It’s a simple fact of life: without trails, we wouldn’t have anywhere to mountain bike. To help us keep our wheels rolling (and their drivetrains selling), Shimano has committed a laudable $10 million over 10 years to building new mountain bike trails through the “Trail Born Fund.” And they’re crystal clear on what their goal is: to “produce more mountain bike trails, get more people on mountain bikes, and do it in a way that [doesn’t] have as much red tape.” That’s how Scott Jewett summarizes the goal. “Our main metric is miles and kilometers of new trail in the world.” Jewett, who has worked in Shimano’s marketing department for years, now spends most of his time as the Project Lead for Trail Born.
Those efforts, and Shimano’s financial investment, are paying off. Since August 2024, Trail Born has supported 18 projects globally and helped fund 48.5 miles of trail.
What sets the Trail Born Fund apart
The Shimano Trail Born Fund was announced in the summer of 2024 very discreetly, as a teaser at the start of the “Tour of Ant Hills” film. At that point, Shimano had a page on their website about Trail Born but didn’t even have a call to action or a way for groups to contact them. The initial projects in that first year came from Shimano’s own internal network and existing contacts.
While many bike companies run a non-profit arm that gives back to mountain bike trails, “Trail Born itself is planned similar to a marketing effort, although it lives on the trail advocacy side of Shimano,” said Jewett. “The way it works is that we budget and allocate funds. As you know, Trail Born has committed $10 million over the next 10 years globally, so that funding has been secured, and we use it as a budget pot that’s associated with a marketing spend that gives back to trails. Planned advocacy money is generally dedicated to awarding grants that are commonly used for maintenance and operational costs. With Trail Born, it’s way more simplified.
“We wanted to take the feasibility, the extra paperwork, and the red tape out of the process and just look at projects that are really interesting. We highlight the projects that are really going to make a difference in people’s communities,” Jewett continued.
How does Trail Born choose projects?
When it comes time to choose the projects, Shimano is most excited by hero trails, “the trails that are really going to become those flagship trails in the community, help grow mountain biking tourism, and get more people on bikes.” Since Trail Born is a marketing line item, the story that the trail tells is of paramount importance to the brand.
Next, Shimano is only interested in trails that are shovel-ready. The project needs to be ready to go immediately, which Jewett says is different from how most other grant programs work. “That’s also why we don’t talk about Trail Born as a ‘grant,'” he explained. “We talk about it as a ‘fund’ that we award.”
Due to this distribution strategy, Trail Born generally funds one noteworthy trail at a time. This means that most of their awards land between $30,000 and $80,000, averaging about $50,000 per project. However, Trail Born has a history of working with the same trail club for multiple years in a row. The Mount Hough project by the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship is the foremost example of a long-standing partnership.
The fund has been established to build trails globally, so Shimano is very intentional about having an even geographic distribution. This means having a footprint in almost every continent, but also spreading the builds around to different geographic areas within some of the bigger countries, like Canada and the USA.
A big part of Jewett’s work over the past year has been to codify the application process across the program to make it consistent and as easy as possible. With the new application process, trail advocacy groups begin by pitching their idea directly to Shimano during the application window. This consists of just a brief introduction of the story behind the trail and the project’s general concept. If Shimano finds it interesting, they then send the applicant a formal submission form to complete. That submission goes into a global pool of proposals, which Shimano then narrows down using the selection criteria mentioned above. From there, groups are notified, agreements are drafted and signed, and then funds are disbursed.
The application window is long to account for the differences in seasonal trail building windows globally. The window for 2027 projects opened in October 2025 and will run through July 2026. Once a project is approved, clubs can expect timely funding. Jewett said that funds will be distributed for all 2026 projects by the end of February.
Where is Trail Born building trails?
Trail Born has been building trails around the world, and in 2026, they’re expanding their impact. This year, Shimano is funding 19 different projects and are expanding to South America for the first time with projects in Brazil and Mexico. They’re also expanding in Asia with new projects planned in Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia. In Europe, Trail Born will be building in France, Norway, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Scotland. And in North America, there are projects spread across both the USA and Canada. Even more projects are ongoing in places like Derby, Tasmania.
