The lofty aspirations we master-planned into Coconino County’s ambitious bike park/ trail system turned into reality with FlowRide’s selection to build out the first phase in the fall of 2014, funded by a $33,000 IMBA/Bell Built Grant. The inspiration of the towering, widely-spaced pines of the Fort Tuthill site elevated our designs to even greater heights. We sculpted ribbons of elevated flow trail to wind among the ponderosa from green “rainbow rollers” to massive 20 foot black-level jumps. Facing the reality of the last days of the construction season, our machines had to lay down fill along our trail alignments efficiently, contend with the sensitivity of extensive root systems, yet minimize maintenance by achieving high compaction levels (ours reached 93%) to make these features truly sustainable.
We worked like mad scientists, stitching together elements of flow trails, downhill and bmx jumps. We came back in 2018, and now a full spectrum bike park is in the ground, ready to prepare mtb & bmx riders at all levels for the rhythmic rollers, big berms and lofty lips & landings they’ll find at the mountain resorts. Fort Tuthill is now equipped to host events and competitions, and once we all laid tire to trail, the feedback has been unanimous: trails Phase One through Three offer the perfect playground/training ground to riders at all levels.
PROJECT DATA
- Master-planned full-scale 8-acre park/trail system
- Integrated/built 3 Jump Trails, 2 Tech/Flow Trails, Skills Area, 2 Pump Tracks, Cyclocross Loop, Drop Zone
- Constructed Phases One, Two and Three
- Designed/built dynamic green, blue & black flow/jump trails
- Sculpted elevated tread atop eco-sensitive site
- Proofed design of jump features w/ test ride protocol
- Achieved erosion control via alignment & grading