Biking advocates in McMinnville have launched an effort to bring a pump track to town. They’re also working with the Bureau of Land Management to establish a new mountain bike trail network east of Carlton off the popular Nestucca River Road.
All they need is a hand from donors to help make it a reality.
“With the increase in cars on the roads and lack of safe areas to ride bikes in our community it has come to our attention that the youth in our area need a safe place to exercise and gain skills and confidence on their bikes,” Willamette Valley Cyclists Board Member Ron Baker recently shared.
Baker says his group has worked with the City of McMinnville and Yamhill County on three possible sites for a paved pump track: southwest of downtown at Discovery Meadows park, or at two locations along Corzine Creek just west of the McMinnville Public Library between NW Park Drive and SW 2nd Street.
“Growing up riding BMX bikes in McMinnville, we always had to find old run-down construction sites or left over piles of dirt to ride,” Baker shared with me via email today. “We’d eventually be run out by the owners or the police. Now as and father of two daughters who love to ride we still don’t have a safe place for our kids to ride their bikes in McMinnville.”
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As for the MTB trails, Baker says the BLM recently announced over 1,100 acres of land near the Elk Bend Recreation Site would be open for development. The site will be known as Crazy Cougar Trail System and would be about a 50 minute drive from downtown McMinnville — or a fun bit of extra-curricular activity for someone en route to the Oregon Coast on Nestucca River Road.
“Yamhill county is home to a robust community of mountain bikers,” Baker says. “But because there are no developed trail systems, we’ve been forced to build unsanctioned trails or build on private property.”
With a green light from the BLM to build trails, Baker says all his group needs is funding and volunteers to make it happen.
The group hopes to raise $30,000 to get these projects started. They’re selling raffle tickets for $10 each online and they’ve amassed over $7,200 in prizes (including a complete Trek bike of your choice) for the winners. The raffle ends April 29th.
Check out WVCyclists.org to learn more and get involved with this exciting grassroots effort.
Good luck Ron!
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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At the recent NW Trail Alliance meeting, the Gateway Green people confirmed that they were pursuing the construction of a paved pump track similar to that in Hood River and Redmond, but “no promises”. Fingers crossed – the existing miniature one is pretty sad.
I wanted to give a big thanks to our sponsors who are helping make this happen
Tommy’s Bike Shop
Transition Bikes
Rolf Prima/Astral Cycling
PNW Components
Spank Industries
Dakine
Shimano
NW Alpine
OTTOlock
Ride Wrap
I live in Mcminnville and would love more biking trails. It’d be amazing if biking trails could be built all down Baker creek road and it would also be amazing if it’d be possible to build the Crazy Cougar Trail System all the way to Mcminnville to have a super epic bike track. I’m from California and had the San Gabriel River Bed Bike Trail that was over 30 miles. I truly miss it and it’d be wonderful if Mcminnville could have a really long trail for bikes only. I always fear for my life riding bikes as it is now, alot of our bike lanes are too narrow and run out of track when traffic is at its heaviest.
Like I needed another excuse to visit wine country! Both of these projects would be awesome.
I get that its a non profit but now realizing what a “pump” track is I’m personally pretty disappointed. We need more sensible bike trails for long bike rides not a silly series of bumps… what a waste of money.
There are two things being discussed here. One is a network of soft surface trails in the nature. The other is a paved pump track. Both things are great exercise and safe, family friendly fun.
Sounds like a good investment to me.
Maybe consider starting your own non-profit?
“We need (blah blah) not a silly (blah blah)”
Sounds pretty selfish to me.
Byron, I shouldn’t have to. I pay $4,000 in property taxes to live in such a run down third world country type city which is Mcmethville. This city should really be putting in work to make this city not such a dump and have some decent things. I’d save up and get out of here but its actually extremely difficult to save especially when property taxes are so high. So yeah in the meantime some nice long biking trails would mean everything to me.
Is there an update?
I donated to this over 6 months ago and it’s not being built. Can I get my donation back?