Updated with corrections 7/6/26.
Set on 95 acres near downtown Joplin, Missouri, MOmentum Bike Park features 10 miles of hiking, biking, and mixed-use trails, a Velosolutions pump track, progressive jump lines, a skills course, and a bicycle playground. It is designed to serve riders of every age and skill level.
The park is a big win for a city that was nearly destroyed by a tornado 15 years ago. Not only does it provide a great recreational opportunity for its residents, but it also gives riders visiting Bentonville — located about an hour south of Joplin — a reason to make a side trip.
To find out more about the project, Singletracks spoke with Bryce Vogel and Lance Klein from SWT Design, Cole Beckham, the Vice President of Design for American Ramp Company, and Drew Douglas, the Director of Communications and Marketing for the city of Joplin.
After recovering from a deadly disaster, Joplin began looking for a way to provide health and economic benefits to its residents
In 2011, an EF-5 tornado ravaged the city of Joplin. According to Wikipedia, the tornado, which measured nearly a mile in width, cut a 22-mile path through the area, damaging nearly 8,000 buildings and destroying over 4,000 homes. The tornado also killed 161 people and injured 1,150 others. It was one of the costliest and deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history.
After several years of recovery and rebuilding from the tornado, the city turned toward the future and sought ways to both benefit its residents and attract tourism to the area. Beckham said that he, along with other riders, began advocating for more bike infrastructure within the city. “I often traveled to Bentonville and wondered why we didn’t have similar amenities here.”
In addition to the local riding community, Beckham told Singletracks that students from the local medical and dental schools advocated for a bike park, citing it as a reason to stay in Joplin. Although Joplin regained and increased its total population just a few years after the tornado, city leaders knew they needed to invest in new amenities to continue to attract and retain residents.
The park first took shape during Joplin’s Parks and Recreation master planning process
According to information provided by Douglas, Joplin engaged in a Parks and Recreation master planning process that resulted in a finalized master plan in 2021. During the planning process, the concept of building a world-class bike park that could serve all ages and abilities and be a legitimate tourism destination was crystallized.
The finalized Parks and Recreation Master Plan included the decision to convert a nearly 95-acre portion of parkland, which previously hosted some soccer fields as well as underused creek, forest, and glade areas, into a rider’s paradise. The city’s Parks & Stormwater Sales Tax citizens committee determined which features to include in the park.
Funding for the nearly $6.8 million project was provided by the Parks and Stormwater Tax (a quarter-cent sales tax renewed by voters in 2021), the Hotel/Motel Tax, and a State Department of Economic Development Local Tourism ARPA grant of $1.5 million to expand and improve the project.
Once funding was in place, plans for the park began to take shape
Once funding was secured and the location was identified, the city hired SWT Design as the project’s primary designer. SWT Design then assembled a team of five different companies, including IMBA Trail Solutions, to help with the design of the park.
According to Vogel, the parcel where the park was built has distinctive topography in the northern, western, and southern areas. “The north part is a downhill slope to Turkey Creek and is mostly wooded. The area south of the creek is very flat. The western branch has some very rocky terrain adjacent to a former rail line.”
These differences in topography made it easy to decide where to put the trails and features in the park. The design placed the downhill trails in the northern part of the park to take advantage of the limited area of existing slopes. It placed the pump track, jump lines, skills course, and bicycle playground in the south where it was flat and easily accessible by an existing road. The west side of the property was used for rocky, technical trails.
The park was built out in a matter of months
Vogel told Singletracks that the project was designed in 2024 and built in an eight-month period in 2025. Crossland Construction Company served as the general contractor, and American Ramp Company led construction of all bike-specific elements and trails.
Featuring more than 132,000 square feet of bike park across its 95-acre site, the park offers ten miles of purpose-built mountain bike trails, a Velosolutions pump track, and a children’s bicycle playground. The world-class facility also features bridges and skills courses for riders to learn new skills before heading out on the more challenging sections.
The downhill trails on the north side of the park start from a single hub and include a return trail. One of the trails, Concrete Roots, was made using concrete debris from the 2011 tornado that had been placed on the property during the cleanup process. South of the creek, there are several XC trails that run throughout the southern portion of the property.
The pump track, jump lines, skills course, and bicycle playground are centered around the main parking lot. There’s also a large pavilion and restroom/maintenance shed in that area. The pump track is lit so riders can use it after dark and features Velosolutions’ VORLD timing system.
Beckham himself did the final design of the lower bike park area, and American Ramp Company did all the natural surface trails, chipseal trails, and the lower bike park area. Backyard Trail Builds also assisted by building the Third Law Flyover on the downhill trails. “The goal was to create a space where someone who is just learning to ride could ride alongside someone who has been riding for decades.”
In the short time it’s been open, the park has grown in popularity and has already drawn a major event
Since its soft opening in November of 2025, the park has drawn approximately 70,000 visitors from 27 different states, according to Klein. It will host one of the 2026 Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships Qualifiers August 14-15. The city also hopes to draw in riders visiting Bentonville, which is just over an hour south of the city.
Beckham, who was living in Joplin when the tornado hit the city and was involved in the cleanup afterward, said that it is really special for the city to have the park. “I see it as a turning point and a new identity for the community.”
The Missouri Municipal League (MML) has announced the City of Joplin as a winner of their 2026 Innovation Awards for the park. “This is an incredible honor,” said Joplin City Manager Nick Edwards. “The vision for MOmentum was to create the most incredible bike park in our part of the country, and we’re honored the state has recognized the innovation and uniqueness of this facility. I hope everyone in our city will come out to experience this new park and the entertainment and wellness it provides.”
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