# Thinking about building a skills park in my back yard



## Godfather1138 (Aug 13, 2011)

So I bought a house on a 3/4 acre lot with the house sitting way forward on the property. The reason I bought the house was for the over sized backyard. My dogs love it, and we do too when we have people over, but it just seems like an incredible waste of space right now.

I haven't run a survey wheel yet to get accurate measurements, but I estimated about a 120x120ft area to play with, but needing to shave 20 or so feet off on the house side just to keep the house safe and still give me room for cookouts and such.

I was looking at some of the pump tracks and they look pretty fun, but most of the guys I ride with (myself included) ride 29ers and prefer more tech type trails and features. I wanted to put something together that would be fun to play on when I can't make it out to the trails, but would also be a great skill building "gym" where we could all get together and practice.

Maybe a few ladder bridges, some stone/log/railroad tie features, a partial pump track so we could throw a nice bank and some small jumps in... I don't know, that's why I'm here looking for wisdom from some guys that have probably done this before.

*So, what would you do if you had a 120x100 (roughly usable) area that was level with no trees, and surrounded by a 6ft privacy fence?*


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

In that small a space, I would research building solid, yet moveable, stackable, modular features that you can move and rearrange for variety and building skills. One example here. One without moveable items. Old thread some ideas. Another back yard.

Searches here and on Google will give you plenty of ideas, some will work some won't


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## Godfather1138 (Aug 13, 2011)

I've been digging through Google search results with varied results. My problem is seeing something and thinking "Wow, we could do that!" without really knowing if it would be realistic in my space. 

We had been mostly talking about modular features like you mentioned, such as building several sections of ladder that could be arranged in multiple configurations to give us options. I don't want to build something that would have to be cleared to start fresh and get a change.

I'll dig through your links there and see what I can learn, thanks!


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## Godfather1138 (Aug 13, 2011)

slocaus said:


> *In that small a space*[/URL].


Some pretty good ides there, but those were built in about 1/2 to a 1/3 of the space I have available. I liked the idea of that cheap "reverse limbo" bar to practice bunny hops though. that is a good tit-for-tat game to challenge each other over. Those gave me some great ideas for ladder sections that could be pretty fun back there, and I'm sure I can pull off a fun "track" section of some sort now while keeping it to scale of a 29er.


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## simpterfex (Nov 14, 2010)

Quarter pipes and banks everywhere, box jump, s turns, spine, rhythm sections.


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## Mr. Lynch (Jun 11, 2010)

One thing I did was build two 1/4 pipes, that have a flat section on the top. I can push them together and make a tabletop, leave them spread apart as a gap jump, put a skinny between them, or just use them as ramps to hop up onto other features (like my picnic table). I've built of bunch of different "features" and made them all interchangable to keep things fresh.


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

Mr. Lynch said:


> One thing I did was build two 1/4 pipes, that have a flat section on the top. I can push them together and make a tabletop, leave them spread apart as a gap jump, put a skinny between them, or just use them as ramps to hop up onto other features (like my picnic table). I've built of bunch of different "features" and made them all interchangable to keep things fresh.


Ching, ching! Now pictures please. :thumbsup:


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## Godfather1138 (Aug 13, 2011)

Agreed, sounds like you've got a pretty fun setup Mr. Lynch!

I got a response today on a craigslist ad for free scrap 2x4's and 10' long planks of various types. Sounds like it is a commercial place that has a lot of good wood to get rid of so I hope I can get a good relationship going with them so maybe they can just let me know when they have more of what I need. 

I'm all for a "sponsored" build for my backyard skills park lol


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## Mr. Lynch (Jun 11, 2010)

I get a lot of scrap lumber from local warehouses. They get pallets delivered that are braced to the truck floor with rough cut 2x4s. They work great for building stuff to ride on and best of all they are free. A lot of places throw them away, so they are more than happy to let you haul them off. 

I just moved a few of the things I built to a local trail and I'm building new stuff for my backyard. I'll try to get some pix soon.


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## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

there are a few design principles to think about. because your yard is flat, you want to create some artificial elevation. you'll want a platform to use as a "starting-hill" or "roll-in" ramp.

check out my thread over on ridemonkey on roll-in design: Roll-ins - Ridemonkey.com

next consider what you're going to do when you get to the other side of your yard.... one thing that works well is to ride up another slant bank on to a platform with the same elevation as the first one. this is extremely common in skatepark design layout--you'll see quarterpipes or flat banks on both ends of a rectangle, with street obstacles like pyramids or grindboxes in the middle.

at its most basic, it looks like this. this allows the skater to ride back and forth and hit the obstacles in the middle repeatedly in the same run. 









the other way to think about your yard would be a loop where you ride the perimeter of the rectangle and basically have berms in each corner, with obstacles in between.








MTB Skills Park in Fresno | Mountain Bike Blog || SINGLETRACKS.COM

see how this skills park in Glendale is benefitted by having a platform to roll in from:









decline magazine

Check out pics from Colonnade in Seattle:
All sizes | Colonnade Mountain Bike Park | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

i recommend taking a trip to Ray's in Cleveland this fall, if you haven't already been there. it will teach anyone--even experienced builders--a lot of things about good park design.


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## Godfather1138 (Aug 13, 2011)

Not sure what the problem has been, but this will be my third attempt at a reply so it will be a little shorter this time.

