The Graham Cracker Route Debuts in Arizona, with 7,000ft of Descending

This week's MTB trail news includes a major descent route in Arizona, new skill parks on the way in Colorado and Washington, and more.
Photo: Si View Metro Parks

Trail Flow is a roundup of all the mountain bike trail related news of the week including new trail builds, advocacy, and planning. Do you have trail news? Email [email protected] for possible inclusion.

Omaha parks get professionally built trails

Omaha, Nebraska

A ribbon cutting is planned for this Saturday celebrating the completion of 3.8 miles of trails in Mandan and Mount Vernon Gardens Parks. The trails, along with several ramps and trail features, were built by Trail Solutions with support from private donors and the group Police Athletics for Community Engagement.

Mountain bike trails open in Texas

Brownsville, Texas

New singletrack trails opened at Pedro “Pete” Benavides County Park in Brownsville earlier this week. The trail system features 2.5 miles of trails that are graded beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Photo: Sonoran Desert Mountain bicyclists Facebook page

Graham Cracker route opens in Arizona

Safford, Arizona

A new mountain bike route, dubbed the Graham Cracker, has opened in Safford, Arizona after years of work by the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists. The route is 17 miles in length with close to 7,000ft of descending and about 3,000ft of climbing, all off of Mt. Graham, northeast of Tucson. A trail description online notes that the route requires a big dose of skill and fitness from riders and that the trail is still in its early stages.

Work begins on new trail area in Washington

Snoqualmie, Washington

The City of North Bend and the Si View Metropolitan Parks District are partnering to bring a new trail system to life in Washington. Work was expected to begin in early October and the 32-acre park will have mountain bike trails for beginners as well as some hiking trails and a picnic area. The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance helped with the first phase of construction which is close to being complete according to the project page.

Aspen organizations scoping new skills area

Aspen, Colorado

The Aspen Parks Department and Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association are partnering on a project to bring a new bike skills park to Aspen. The proposed area sits in the Marolt/Thomas Open Space, according to the Aspen Times, and would hold a variety of skills-based, progressive trails with wooden features. The City of Aspen is still gathering public input here.