Memorials are created to pay tribute to individuals who have passed away and ensure their legacy continues to be recognized over time. Kevin Pavlis Park does both by paying tribute to a man who loved helping others and had a heart for the outdoors, while furthering his mission to make the outdoors accessible to everyone, regardless of their abilities.
The 5.5-mile trail system, which opened in May 2026, offers trails for riders of all abilities. Every trail is adaptive-friendly, and the trail system was designed with progression in mind. The project is the product of several years of thought and development, made possible by generous contributions from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, REI, and Blue Cross of Idaho, along with many other private donors.
To find out more about Kevin and the trail system bearing his name, Singletracks reached out to Sam Blaine, the current president of the Southwest Idaho Mountain Biking Association (SWIMBA); Ray Anderson, a close friend of Kevin’s; and Tanya Pavlis, Kevin’s older sister.
Kevin loved the outdoors and loved helping others
“From the time Kevin was a young boy, he always had the kindest heart. He loved helping people and loved helping people recreate outdoors,” said Tanya Pavlis.
Anderson, who grew up with Kevin and was a close friend of his, said he and Kevin got into mountain biking at a young age. Mountain biking and the outdoors became even more important to Kevin after his father passed away in 1998. “When his father passed away, Kevin got into biking big time,” said Anderson.
Kevin also loved skiing in winter and became an adaptive ski coach at Bogus Basin Ski Resort, working with athletes through Recreation Unlimited, which later became BASE Idaho. Coaching was his passion, and he did it for 10 years, according to Pavlis.
In 2009, Kevin was killed in a bicycle accident, leaving behind a wife and daughter, as well as a whole community that had benefited from his kindness and generosity.
Shortly after Kevin’s passing, an idea was born to memorialize him
After Kevin’s death, Anderson told Singletracks he met with Pavlis and shared his idea of approaching SWIMBA about creating a new trail in Kevin’s name. “A lot of trails in town are named after members of the local bike community who have passed away,” said Anderson.
However, as Anderson started working on the idea, things didn’t fall into place. Then SWIMBA identified an existing trail they could rename after Kevin, but it didn’t seem like a good fit, especially since its current name was well-suited to the nature of the trail.
Later, Anderson and John Palumbo, a former executive director for SWIMBA, got together and came up with the idea of creating an entire trail system that was adaptive-friendly. “Everything about it lined up with who Kevin was,” said Pavlis.
It took several years and a lot of determination for the idea to become reality
“It was quite a process,” said Pavlis. She told Singletracks there were countless meetings with various groups pitching the idea. Anderson, previous board members, and previous executive directors with SWIMBA all kept the idea going for several years and ultimately brought it to fruition.
First, funding was secured for the trail system. Blaine said the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, which helps create educational and recreational opportunities for youth in Idaho, made a large donation that funded most of the design and construction.
Next, SWIMBA identified a site: a large tract of land in the foothills of Eagle, just outside of Boise. The land was in the Avimor housing development, and the developer granted SWIMBA an easement to build and operate the trail system on the property.
Once the easement was granted in December 2024, Blaine said SWIMBA put out a request for proposal to the Professional Trail Builders Association. They received several responses from all over the country. Ultimately, SWIMBA chose an in-state company, Titus Trails, LLC, to construct the trail system. “They broke ground in April of 2025 and finished construction in December of 2025,” said Blaine.
Because the land the trail system sits on is a winter wildlife habitat, it is closed to the public from December 1 to April 1 each year. When the land reopened this past April, Blaine said volunteers helped restore the trails by clearing vegetation and smoothing out the lines, as well as installing signage, before it opened to the public in May.
The trails are designed to accommodate and challenge riders of all abilities
The trail system was designed to accommodate a broad spectrum of riders, including adaptive mountain bikers. “Riders from the Challenged Athletes Foundation helped us extensively with the build,” said Blaine, and gave them a lot of feedback, including stressing that they wanted trails to challenge them.
Building such trails brought some challenges. “Most beginner riders will scrub speed when learning how to ride a banked corner. Because adaptive bikes have a wider wheelbase, there is a greater potential to tip at slower speeds on a banked corner. We had to make sure the space on the inside of the corner was more level to prevent tipping,” said Blaine.
The trail system has four trails: a green trail divided into upper and lower segments, a blue trail divided into upper and lower segments, an advanced line, and a climbing trail that connects to the rest of the system. When it came to naming the trails, SWIMBA turned to Kevin’s family for help.
Pavlis said Kevin loved ice cream, so it seemed fitting to give the downhill trails ice-cream-themed names. The green trail is named Soft Serve, the blue trail is named Milkshake Meadow, and the advanced line is named You Scream Ice Cream.
The climbing trail’s name departs from the ice cream theme, but with good reason. “I walk the foothills every day and think about Kevin and my dad,” said Pavlis. She said Kevin’s go-to karaoke song was Stairway to Heaven, so “Stairway to Kevin” seemed a fitting name.
The trail system was made possible by a community wanting to honor a special person
Blaine stressed how important the support of all donors was — not just the major donors, but individuals as well — in making Kevin Pavlis Park a reality. He also emphasized the sustained work of past board members and executive directors of SWIMBA that helped bring it to fruition.
“Everyone involved is really proud of it, and there are already plans to add to the trail system, including making changing facilities and storage space for adaptive bikes,” said Blaine. He also noted that he has heard feedback from other trail builders who have observed that it’s not that much harder to build adaptive-friendly trails after seeing it.
Pavlis was overwhelmed by the number of people who put their heart into the project and the care that went into it. “It was built with love for the community,” she said. “Kevin would be stoked to see people getting outside.”
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