Our partnership with CORA will bring a mountain biking skills course to an underutilized wing of Mt. Airy Forest.
Cincinnati Parks Foundation has partnered with the Cincinnati Off Road Alliance (CORA) and Adventure Crew to build and program a mountain biking skills course and improved trail system within Mt. Airy Forest.
First of its kind in Cincinnati
With nearly 1,500 acres, Mt. Airy Forest features Ohio’s only wheelchair accessible treehouse, a beautiful arboretum, a dog park, a disc golf course, hiking trails, and mountain biking trails.
This new skills course will nearly double the existing mileage of mountain biking trails within Mt. Airy Forest. It will be the first beginner natural surface trail experience within the city.
Developing a free beginner skills course in the central location of Mt. Airy makes mountain biking easily accessible to the whole city. The urban site will provide new opportunities for a diverse community to enter the sport and develop their skills.
Photo by: Steve Paszt for Adventure Crew
About the Mountain Biking Skills Course
This professionally designed mountain biking skills course will be accessible to cyclists of all levels. The elements of the course focus on developing bike handling skills and techniques through progressive trail obstacles which simulate obstacles that may be found while riding on natural surface trails. Elevation changes will be minimal, and the trail will be wide to accommodate both novice users and adaptive equipment. This trail will link to paved infrastructure within the park, a mountain bike trail currently under construction in a different area of the park, the extensive existing natural surface trail system in Mt. Airy Forest, and a future proposed 4.5-mile paved bike loop. This project will provide an active outdoor experience that is accessible to all ages and skill levels within the adjacent communities that will benefit greatly from increased connectivity to nature.
Why a Mountain Biking Skills Course?
A mountain bike skills course enables more access to the sport by removing physical and emotional barriers for would-be bikers, old and young. Many trails in the area have significant barriers to access like advanced technical or physical ability, or traveling to remote areas. The proposed course is a controlled environment where riders can learn the technical skills at slower speeds. Locating the course within Mt. Airy Forest creates easier access for urban communities.
CORA is a volunteer-led organization building, preserving, and advocating for more miles of sustainable, multi-use natural surface trail connecting the communities of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, and has over 20 years of experience stewarding and building trails throughout the Greater Cincinnati region. They steward over 100 miles of trail, including at Mt. Airy Forest.
Adventure Crew is a local nonprofit that brings students from primarily Title 1 schools to the outdoors to experience diverse recreational opportunities. The new skills course will further lower the barriers to entry via their mountain biking program.
Photo by: Steve Paszt for Adventure Crew
Support the project
Your support of the Beginner Mountain Bike Skills Course and Trail Loop will help reduce barriers of entry for children and adults from across Cincinnati, helping to nurture an enhanced appreciation for our shared greenspaces.