The West Michigan Mountain Biking Alliance (WMMBA) had a busy 2024 season. Last year marked the completion of The Dragon, a 45-mile loop around Hardy Dam Pond. We like it so much that we dubbed it the Best Backcountry Trail of 2024.
WMMBA doesn’t appear to be slowing down in 2025. In partnership with the Kent County Parks Department, WMMBA will be adding six miles of new singletrack — this time 45 miles south of The Dragon in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
And they are hoping to have tires in the dirt this summer.
New MTB trails coming to Grand Rapids
The 252-mile Grand River cuts through the middle of downtown Grand Rapids as it continues its mostly northwestern flow through much of the state. Roughly ten miles past downtown is Johnson Park, where the six miles of new singletrack are being added. Improvements at Johnson Park have been on Kent County Parks’ docket for a few years.
“The Johnson Park improvement project is part of a broader initiative by the Kent County Parks Department to enhance recreational opportunities and accessibility across the county,” Christina Anthony, Communications Manager for Kent County Parks, told us via email. “Planning for these enhancements began in earnest in 2022, focusing on upgrading park infrastructure and expanding trail systems to better serve the community.”
Anthony told Singletracks that phase one of the project included infrastructure improvements such as a parking lot expansion. Phase two, which is currently underway, will see the replacement of a playground, the development of a four-season restroom, and the creation of outdoor gathering spaces.
Phase two will also be when Johnson Park sees trail development.
Currently, Johnson Park has one bike path-style trail that is popular with walkers, runners, and cyclists alike — albeit mainly road and commuter cyclists, or families out for a pedal. This popular path, the Grand River Greenway, along with the park’s proximity to the urban center, played a role in its selection as a new mountain bike trail system. While other parks in the greater Grand Rapids area have popular trail systems, most require driving to access them. Thanks to the Grand River Greenway, Kent County Parks hopes more users will be able to pedal to the new trails rather than drive.
Anthony also hinted that Johnson Park was chosen to take advantage of the unique terrain and to feature the greatest vertical elevation gain (and drop) in WMMBA’s portfolio.
WMMBA steps up to tackle its 17th MTB trail system
WMMBA is spearheading the development of six new miles of singletrack at Johnson Park, with construction expected to begin soon. With the addition of Johnson Park, WMMBA will be involved in 17 trail systems near Grand Rapids and beyond, making it one of the largest nonprofit trail groups in Michigan.
“We maintain and improve over 100 miles of natural surface trail. We partner with nine different municipalities — land managers that we partner with,” Dan Frayer, WMMBA President, told us. “And we accomplish this work as a 100% volunteer-run organization.”
Johnson Park has been on WMMBA’s mind for quite a while. Frayer believes the organization first spoke with the county about trails at the park back in 2002. Back then, it was easier for an entirely volunteer-run trail organization to assemble volunteers, conduct some fundraising, and have trails built.
Now, with big budgets allocated to trail development, coming up with six or even seven figures can seem impossible for an outfit like WMMBA. Fortunately, we’re seeing more local municipalities, such as Kent County Parks, recognizing the potential that mountain bike trails can bring to a community. With Kent County Parks applying for and receiving grants, WMMBA can undertake larger-scale projects.
Funding for the Johnson Park development project includes $1.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, as well as $500,000 from Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. The $500,000 allocated for the Johnson Park trails was derived from the larger Grand River Greenway grant the organization received from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Johnson Park holds incredible MTB potential
Another reason WMMBA wanted trails at Johnson Park was because of the potential the zone holds. “The topography of that space is incredible,” Frayer said. “The elevation, the topography, the quality of the dirt — everything about it is set up perfectly to make that [a great] mountain bike trail system.”
Frayer explained that three different areas of Johnson Park have over 100 feet of uninterrupted elevation drop. WMMBA has contracted Spectrum Trail Designs to utilize every available inch of elevation when building the trails. Spectrum also created the final trail designs based on the initial drafts and the trail layout provided by IMBA.
Spectrum will also strive to design the entire trail system with adaptive riders in mind. WMMBA will consult with several adaptive riders and organizations to design and refine (if necessary) the trails in a manner that makes them accessible to all.
Current designs call for an adaptive inner loop, an outer blue loop, and then two to three progressive lines at Johnson Park. The trails will be mostly green and blue, with alternate lines providing both levels of difficulty. The trails will also include some ride-arounds to accommodate riders of all skill levels.
Whether green or blue, Frayer told us to expect feature-dense trails at Johnson Park. “Fast, fun, flow, features, jumps — a lot of the design and layout of the trails will prioritize those things,” Frayer explained. ”There will be two, possibly three, one-way flow lines, and a skills area of sorts.”
Frayer informed us that Spectrum Trail Designs expects to break ground sometime in mid-June. Kent County Parks and WMMBA’s goal, if all goes well, is to complete the Johnson Park project by spring 2026.
But Frayer hopes locals can be riding it by the end of this summer. “Not signed, not finished, not on Trailforks, but they’ll have some finished product.”
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