Mountain bikers build their own paths

Posted Nov 3, 2009
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Center, Sycamore and Summerset Trails are just some of the trails that the Central Iowa Trails Association plans, builds and maintains

Central Iowa By Mike Kilen (photo from Juice) A small group of mountain bikers didn't sit around and whine after they were booted out of Browns Woods south of Des Moines in 1996. They meticulously built a network of dirt trails in central Iowa. "Our state doesn't have a lot of public land so the battle for everybody to get their own is a lose-lose. The answer is in how to improve and share these trails," said Ryan Hanser, president of the Central Iowa Trails Association. The trail work continues Saturday with volunteer trail building. The benefits will be on display Sunday, Nov. 15, during the Des Moines Dirty Duathlon race. "People don't understand that dirt trails don't just happen if a lot of us walk in the same place," Hanser said. "Good trails don't build themselves. When built right, they last for generations and don't require a lot of maintenance. But the construction is pretty demanding." With 50 members, CITA helped build: - A dirt trail system in Des Moines' Greenwood and Ashworth Parks that links to adjacent Water Works Park. (Seven miles). - Sycamore Trail on the west side of the Des Moines River north of Euclid Avenue. (7.5 miles). - Summerset State Park off Highway 69 between Indianola and Des Moines. (Four miles). City officials estimate the volunteers worked 350 hours in Greenwood Park alone, estimated at $70,000 of labor. It took a lot of toil through the woods and up and down hills with fire-fighting equipment such as hoses, axes, fire rakes and tampers. And it took expertise. After mountain biking popularity spread from the coasts to the Midwest in the mid-1990s, Hanser said, conflict between users developed. But proper trail design, aided by advice from the International Mountain Biking Association, helped calm the tensions. Well-designed trails alleviate erosion and collisions with slower-moving walkers by being tight and technical, Hanser said. City officials say the volunteers have been vital. "These trails not only benefit mountain bikers but also anyone who wants to get up close to nature," said Mindy Moore, city park planner. A parks department survey of Des Moines residents found that 80 percent of households rank walking and biking trails as their greatest recreation need. Moore said plans for more unpaved trails are in the works following a study last summer on appropriate locations. A skill-building, BMX-like dirt track is in development in Bates Park. Area mountain bikers gather for weekly rides and competitions, linked at centraliowatrails.org. Hanser said other dirt trail networks have formed across the state, including in the Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Cedar Falls, Council Bluffs and Decorah, with a showcase system in Whiterock Conservancy near Coon Rapids under consideration. "It's really about Iowans volunteering," he said. Race Event on Nov. 15 Des Moines Dirty Duathlon. Greenwood Park, Des Moines. Sunday, Nov. 15. Registration, 10 a.m.; Beginner race, 11 a.m.; Free kids race, 12:30 p.m.; Open/relay race, 1 p.m. $25. centraliowatrails.com. How to volunteer Volunteers are needed for trail work. No experience required; wear sturdy shoes, eye protection and bring water. - Saturday, Nov. 7, 1-5 p.m., Greenwood Park, 4500 Grand Ave., Des Moines. (Meet at Ashworth Pool.) Rerouting trail. - Saturday, Nov. 14. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Summerset State Park, east of Highway 69 between Des Moines and Indianola. Building trail.