by Joel Cameron
Feature

Portland Mountain Bikers Seeking Increased Access to Urban Singletrack Trails

Who would have thought it possible, singletrack riding in Manhattan, N.Y.? Portland won’t be far behind.
Recently, Portland, Ore. was designated as a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. This was a significant accolade, as this municipality is the first major city to receive this honor. However, even though there is no doubt that Portland is a great place to pedal, if you are looking for a site in the city to mountain bike, the options are few and far between. Especially lacking are singletrack trails, leaving many in the knobby tire set scratching their heads as to how such a highly sought after and popular form of outdoor activity could be conspicuously absent from the city’s off-road offerings. To remedy this situation, off-road advocates have begun to formulate an action plan for the city. Now in the development phase, few details are available. However, the Portland United Mountain Pedalers (PUMP), a non-profit organization affiliated with the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), and Alta Planning and Design, among others, are basically looking at ways to increase the availability of singletrack in urban wilderness areas.

To find out more about the importance of improving mountain bikers’ access to the city’s forested areas and why singletrack is where it’s at, I contacted Jill Van Winkel, an IMBA trail specialist based out of Oregon.

Photo by IMBA Jill Van Winkle riding the Fifteen Mile trail on Mt Hood.
BP: Can you explain how singletrack trails are different and why they are so important to mountain bikers?

JVW: It’s the same reason most hikers and runners prefer singletrack—we’d much rather be on a narrow, winding trail through the woods than on a dirt road. A singletrack trail is much more stimulating and challenging, and brings you into a closer connection with nature. Dirt paths and roads provide an important opportunity for people to get comfortable on bikes and to get away from motorized traffic. But singletrack is much more meaningful to most mountain bicyclists. A singletrack trail is generally defined as a route where users must travel single file. Actual tread width can vary depending upon tread surface, side slope grade, trail user type and other factors, but is generally considered to be a tread of less than five feet in width.

BP: People that oppose increasing mountain bike access to public parks seem to think that doing so will degrade the park for other users. Do you think this is true? If not, can increasing mountain biking actually improve the parks?

JVW: It really depends on the situation. If a trail is already busy with constant use by hikers, dog walkers and runners, adding mountain bikers to the mix might not be the best idea. However, if there are parks and trails that have lower use, it can make a lot of sense to add mountain bicyclists to existing trails. By adding new or opening existing trails for bikes, you provide a quality recreational experience to a low-impact, quiet user group. Mountain bicycling is the second most popular trail activity, after hiking. We have a huge under-served population of trail users. By not providing mountain biking opportunities we risk losing a huge volunteer work force on our trails and in our parks. We also fail to engage a group that supports protecting our open spaces. Mountain bicyclists love to work—they fix trails, build trails [and] remove invasive species and garbage. They are important stewards of our public places. PUMP’s work parties routinely get 30 to 40 attendants acting to make the parks better for all users.

BP: Do you think that making Portland more mountain bike friendly is good for the city itself? If so, why?

JVW: Yes, it’s great for any city! Mountain biking is a healthy and fun way for people to exercise and enjoy the outdoors. Most mountain bicyclists are commuters as well. Once you’re comfortable on a bike on trails—learning how to shift, brake and handle the bike with confidence—it’s easy to translate those skills to the road. People learn to appreciate wild spaces by being out in them, not from the pavement or from the couch. Mountain biking is a great way to get kids (of all ages) outside and exploring and learning about the natural environment. More urban riding facilities, such as pump tracks and skills areas, take advantage of underused public spaces, transforming them from urban blights to community assets. Colonnade Bike Park in Seattle is one such facility that we hope to model in other urban areas with limited public open spaces.

BP: What can people do to get involved with increasing mountain bike opportunities in Portland?

JVW: Join PUMP. Get involved in local trail advisory groups. Keep an eye out for other opportunities to get involved.

BP: Is there anything else you feel that the readers of Bicycle Paper should know about either the development of the plan or PUMP?

JVW: We’re excited to partner with mountain bike advocates, and the bicycling community at large, to get this plan off the ground. We’ll need community support, money and political will to make it happen. Portland earning Platinum has provided us with a platform. We congratulate the city on its much-deserved award, and look to how we can help them maintain the status by showing improvement in off-road opportunities.

Of course, as with any proposed project involving public space, especially natural areas, there are those who are concerned about the potential negative impact of increased access. A current hotspot is Portland’s Forest Park, where cyclists wish to go from the fire roads to the trails. In order to ascertain what might be the possible downside of increased mountain biking in the park and in Portland’s other wild spaces, I got in touch with Jim Labbe, Urban Conservationist with the Audubon Society of Portland.

BP: Is the Audubon Society opposed to increased mountain biking in Portland’s Forest Park? If so, why?

JL: No. In fact, Portland Audubon supported the adoption of the Forest Park Management Plan in 1995 that allows mountain biking on some 28 miles of fire lanes and roads in Forest Park. We support expanded singletrack mountain biking in Forest Park in the appropriate places and with

1) A design that avoids, minimizes and appropriately mitigates impacts to the Park’s natural resources [and]

2) Increased resources to manage the existing and added recreational impacts to the park.

BP: Do you think that urban mountain biking can help to improve the state of urban wilderness by increasing awareness of the city’s wild places?

JL: Yes, but like all recreational activities access needs to be balanced with conservation so that we don’t love our protected natural areas to death. The city has a 100-plus year history of striking this balance. Singletrack mountain biking —as distinct from mountain biking in general— is a relatively new recreational activity. Even mountain biking was not very widespread when the Forest Park Management Plan was first adopted in the mid-1980s. Unfortunately this history is misunderstood or misconstrued by some singletrack advocates. So, we clearly have a lot to learn about how singletrack can be demonstrably low-impact. Clearly we won’t learn more unless we try, and clearly there is growing interest in singletrack. However, we need to proceed cautiously because

1) We don’t have a track record with singletrack, and

2) New singletrack facilities will add to the already heavy and under-managed recreational use of this spectacular natural area park.

BP: How do you feel about mountain bikers’ claim that they act as stewards of the places they ride through and therefore help to maintain those places, rather than degrade them?

JL: I would partially agree and partially disagree. Nothing about riding a mountain bike makes anyone more or less a steward. Clearly some singletrack cyclists have demonstrated great enthusiasm for building and maintaining trails in the park. This is fabulous and welcomed.

BP: Is there an environmentally friendly way to mountain bike? If so, what can riders do to ride in an environmentally responsible manner?

JL: Obey the rules about where mountain biking and singletrack in particular are allowed. Some areas are managed primarily for non-mechanical recreation or for wildlife. Respect the rules. Be safe, alert and watch for other recreationalists.

Portland is unquestionably a top tier town when it comes to bike access and opportunity. The city’s cyclists are understandably proud of their Platinum status, but many in the community feel that, instead of patting themselves on the back and resting on their saddles, now is the time to push for the kind of experience that will include the opportunity to pedal in all of the city’s environments, from the hustle and bustle of the multilane urban jungle to the serene singletrack of the urban wilderness.

To learn more visit PUMP at www.pumpclub.org, or Audubon Society’s at www.audubon.org.

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