A view of a mountain biking trail at Kershaw-Ryan State Park. Nine miles of trails are available for beginning and intermediate riders.
Mountain biking is becoming quite the individual or family recreational sport in Lincoln County. That is due primarily to the new trails that have been and are still being constructed.
Local biking enthusiast Christine Harrington told the Record, “The mountain bike network in Caliente now consists of 22 miles of custom-built single track.”
She said, “Kershaw-Ryan State Park recently completed construction of an exciting new flow trail which is friendly to both the beginning and more advanced riders.”
Harrington and Kristal Romans chair the Trail Cats, a subcommittee of the Lincoln County Authority of Tourism (LCAT) focused on helping the trail projects in the county succeed. The committee is working on a soft-opening event in the fall to showcase the trails to mountain biking industry influencers in the region.
Starting from the beautiful scenery of the Kershaw-Ryan Canyon parking area, riders can take full advantage of the park’s nine-mile network. Previously, Park Ranger Andrew Porter has said the park hopes to add several more miles of trails and trailhead areas over the next 18 months.
The Barnes Canyon Trail system so far has 13.1 miles of single track and that includes five and a half miles for beginner and intermediate riders, one advanced downhill trail and one expert-only trail.
During the summer and fall, crews will work on an Ella Mountain trail and another connecting Barnes Canyon with Kershaw-Ryan State Park. A trailhead at Barnes Canyon should be completed by spring 2020.
Harrington said, “Local workers are pitching in to help with trail construction and maintenance. We are actively seeking volunteers to come to designated workdays this summer to help keep the trails in good shape.”
Riders from all around the nation have come to Lincoln County in the past couple of years and many have given the trail network glowing reviews.
Follow the Lincoln County Mountain Bikers Facebook group, which is dedicated to the local trail network, for group ideas, volunteer work days and other upcoming events.
The next event involving mountain biking is the annual Beaver Dam Gravel Grinder set for June 15 at Beaver Dam State Park.
What were you thinking??? Mountain biking and trail-building destroy wildlife habitat! Mountain biking is environmentally, socially, and medically destructive!
Bicycles should not be allowed in any natural area. They are inanimate objects and have no rights. There is also no right to mountain bike. That was settled in federal court in 1996: https://mjvande.info/mtb10.htm . It’s dishonest of mountain bikers to say that they don’t have access to trails closed to bikes. They have EXACTLY the same access as everyone else — ON FOOT! Why isn’t that good enough for mountain bikers? They are all capable of walking….
A favorite myth of mountain bikers is that mountain biking is no more harmful to wildlife, people, and the environment than hiking, and that science supports that view. Of course, it’s not true. To settle the matter once and for all, I read all of the research they cited, and wrote a review of the research on mountain biking impacts (see https://mjvande.info/scb7.htm ). I found that of the seven studies they cited, (1) all were written by mountain bikers, and (2) in every case, the authors misinterpreted their own data, in order to come to the conclusion that they favored. They also studiously avoided mentioning another scientific study (Wisdom et al) which did not favor mountain biking, and came to the opposite conclusions.
Mountain bikers also love to build new trails – legally or illegally. Of course, trail-building destroys wildlife habitat – not just in the trail bed, but in a wide swath to both sides of the trail! E.g. grizzlies can hear a human from one mile away, and smell us from 5 miles away. Thus, a 10-mile trail represents 100 square miles of destroyed or degraded habitat, that animals are inhibited from using. Mountain biking, trail building, and trail maintenance all increase the number of people in the park, thereby preventing the animals’ full use of their habitat. See https://mjvande.info/scb9.htm for details.
Mountain biking accelerates erosion, creates V-shaped ruts, kills small animals and plants on and next to the trail, drives wildlife and other trail users out of the area, and, worst of all, teaches kids that the rough treatment of nature is okay (it’s NOT!). What’s good about THAT?
To see exactly what harm mountain biking does to the land, watch this 5-minute video:
In addition to all of this, it is extremely dangerous: https://mjvande.info/mtb_dangerous.htm .
For more information: https://mjvande.info/mtbfaq.htm .
The common thread among those who want more recreation in our parks is total ignorance about and disinterest in the wildlife whose homes these parks are. Yes, if humans are the only beings that matter, it is simply a conflict among humans (but even then, allowing bikes on trails harms the MAJORITY of park users — hikers and equestrians — who can no longer safely and peacefully enjoy their parks).
The parks aren’t gymnasiums or racetracks or even human playgrounds. They are WILDLIFE HABITAT, which is precisely why they are attractive to humans. Activities such as mountain biking, that destroy habitat, violate the charter of the parks.
Even kayaking and rafting, which give humans access to the entirety of a water body, prevent the wildlife that live there from making full use of their habitat, and should not be allowed. Of course those who think that only humans matter won’t understand what I am talking about — an indication of the sad state of our culture and educational system.
Caliente, you have made it as a mountain biking town when you have attracted the attention of the Bay Area’s biggest bike hater. It wouldn’t let me add his mug shot but it’s my favorite photo of him.
https://www.outsideonline.com/1808171/trial-mike-vandeman