For too long, mountain bikers in Ridgway, Pennsylvania, had to drive roughly an hour to find publicly accessible mountain bike trails. While the area offered hiking and Nordic ski trails in the nearby Allegheny National Forest, unfortunately, bikes weren’t allowed.
Thanks to the persistence of Allegheny Hike, Bike, and Ski (AHBS), trails in the Allegheny National Forest are now open to mountain bikers. But it took the organization working with another land manager to finally secure approval from the USFS.
A bike shop owner’s persistence leads to action
“People would come into the shop to buy bikes or get bike service and say, ‘Where do we ride?'” Jason Armagost, AHBS President, told us. “We’re surrounded by national forest and state game lands […] and there just wasn’t anywhere [to ride].”
In addition to serving as the local club’s president, Armagost owns a bike shop in Ridgway: Mud Beard’s Bikes and Boards. Armagost has been bugging the USFS for quite a while about trails in the Allegheny National Forest, specifically at the Laurel Mill XC Ski Area, as it is just four miles from downtown Ridgway.
However, Armagost’s requests didn’t seem to go anywhere. First, he was told the Forest Service doesn’t work with individuals—he would need to be part of a trail organization. Partially in response, Armagost’s former employer and others founded AHBS in 2016, with a vision to build and maintain hiking, biking, and skiing trails in the area.
Despite the newly formed organization, Armagost and others still made little headway. That was until they focused their attention on land managed by Ridgway Township rather than the USFS.
Township land becomes the key to unlocking USFS trails
Michelle Bogacki, AHBS Secretary, was helping Armagost bug the Forest Service about Laurel Mill.
“I called Michelle up and said, ‘What about Sandy Beach Park?’ There’s this big 40- or 50-acre chunk of land that’s not being used. Why don’t we see what we can do there?” Armagost said.
This was easy enough for Bogacki, as she worked for the Ridgway Township, which owned the land Armagost was referring to. She set up a meeting with the powers that be in Ridgway, and AHBS proposed roughly five miles of trails. While he told us the terrain is pretty different, Armagost used the example of the Jake’s Rocks Trail System, approximately one hour north of Ridgway. Jake’s Rocks was recognized as Pennsylvania’s “Trail of the Year” and brings in millions for the nearby town and county.
Armagost also pointed out how many travelers to Jake’s Rocks don’t even enter the nearby town of Warren. Due to Sandy Beach Park’s location, visitors can’t access the trailhead without passing through Ridgway.
“I told them that we’re crazy not to do this in Ridgeway,” he said.
Shortly after, AHBS received approval to begin building trails at Sandy Beach Park. And soon after that, AHBS got a $30,000 grant from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources‘ Lumber Heritage Region of Pennsylvania. Logging is a significant part of the area’s history, and interpretive signage will be scattered throughout the area, telling of Ridgway’s lumber heritage.
This funding enabled them to hire Penn Trails for all mapping and design work at Sandy Beach Park. At the time of our interview, they were wrapping up bids for trail builders. Armagost told us phase one, which equates to roughly two miles of trail at Sandy Beach Park, is expected to be completed by June 1, 2026.
In total, nearly five miles are planned for Sandy Beach Park.
Armagost noted the trails are being added to an already established park. There are already several pavilions, multiple playground areas, fields, a dog park, and fishing areas. With the addition of trails, AHBS sees Sandy Beach Park as an area families can easily spend a Saturday.
The Sandy Beach trails will have a higher elevation than the nearby Laurel Mill area by a couple hundred feet. Armagost confirmed there will be a directional downhill trail at Sandy Beach, as well as a loop trail. But the overall vibe of the trail system will be more beginner- and intermediate-friendly.
“We’ve got Jake’s Rocks to the north of us,” Armagost said. “That’s more of your singletrack, technical, rocky.”
AHBS will also build a skills area at Sandy Beach with features such as a pump track and various rock gardens.
They are also planning to connect Sandy Beach Park to the nearby Laurel Mill XC Ski Trails. Armagost shared that once the USFS saw AHBS was working with Ridgway Township on Sandy Beach Park, they were finally ready to discuss opening the trails at Laurel Mill.
Building trust earns AHBS access to 5 more miles
Since Laurel Mill will no longer be limited to just XC skiing and hiking, Armagost shared that the name has changed to the “Laurel Mill Trailhead.” The Allegheny National Forest opened five miles of trails at Laurel Mill to tires. So once Sandy Beach Park is complete, Ridgway will have 10 miles of mountain bike trails on its doorstep.
The organization has done a phenomenal job building trust with the Forest Service over the years. Long before gaining mountain biking access, AHBS stepped up to maintain neglected trailheads at Laurel Mill when the USFS was stretched too thin. Armagost shared that what was once an essentially abandoned parking lot torn up by teens doing donuts in their cars is now a bustling trailhead once again.
“And now, the Forest Service just bought us mowing equipment. They’re getting us a snowmobile to groom with. They got us a really nice charcoal grill for the area,” Armagost explained. “The roof on the warming hut was in bad shape—we just got a $25,000 grant to put a new roof on, saving the warming hut.”
There are three trails now open to mountain biking at the Laurel Mill Trailhead—Elk Loop, Scout Loop, and Hemlock Loop. Set up as a series of stacked loops, the trails are rated green, blue, and blue, respectively. Elk Loop is the shortest, at one mile, with roughly 60ft of elevation gain and loss. Scout Loop is just over a mile, climbing and dropping roughly 125ft over its distance. Lastly, Hemlock Loop is nearly three miles long, with a climb of 180ft and a descent of 314ft.
These elevations, and the trail characteristics of these loops, change when ridden in the opposite direction.
And things are looking up. Armagost told us there is a new District Ranger in charge of the area who leans more toward recreation. AHBS is hopeful that even more trails in the Laurel Mill area will be opened to bikes.
“There is another five miles up there that, if we could get it open, would give us a full 15 miles.”
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