Jewett and I spoke at length about the projects underway in North America. The number of builds is dizzying, and keeping all of the different projects with their various timelines straight is tough. Here’s a brief rundown of the most noteworthy Trail Born projects spanning 2025 and 2026 (in alphabetical order), with links to more info if we’ve already covered the project.
Buzzard Butte Network, Pacific City, Oregon
The Tillamook Off-Road Trail Alliance (TORTA) has been working for years to turn the Buzzard Butte network near Pacific City into a reality, and Trail Born is now funding a new hand-built black trail on Ellis Mountain — a different aspect of the mountain from last year’s machine-built work on Whalen Knob. Shimano athletes Carson Storch and Cam McCaul are heavily involved in the project, with Storch taking the lead on the build itself. “It’s a scene and zone that people knew because Carson was holding Proving Grounds events there,” Jewett said. “It hasn’t really exploded, but there was this groundswell behind the region. And now they officially have a dedicated riding zone — it’s getting ready to explode.”
Full article: “Construction could begin soon on a proposed 20+ mile trail system on the Oregon Coast“
Caballo Rojo, Marin County, California
We just reported on the new Caballo Rojo trail in Marin County, California, which officially opened at the end of January 2026, and Shimano Trail Born was a partner on the project. This new one-mile flow trail exiting the popular Camp Tamarancho trail system was challenging to build, with environmental regulations and approvals driving an eye-watering $650,000 price tag. Despite the difficulty of the approval process, the end result is a massive win for Marin mountain bikers.
Full article: “Marin County opens new $650,000 bike-only flow trail after 10-year wait“
Galbraith Mountain, Bellingham, Washington
Transition Bikes has partnered with the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition (WMBC) to build two new trails in recent years: Blue Ribbon and Blue Steel. Both of these have quickly become two of the favorite lines in the massive 75-mile trail system. Transition is planning to build a third trail in 2026, and Shimano is supporting the project. The level of buy-in from Transition goes beyond just dollars: “Even the owner is invested in this new trail, and their staff are allowed to put time in during their work day to build on the trail,” Jewett said. “So it’s a huge in-kind investment.”
Full article: “Galbraith Mountain adds 5 new trails and 2 major rebuilds in 2025, with 20 more miles planned“
Mad Catter Trail, KYMBA Bluegrass Network, Richmond, Kentucky
The explosion of high school mountain biking shows no signs of slowing down, and Shimano is getting in on the action. In Richmond, Kentucky, a six-mile Olympic-style XC loop is being built at the local rec center. “The same way you would show up at a rec center and see a BMX track or a skate park or a pump track, you can see a full dedicated mountain bike loop, which is pretty cool,” Jewett said. The trail, called “Mad Catter,” is a collaboration between Trail Born, KYMBA Bluegrass, SRAM, and NICA, with a mission to support youth mountain biking programming in the region. Full completion is expected by fall 2026.
Mount Hough Network Completion, Quincy, California
Shimano’s relationship with the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship predates Trail Born entirely, but it’s under the Trail Born banner that the Mount Hough project is reaching its finish line. The final section of the trail network — which will clock in at roughly 78 miles once complete — is slated to open in 2026. “It’s pretty cool from Shimano’s standpoint to be a partner of Sierra Buttes for so long, and kind of finish things up under the Trail Born badge,” Jewett said. If you’ve been following the Mount Hough buildout on Singletracks, you already know how significant this network is — and the end is finally in sight.
Full article: “Mt. Hough is poised to become California’s next MTB mecca with a 38-mile expansion“
Ono and Doqos Trails, Mule Mountain, Redding, California
Trail building in Redding isn’t slowing down, and one of the next trails to open will be a double black-rated trail close to town. For a city where riders previously had to leave town to find serious terrain, that’s a big deal. “There’s no leaving Redding anymore to go ride these more challenging trails,” Jewett said. “They have a new black trail in town, and Trail Born is a part of that.” The project is on track to wrap up and open this spring.
