Alum Creek trail day a huge success

IMBA Trail News
Volume 12, Number 1
March 1999

75 volunteers participate in Ohio's largest mountain biking trail event

In what became Ohio's largest mountain biking trail event to date, 75 volunteers descended on Alum Creek State Park last November for a day of trail building and maintenance. Alum Creek, less than a half-hour drive from Columbus, has opened an official Mountain Biking Area, but after five years of immense use, its trails were suffering severe degradation.

When a race series was proposed for the spring, the Central Ohio Mountain Bike Organization (COMBO) recommended it be postponed until later in the summer when conditions would improve. Later, the series was cancelled altogether.

Although COMBO had been performing trail maintenance for the last two years, more dramatic action became necessary. A visit by Ric and Holly, the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew #2 helped much. They walked the area with Assistant Park Manager Bill Tillman and Ranger Bob Macaluso, who is in charge of trail maintenance at the park. Drainage problems, overuse, and simply not enough trail miles for the demand were identified as the major problems.

They planned a major trailwork event. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and IMBA agreed to cosponsor and help organize it.

Retailers rally

To promote the event, COMBO members rallied support from local bicycle retailers. With almost every bike shop in a 30-mile radius of the trail supporting the event and getting the word out, participation was excellent. And while rain was in the forecast, Mother Nature cooperated and all four planned projects were completed by the day's end. The south beginner loop was hardened for year-round riding by adding a mixture of gravel and clay to the low-lying areas. Under the direction of COMBO member Doug Berube, volunteers moved 16 tons of stone and soil, donated by ODNR, by wheelbarrow to the trail's affected spots.

Also in immediate need of repair was one of the older bridges. The bridge's main supports had broken and had become hazardous to ride. The old bridge was removed and used as a dry approach to the new bridge. The new bridge, donated by contractor Matt Dansen, originally served as a skid for delivery of a large piece of machinery. COMBO member Jenifer Kwasnieski led the team which included Dan Nagley, owner of Breakaway Cycling and an original contributor to the creation of the mountain biking trails at Alum Creek.

After seeing decades of use in a variety of forms, Alum Creek had accumulated more than its share of trash and debris. Rudy Gerdeman, a member of the "Green Team" from Columbus radio station CD-101, provided the direction on a cleanup that netted a mattress, a tractor tire, and a whole dumpster full of smaller stuff. CD-101 also provided trash bags, snacks, refreshments and good tunes.

So many volunteers came out that COMBO was able to cut in a brand new piece of singletrack. The new trail, approximately three-quarters of a mile long and COMBO's first in the park, follows the contours of the land along a small forested peninsula jutting out into Alum Creek Lake. A number of veteran COMBO members, including Brian Adams and Michael Buckley, led groups of volunteers in learning the fine art of trail building. Benching, hardening, rolling grade dips, log jumps they did it all. The new trail will ease congestion near the trailhead. It will also allow park officials to close an existing trail in need of repair without decreasing the amount of trail available.

Local bicycle retailers and IMBA generously donated items to be donated to those who came out and volunteered their time. Present at the trail day were Northland Schwinn, Breakaway Cycling, Bicycle One, Baer Wheels, DeVore Bicycles, and Grandview Cycle. Other supporting shops included Bicycle Warehouse, Cyclist Connection, Tri-Tech Multisports, Bike Source, and Westerville Bike Shop. Single Track Press gave away copies of the Mountain Biking Ohio trail guide.

Long term

This was the first stage in a long-term effort to improve the quality and quantity of mountain biking available at Alum Creek State Park. COMBO hopes the great showing of support will continue, as many more tasks remain. COMBO President and IMBA State Rep James Buratti commented, "Mountain biking is continuing to grow in Ohio. Hopefully ODNR will be able to allocate more resources to the mountain biking community. I don't know of any other recreational group that comes out and volunteers its time like mountain bikers do not just individuals, but retailers, too. The bike shops here today have donated literally hundreds of dollars worth of time and merchandise to help these trails. This is a huge success to build on."

Future projects being discussed include a new map of the trail system, on-trail markings, repair of existing trails, seasonal and permanent closure of some sections, and the addition of new trails.

For more information contact:

COMBO, James Buratti, Past-President, (614) 486-2684, ;

Alum Creek State Park: William Tillman, Assistant Park Manager, (740) 548-4631;

Also, for Ohio biking info, visit the web of Single Track Press: www.single-track.com .