Roughly fifty miles south of Missoula, Montana, at the base of the Bitterroot Mountains, is the small town of Hamilton. This is where Arthur Sykes and his partner, Katie Scott, have chosen to put down roots and raise their family.
They’ve also decided to build a bike park they’ve dubbed “The Property.” Three miles of singletrack are already in place, with more to come, but mountain biking is just one part of their vision for The Property. Sykes and Scott are building a place to reconnect with the land, a place to heal.
From military to mountain bike
“I am an Iraq war veteran,” Sykes told us. “I served three tours. I was there in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, serving in the Marine Corps.”
For Sykes, it was an easy decision to serve. His grandfather was a Marine, and Sykes wanted to follow in his footsteps, making it official in 2001. After his time serving, Sykes found himself in Las Vegas, working in casinos.
A Marine in Iraq one day, a Vegas bartender the next. The transition was difficult, and Sykes had some challenges. This is when mountain biking entered his life.
“I bought a hardtail and was stoked on it,” Sykes said. “I was on top of the world. And really, that was a snowball effect to where I’m at now.”
The former Marine found his time behind the handlebars to be incredibly therapeutic. He found a singular focus in mountain biking, a space where all the noise of daily life would be shut off once tires hit dirt — his focus entirely on the present.
Sykes was involved with veteran organizations such as Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Team Sempre Fi. As he became more involved with mountain biking, he found himself a part of that community as well.
His natural talent and dedication soon became apparent on the racecourse. Local races eventually became national races and world travel. In 2022, he became a brand ambassador for Transition Bikes, a company he still works with today.
The Property
In 2016, Sykes moved from Nevada to Montana. As a fourth-generation Montanan, the move was a return home to inherit 80 acres of his grandfather’s land in the Hamilton area — land that had been mostly untouched for years.
With the blessing of his family, Sykes began to build trails on the 80 acres. As a racer, Sykes initially wanted a place to hone his craft. The first trail he built, Mother Trail, helped him do just that, but also served another purpose. Water in Montana is everything, so Sykes figured he’d help his neighbors out by providing easier access to an irrigation canal.
“I took it upon myself to just assist the process, and I made this beautiful trail right next to the water,” he told us. Other trails he’s built also serve two purposes, such as checking fence lines. Work that was once done on horseback is now done on an enduro bike.
As time went on, Sykes and Scott realized that these 80 acres could be more than just Sykes’ training ground. They begin to envision a mountain bike park with sessionable trails and space for events. Slowly, The Property was taking shape.
Building the trail system
Sykes has built a little over three miles of singletrack to date. He tries to keep the trails as natural as possible, allowing the land’s contours and shape to guide his trail building.
Mother Trail leans toward being beginner-friendly and is the heartbeat of The Property’s growing trail system. As the first trail built and connected to the central hub, it serves as the foundation from which other trails branch and connect.
The Property has roughly 200 feet of elevation gain/loss, which is easily managed when climbing Mother Trail. However, when descending, Sykes said riders can find enough flow to make it at least three-quarters of the way down without pedaling.
Connecting to the top of Mother Trail is a natural singletrack route they’ve named Tom Shreddy. This trail steps things up a bit from Mother Trail, allowing for natural progression between the two.
“So I slowly started cutting [Tom Shreddy] in,” Sykes explained. “That’s mostly singletrack, a few switchbacks, a couple of little kickers, and nice corners, and has a great flow to it.”
The third trail at The Property is Nappy Chutes, a gravity trail blurring the line between proper DH and enduro-style riding. Sykes said Nappy Chutes is very rocky and technical, and while a rider can find flow, it will take some time to find the proper lines. Sykes loves this style of sessionable trail and wanted to build The Property as such.
Along with the chunky tech, Sykes wanted to add various corner types on Nappy Chutes, staying in touch with the land’s race practice roots. Riders can expect flat, tight, steep, and rocky corners, as well as some wide-open turns and high-speed corners. Again, Sykes explained that line choice is rewarded on this trail, especially in the turns.
Aside from those three trails, Sykes also built a jump park that they appropriately named Dirt Church. Dirt Church incorporates tabletop jumps as well as doubles, all of which range from 16 to 20 feet long.
More than mountain bikes
“The Property, for myself, has definitely been a healing place,” Sykes told us.
Even off the bike, the veteran said that he often finds himself at The Property, walking around and reconnecting with the land. He explained that it can be a grounding and therapeutic experience, one that he hopes to share with other veterans, regardless of whether they mountain bike.
“I’m always trying to look out for my fellow vets, and it would be really meaningful to myself and my grandfather to have a place where people in need could come and be able to take a load off and know that they’re in a safe place,” he said. “To be able to supply that for veterans, it’s just a real honor.”
Sykes and Scott also want to create a space for kids to connect with nature, on and off the bike. The Property is offering youth education programs focused on outdoor recreation and ecological learning. They plan to partner with school districts, Parks and Rec programs, and other youth groups and organizations to help grow an appreciation for the outdoors in future generations.
They are also hosting events, such as an upcoming concert planned for Labor Day weekend. They also plan to create spaces for wedding venues, reunions, and other gatherings.
And, of course, bike races and bike events. Sykes recently built a dual slalom track, which he is putting the final touches on. He also has a skills course and more trails on the way.
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