Construction ramping up on new pump track at Huston-Wyeth Park
By Cameron Montemayor
Trail builders are making strides in development of a new and improved bike track for St. Joseph’s River Bluff Trails Park at Huston-Wyeth Park.
Construction is now full speed ahead on the park’s new pump track and jump courses, a circuit of rolling hills and banked turns acting as a training course, the latest amenity coming to the park system that opened in 2022.
The pump track, also called a skills course, allows less experienced or younger mountain bikers to develop and sharpen their skills before they look to tackle a wide range of moderate to advanced trails within the park. Larger trails at the park are divided into five categories with varying degrees of difficulty, from easy to extremely difficult.
“It’s a nice flow and jump area that’s contained at one spot,” said Brett Shoffner, owner-operator of Nomad Trails Development, a subcontractor on the project. “People can have the picnic tables up top to chill out. A mom can sit here on this bench and see everything with their kids.”
The project will see the existing dirt pump track at the park replaced by an asphalt track along with a variety of new all-weather track extensions. The previous dirt track was difficult to maintain both from a vegetation control and erosion control standpoint, particularly after rain events.
“Having the all-weather surfaces on the skills track and the jump lines so that people can use them during winter weather, especially when everything’s kind of muddy elsewhere. It’s a huge improvement,” Shoffner said. “People should be able to ride it every day of the year, hopefully.”
Development on the track is being carried out by Shoffner’s company and American Ramp Company, with the latter constructing the pump track portion.
Nomad previously constructed more than 15 miles worth of trail for the popular River Bluff Trails Park.
Council members previously authorized a $347,395 agreement with American Ramp Company in August for the new track using transient guest tax funds.
“We should have the all-weather jump lines and all-weather skills lines done by the end of the year. The asphalt pond track will be constructed sometime in 2025,” Shoffner said.
The track will be located in the open area north of the circular overlook and picnic shelter. The new all-weather surface will allow for both bikes and some non-motorized scooters to be used as well.
“We’re using a combination of gravel and crusher fines from a local quarry,” Shoffner said. Really limestone heavy … make it into a slurry and then just compact it a whole bunch and let the moisture suck it out, then it just becomes super hard like concrete.”
