Redmond Bike Park now open for riders and enthusiasts of all ages

Published 3:20 pm Thursday, September 11, 2014

The City of Redmond Bike Park is now open for all skill levels of bike enthusiasts to enjoy.

Located at Hartman Park on the corner of Northeast 104th Street and 171st Avenue Northeast, the dirt-jump style trails progress from beginner to advanced and is designed to help riders develop their skills in a safe environment.

The park covers about two acres of forested property and riders can ride the various trails.

The trails include three levels of jump lines. The Easy A line for beginners features eight tabletop and three roller jumps, with an average 4-foot height and several berm turns. The Shredmond intermediate jump line features nine tabletop and one roller jump with an average 6-foot height. The A-Line South advanced line features five tabletop and one roller jump as well as a one and a quarter pipe jump with an average 6-foot height.

In addition, the Bike Park features the Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop pump track, which is 350 feet long and has 13 rollers with an average 2.5-foot height and seven berm turns. There is also the 200-foot-long Walk it Off skills loop with six log rides and 16 berm turns. Finally, there is the Outer Space perimeter pedestrian and bike loop trail around three sides of the park, which bypasses the jump trails.

The Bike Park officially opened Sept. 6 with a special grand-opening event, which featured a dirt jump skills workshop, led by Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, a walk around the park’s perimeter, a ribbon cutting, volunteer awards and a barbecue.

“It was a really great event,” said City of Redmond project manager David Shaw.

He said among the attendees were the volunteers who helped build the park — along with their families — as well as neighbors living near the park and people from all around the Redmond area.

During the ribbon cutting, Redmond Mayor John Marchione declared Sept. 6 Redmond Bike Park Day, which Shaw said, “was pretty cool.”

The Bike Park was built with the help of 176 volunteers, who put in a total of 1,670 hours. The volunteers cleared the trails of vegetation and shaped the soil into large jumps using hand tools, rakes, shovels and tampers to pack the soil.

One of those volunteers was Josh Randall, who has been involved in the park’s development since talks began in 2009. The Bike Park went through an appeals process as neighbors were concerned about the park’s size and the potential noise and parking issues it could bring to the area.

Now that the park is complete and open for use, Randall said, “it’s absolutely incredible.” He added that it hasn’t all sunk in for him yet because they have come so far.

Randall, who was 14 when the city began talking about building an official bike park, said in the past, he would often ride around in the wooded area by himself. But now, the 19-year-old will drive past and see anywhere between five and 10 people riding around the park. For Randall, that is his favorite part about the now-open Bike Park.

He said it feels good to be part of something that not only the next generation could enjoy, but future generations to come, as well.

Those interested in volunteering as a trail steward to help with ongoing trail maintenance can sign up at www.red mond.gov/bikepark to register as a volunteer. For additional questions contact Shaw at (425) 556-2378 or dashaw@redmond.gov.