My yard has a slight downhill grade from South to North so based on the great replies above I am thinking about building a 6' platform in the SW corner (back corner from the house) with a roll in heading directly North (down the slope) where I can put the first bank on the other side of the yard. I'll probably wind my way up and down the yard a bit from there pump track style, and then I can just scatter some skills items and bridges around the rest of the yard to play on.


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## FiveStar (Jul 9, 2011)

wow! glendale and rays look amazing!

i think i my need to take the , 500+ mile trip out to ray's!!


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## devojrx7 (Feb 12, 2011)

I'm considering doing something similar, but my yard is anything but flat, it is sloping all the way back and is stepped down a couple of times. There is also a concrete flower bed that is level with the yard on the up hill side and drops off about 4 feet on the other side. I think Godfather may be just north of me too. Greg is that you?


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## nickboers (Sep 26, 2009)

devojrx7 said:


> I'm considering doing something similar, but my yard is anything but flat, it is sloping all the way back and is stepped down a couple of times. There is also a concrete flower bed that is level with the yard on the up hill side and drops off about 4 feet on the other side. I think Godfather may be just north of me too. Greg is that you?


Your yard sounds awesome for putting in some skills park features! :thumbsup:


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Ray's is a lot of fun. definitely worth a visit. It's easy to spend all day in there, especially when you've got a bunch of friends with you. I took my wife there and she picked up a lot of new technical skills that she hadn't been able to master on the trails yet.

I also have a .8 acre lot with the house sitting rather far forward. I'd say I have at least 1/3 acre of woods in the back that's largely unused. It may be as much as half of the lot. I just haven't measured it. Ever since moving in, I've thought about doing a skills park back there. Medical problems and stuff kept me from doing anything, but this winter I might just have time. My soil is super sandy, so I don't think I'll be able to do much with sculpting berms, jumps, and rollers. But I do have a decent amount of storm blowdown I could integrate into a skills park design. Also some scrap treated lumber left over from some projects and even a couple pallets.

This fall/winter may well be the year I can finally get to putting those woods to good use. I also have a bit of slope from back to front. I'm not sure it's really enough to build speed on with the area I have, but it's definitely good enough for drainage.


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## Godfather1138 (Aug 13, 2011)

devojrx7 said:


> I'm considering doing something similar, but my yard is anything but flat, it is sloping all the way back and is stepped down a couple of times. There is also a concrete flower bed that is level with the yard on the up hill side and drops off about 4 feet on the other side. I think Godfather may be just north of me too. Greg is that you?


Yep yep, guilty as charged. We should trade ideas I haven't gotten very far with mine yet due to my upcoming wedding, but I've been drooling over the ladder features at Ray's for inspiration. You should head up and ride Slaughter Pen and the surrounding trails sometime.


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## dl1030 (Sep 3, 2009)

planning stage: best help I had was sketchup and a pair of scissors. I created my yard (basic shapes with accurate measurements) and printed it off. then I created more basic shapes to mimic features i wanted (example: pump tracks are built 4' wide x 10' long (pump to pump), so i made a few rectangles that fit that size and made a couple corners to match). Printed those shapes off and cut them out. from there I was able to take scale representatives of the features I wanted and move the paper around on the map to get a layout that worked. it would be no different if you wanted a roll in ramp, estimate the overall size, create a rectangle to mimic and move it around on your map to see where it fits and what space is left over. Skinnies are a bit harder as they can twist and turn but you can work it out. my yard is much smaller so i found this method to help me greatly maximize space. construction paper and a ruler would work too if PC isnt an option. no matter if you use a plan or not, start small. a small park that is dialed is a ton more fun than a huge park that is thrown together.

what I would do...rollin ramp that feeds two jump lines (build one now and one later as skills progress). From the same roll in ramp build a boardwalk that feeds into all the skinny options (with this being more what you are interested in i would use the larger part of the yard for skinnies) and end the skinny line(s) about the same spot as the jump(s). From there, do a pump line return back to the roll in. if the pumps are spaced correctly you should get enough speed built up to roll back up the ramp and start over. You will also learn how to build rollers which will help when it is time for a pump track. This return pump line i would plan as such that it could be made into a full loop later. after that, the sky is the limit.

laughable, but here is a quick paint image








green = yard
black = roll in stage
purple = pump return line
dark blue = future pump track
red/orange = jump lines
light blue+black = build a mess of skinnies


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## Godfather1138 (Aug 13, 2011)

I like your placement idea on the roll in platform. I had it placed in the far corner of the yard with one up and one off. The idea of running a couple of jump lines off it as well is great, and having the pump track feed directly back to the roll in is great (with a by-pass like you said to connect the full pump loop).

Thanks for getting the brainstorming started again!


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## SSPirate (Oct 3, 2011)

Yes, Build SOMETHING! I have a skills course in my backyard. Next up is the Pump Track. What I find after three years of having the skills trai lis the idea of moveable features might help keep you interested, that and good flow...almost like a pump track with technical features thrown in for good measure. My trail has a few really hard spots that kill the flow. One thing I did do to keep interest is that everything BUT the teeter can be ridden both directions, so you can do kind of a 'choose your own aadventure' style of riding. I basically did a perimeter loop, with a maze of off shoots inside that loop. I'll post some photos in the near future. If you are really bored and want to waste some time feel free to search the archive on my blog (below) for a handful of photos and post about the backyard skills trail and it's features. (I cannot upload photos or links yet becasue I am under the 10 post limit here on MTBR...yet) Best of Luck!


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