In addition, the Redding Trail Alliance is building a beginner-friendly connector named “Doqos” to complete a loop in a lesser-utilized area of the Swasey Recreation Area.
Full article: “Redding is California’s sunniest city and it boasts over 200 miles of singletrack“
Powerhouse Plunge Rebuild, Squamish, British Columbia
The Powerhouse Plunge holds a unique place in mountain biking history: it’s one of Squamish’s first trails and the first legal MTB trail built in the province of British Columbia. Trail Born is giving it new life with a full rebuild handled by Gravity Logic. The story comes full-circle considering that Rob Cocquyt, one of Gravity Logic’s founders and the original builder of the Plunge, is back on the project some 26 years later. “To rebuild that project and give it back to the community of Squamish is pretty exciting,” Jewett said. Phase one of the rebuild is currently underway, with completion targeted for 2026, followed by phase two in the fall and an expected opening in spring 2027.
“Putting on the Ritz” and “Memphis“, Mount Prevost Network, Duncan, British Columbia
Mount Prevost in Duncan, BC, has been home to some of the most iconic riding in Canada — it’s the trail network that launched Stevie Smith’s career, after all. Trail Born’s first project there was “Putting on the Ritz,” a full rebuild tied to the launch of Shimano’s XTR groupset and built specifically to showcase Jackson Goldstone on his home mountain. “This was a full rebuild of an existing trail,” Jewett explained. “It’s 100% a brand new trail now that was given back to Duncan and Mount Prevost.” The project came in under budget, and Jewett worked with the local advocacy group to put those remaining funds toward a second trail called “Memphis,” which is set to open this spring — meaning Duncan will soon have two Trail Born projects sitting side by side on the same mountain.
Trail Born Hub, Virginia Canyon Mountain Park, Idaho Springs, Colorado
Virginia Canyon Mountain Park already carries Trek’s branding as a founding partner, but Trail Born has been quietly carving out its own dedicated zone on the mountain, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most immersive Trail Born experiences anywhere. The vision is a contiguous Trail Born-branded zone running from mid-station all the way to the base. The proposal for this project is year-to-year, but the end result would be impressive. In 2026, the focus is on three shorter trails branching off a connection point on the mountain. The end goal would result in a full build right to the base of the park.
“A dedicated portion of the trail network would all be Trail Born,” Jewett said, “which is pretty cool.”
Full article: “A long-time renegade trail system in Colorado gets a big expansion as it goes mainstream“
Upper Hot Dogger, The Driving Range, Bolton, Vermont
The Driving Range is arguably the first fully-adaptive MTB trail network in the world, but that doesn’t make it easy. The trail system is filled with gnarly tech lines and big jump trails — they all just happen to be wide enough for adaptive mountain bikes, too. Shimano partnered with Richmond Mountain Trails to revamp the Upper Hot Dogger trail, which is expected to open in 2026.
Full article: “Is the Driving Range the first fully-adaptive MTB trail network in the world?“
Wentworth Ski Hill, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia has been something of a missing piece on the Canadian mountain biking map — local riders who progress past a certain level have had to head to Quebec or out west to British Columbia to continue honing their skills. Trail Born is working to change that in partnership with Wentworth Ski Hill, where a new enduro and DH-focused trail is under construction. “Their proposal to us was to build more of a legit gravity-fed downhill/black enduro focused trail, where they could actually put themselves on the map a bit, with future intentions to host Canada Cup-level events on the East Coast,” Jewett explained. The top half is already roughed in, with the crew planning to push hard this spring to finish the bottom section and open the trail by late spring or early summer 2026.
Stay tuned as local trail advocates break ground on these major projects, we’ll be sure to cover them in more detail on Singletracks. And if you’re a local trail advocate who needs to secure funding for an iconic new trail in 2027, be sure to apply now!
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