Trail Flow Thursday: First Old Fort, NC Trails Near Completion, New Bike Park in Mid-Michigan

This week we're tracking trail work in Pisgah, a sweet bike park build in Michigan, the IMBA Europe Summit, and bike bells in California.

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.

IMBA Europe Summit heading to Val di Sole in Northern Italy

Registration is now open for the 2022 IMBA Europe Summit taking place in Val di Sole June 1-4, 2022. The conference will feature trail building and advocacy talks, workshops, and of course riding on some of the best mountain bike trails in Europe. The Summit is being supported by Val di Sole Tourism Board and Grandi Eventi Val di Sole.

Temporary trail work closures in Pisgah

USFS map showing the Mortimer Trails Project.

The mountain bike trails in the Grandfather District of Pisgah National Forest aren’t generally as well known or as well traveled as those in the Pisgah District, but there are plenty of gems to explore, with new and improved trails on the way. First up, Holly Springs #273 and Schoolhouse #279 trails will be closed for maintenance and re-routes. The district says the work on Schoolhouse is being done “to improve trail sustainability while maintaining the technical experience for riders” and is funded by an RTP grant and supported by the Northwest NC Mountain Bike Alliance as a part of the Mortimer Trails Project. Read more about the project in this story on the Patagonia website.

Dirt School bike park coming to Burchfield Park in Michigan

And it’s not just any bike park: The Mid-Michigan Mountain Bike Association is working with Progressive Bike Ramps to bring a high quality experience to Burchfield Park. All told the project is slated to tap more than $200,000 from various funding sources with a tentative ribbon cutting set for sometime this summer. Visit the MMMBA website to learn more or to donate.

2022 Patapsco Fun Series registration opening soon

Trail building is fun! Registration opens March 28 for the popular Petapsco Fun Series, with the first work day happening on April 10. The Friends of Patapsco State Park non-profit group notes that “registration for trailwork fills VERY quickly,” and this year volunteers will be working on new builds in the Orange Grove and Rockhaven areas.

Singletrack Trails nears completion of first 2-miles on Old Fort, NC project

The G5 Trail Collective announced in November that Old Fort, North Carolina would see a huge growth in trails over the next 5-10 years with a grand total of 42 miles, aimed at economic stimulation and outdoor access in the area. Trail building company Singletrack Trails is expected to wrap up the first two miles of multi-use trail in the end of March. See their page for more information.

Bike bells get a boost

Trail bell programs are on the rise as shared-use trails become more crowded. The Bicycle Trails Coalition of the East Bay (BTCEB) recently installed two bike bell stations at local parks to improve safety and reduce the chances of user conflict.