The town of Mayodan, N.C., and Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) announce the opening of the first public mountain bike trail in western Rockingham County N.C. A ribbon cutting and celebration will be held for the Mayodan Mountain Bike Trail at Farris Memorial Park at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 21.
Along with the ribbon cutting, there will be free t-shirts for the first 50 participants, refreshments during the opening, and free mountain bike rentals all day to celebrate the new trail.
Funding for the trail, which includes a new bike barn and trailhead kiosks, came from the town of Mayodan, Reidsville Area Foundation, REI, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, and The North Carolina Rural Center. Other support came from Blue Ridge Trail Works, Dan River Basin Association (DRBA), and Duke Energy.
The trail was recently named a 2017 race venue for the N.C. League of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association. That event is expected to bring more than 600 riding enthusiasts from all over North Carolina to Mayodan in May 2017 for a weekend long youth event.
“We are very excited to officially open the Mountain Bike Trail,” said Michael Brandt, Mayodan town manager. “The opportunity to offer a new recreational activity for the community, including introducing students to a fun, life-long sport, and showcase Mayodan to the state is great for the area.”
A trail at Farris Memorial Park was identified as a priority project in the Pathways Plan for Recreational Trails completed by Piedmont Trail Regional Council, Rockingham County municipalities, and DRBA in 2012. At approximately 3.5 miles long, Mayodan Mountain Bike Trail is classified at beginner to intermediate skill level.
“This trail is built to the highest International Mountain Bike Association standards by Tony McGee, a professional landscape designer and competition level cyclist.” said Jenny Edwards, DRBA program manager, “He knows exactly what cyclists are looking for in a trail. It’s a joy to ride for both experienced and novice cyclists—and it’s great for walkers and joggers too. Just an all round delightful trail. We are very proud to be part of it.”
The project cost more than $42,000 and took approximately two years to complete with volunteer help. Nearly all of the funds came from foundation support. Duke Energy brought more than 200 volunteers from across North Carolina to accomplish hand finish work on the trail late last year. Other trail volunteers came from Greensboro Fat Tire Society, REI, and DRBA.
In addition to supporting trail construction, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust provided funding to purchase mountain bikes for the McMichael High School MTB Club and the general public. Use of the bikes is free for McMichael High School students (with ID) and at a nominal charge to the general public during regular concession hours.
While the celebration on May 21 at Farris Memorial Park marks a milestone for the trail, the town has plans for the trail’s future. The Conservation Fund has granted the town and DRBA funding to partner with UMAR at the Roc and Round Rock Design in a pilot project that will employ people with disabilities to design and construct future trail sections this spring and summer.
In addition, the town is seeking support from the Recreational Trail Program (RTP) with North Carolina State Parks to add another mile of trail. If RTP funds are awarded that project is anticipated to begin in late fall 2016 and complete in late 2017. These two phases of trail would bring the total length of trail to approximately five miles.
Farris Memorial Park has over 270 acres of fun for the whole family. In addition to the mountain bike trail, there are picnic shelters, hiking trails, ball fields, soccer fields, concessions, a golf driving range and miniature golf course, fishing in two ponds, and plenty of room to roam.
For information on the celebration, contact Jenny Edwards at (336) 339-6169 or jedwards@danriver.org. For information on bike rentals or other park amenities, contact M-M Recreation Center at (336) 548-2789 or Town of Mayodan (336) 427-0241. Find the trail on Facebook facebook.com/mayodanmountainbiketrail. Farris Memorial Park is located at 2878 Park Rd, Mayodan.
