling Club, Trails Have Our Respect, and the Omaha Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands will create more MTB trails in Omaha.


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## NYKRINDFW (Nov 11, 2004)

www.dorba.org and www.cowtownmtb.org for trails in cities in Dallas/Ft Worth.

NY


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## Privateer (Apr 27, 2005)

old_dude said:


> Does anyone know of a city, that has created a new city park or modified an existing city park to include extensive mountain biking trails?
> 
> I am not talking about bike paths here. The bike paths, which I have seen, are suitable for prams and wheelchairs.
> 
> ...


 Houston has a very nice mountain biking trail in Memorial Park. You would never know you were in the middle of a major city.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

old_dude said:


> Does anyone know of a city, that has created a new city park or modified an existing city park to include extensive mountain biking trails?
> 
> I am not talking about bike paths here. The bike paths, which I have seen, are suitable for prams and wheelchairs.
> 
> ...


Madison, WI has Quarry Park which is small, but popular with dirt jumpers and huckers as well as neighbors and kids on rather basic bikes. There are other areas in the metro area where we can develp trails, but we lack the volunteers to do it. The city also has an area on university property where a group of HOHAs are trying to elimate bikes.


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## jcox00 (Dec 6, 2004)

*Co Spgs*



old_dude said:


> Does anyone know of a city, that has created a new city park or modified an existing city park to include extensive mountain biking trails?
> 
> I am not talking about bike paths here. The bike paths, which I have seen, are suitable for prams and wheelchairs.
> 
> ...


Colorado Springs has TONS o' trails all over. Smack in the middle of the city is Palmer Park. You won't get a 30-mile epic ride there, but you get some sweet riding and some great technical if you look for it. You can also hit some sweet drops if you're into the FR thing. Chayenne Canyon (right next to Cheyenne Mt. a.k.a. NORAD) Has some killer XC stuff. If you like the DH, Jones Downhill is ~10 miles of it that ends up in Cheyenne Canyon. Go forth and conquer.


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## cbchess (Dec 20, 2003)

old_dude said:


> Does anyone know of a city, that has created a new city park or modified an existing city park to include extensive mountain biking trails?
> 
> I am not talking about bike paths here. The bike paths, which I have seen, are suitable for prams and wheelchairs.
> 
> ...


Richmond Virginia has a very extensive network of trials in the down town area.
The James River Park System is huge and runs right through the center of town. RA More mtb club has been helping build and maintain these trails. 
http://www.richmond-more.org/home/

these trails are used by the Xterra race every year when they stop in Richmond. they are considered by some to be the best trails on the tour.
http://www.xterraplanet.com/race/richmond.html
http://www.xterraplanet.com/race/richmond_bike.html

we have added MILES of new trail to the park this year and we are hoping that they will use it for the course. the description on the Xterra web page is from last year.


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## muddpie33 (Oct 10, 2005)

*edmonton, alberta*



old_dude said:


> Does anyone know of a city, that has created a new city park or modified an existing city park to include extensive mountain biking trails?
> 
> I am not talking about bike paths here. The bike paths, which I have seen, are suitable for prams and wheelchairs.
> 
> ...


hey guys, 
i live in st.albert, which is a suburb of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.Edmonton has the worlds largest innner city park called the Edmonton River Valley. It is absolutly huge you could ride these trails for days before seeing the same trail twice. There are certain areas that "prohibit mtb" but i no one ever listens. Terwillegar park is a huge park on the north sask river with 60miles of trials. People of edmonton use and do not abuse these trails and so our city has been providing more and more trails yearly. If u guys are ever up north here u should definatly check it.


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## dave54 (Jul 1, 2003)

Susanville Ranch Park, Susanville, CA -- network of non-motorized multipurpose single track. The trail system also connects via gated dirt roads and singletrack to the Bizz Johnson Trail (which via other dirt roads connects to still other singletrack). The big master plan by the city and county, Lassen Land and Trails Trust, Forest Service, and BLM will have over two hundred miles of non-motorized multipurpose trails throughout the county, and connecting to trail systems in adjacent counties.

A twenty year plus plan, but still a plan...


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## kindacreeky (Aug 3, 2004)

*Nashville, TN trail*

Nashville has one trail that is about 10 miles of rocky technical singletrac called Hamilton Creek. Purposely built for MB in early 90's, on leased Corps of Engineers property around the Percy Priest Lake. Was built to relieve unlawful use of another park that is limited to horses and hikers. Is heavily used. Locals now pushing for at least one more trail.


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## Leaf Magnet (Apr 10, 2005)

Frick Park in Pittsburgh has a lot of good riding. We're working with the City Parks Dept.
to maintain the trails there.


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## CalEpic (Aug 19, 2004)

*Boulder City, NV*

Bootleg Canyon. An IMBA Epic Ride.
www.bootlegcanyon.org

C


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Town Run Trail Park in Indianapolis, IN
Westwood Park in New Castle, IN
Burchfield Park near Lansing, MI (county park)
Many parks in Pittsburgh, PA have fairly extensive mtb trail systems. Some are city parks, some are county parks.


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## Trabso (Sep 21, 2005)

I think the question is MTB park in the "city". I could be wrong but I don't think Bootleg Canyon is located in Boulder City Limits. I'm sure other post could fit into this too.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Headshok_1 said:


> I think the question is MTB park in the "city". I could be wrong but I don't think Bootleg Canyon is located in Boulder City Limits. I'm sure other post could fit into this too.


IMO, in the city and near the city (within a half hour drive of the city limits or in the suburbs) are the same thing. Trails in both areas are going to be quite heavily used with several hundred to thousands of users per week. Many of them (at least the ones I mentioned...not sure about others) are going to be managed by low-budget city or county parks systems that deal with a lot of the same issues. In some areas, the county manages parks inside the city and outside, so it's all the same to me. Officials in these types of parks systems are equally likely to have issues with mtb use for a lot of (mostly unfounded) reasons because the correct information is less likely to have reached them, or they have no actual experiences to prove them otherwise.


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## willtsmith_nwi (Jan 1, 1970)

*Outback Trail ...*

Old thread ... but I stumbled upon it and had to chime in.

Outback Trail in Imagination Glen park, Portage Indiana. The city parks are very supportive.

http://www.outbacktrail.org


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