At lunch I drove out to Eagle Mountain (west of Lehi) to check out a bike park that's being built. OK, technically it's the Mountain Home Bike Park, but I think more people know where Eagle Mountain is. A lot of work has been done and it shows. This blog covers the progress and here's the location of the bike park courtesy of WAFTA (bottom map).
Jordan River Parkway Overpass
On the way out I stopped at the new underpass for the Jordan River Parkway (paved) trail and State Road 73 (Lehi's Main Street heading west) . It looks nice.
Before the underpass there was a simple crossing. With the heavy volume of traffic on SR-73 it was dangerous. Here's what it used to look like:
Those two white lines aren't much protection. I've crossed there a few times and it felt dicey every time.
Bike Park
As I drove out to the bike park I took a wrong turn. I called Mike at UMB and he set me straight (thanks, Mike!). I walked up to look it over.
The photo below shows the first 3 jumps of the jump run. There are 3 more jumps. As you can see, on the left is a big jump, the middle is moderate and the right is the easy line. The dirt for these jumps was moved in recently and it's still pretty soft. Some rain and shaping will make these smooth and sweet.
This photo show part of the pump track. I went back to my car and got my mountain bike and gave it a try. The bumps felt too close together and too tall - I couldn't get into a pumping rhythm. Maybe a shorter BMX bike would do better. Or maybe my full suspension was a problem. The bermed corners were nice.
There are also some skill ladders. Two humps, two banked curves and the thing in the background is straight with three drops. I half-rode the easy banked curve route and it was fun. Riding in my slip-on dress shoes on clipless pedals with only a little platform didn't lend itself to technical riding.
Up on the hillside I could see one stunt of the slope-style trail, but didn't go investigate.
The park is coming together nicely and should be a fun place to ride.
The End
2 years ago
5 comments:
Man, how lame am I? I'm more excited about the Main Street crossing than the bike park. Maybe I'm the one who is becoming a "roadie." I can't tell you how many near-death experiences I had this Spring trying to cross that road, especially once the construction started.
Aaron - I know what you're saying.
Where do you find this place? Live down the road in Saratoga Springs and would love to pedal out there...
Jake - I added a map of the bike park location to the blog post.
My brother and I were out there about 3 weeks ago. We climed the hill above the park up by the power lines. There is some sweet singletrack up in the juniper trees. This park is going to be really nice once they get it finished.
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