The 2011-2012 Trail Work season brought exciting new trails to the JRPS trail system.
The year started with a trail building class where the climb from the 22nd St. parking lot to the bridge over the railroad tracks was reworked. The old climb had eroded over the years and the new trail should last us for many years to come.
Further west on Buttermilk a section of trail was moved further up onto the hillside to move it out over a location where it wasn’t draining well.
The armoring on the climb in North Bank Park was extended to keep the existing armoring in place and to prevent the trail below it was further washing out.
Then came the first big project of the year: Dogwood Dell. Dogwood Dell had a trail system many years, but Hurricane Isabel devastated the park and effectively closed the trails there. With help of a grant from REI, the trail system in Dogwood Dell was completely renovated. A mile long mountain bike flow trail was built (the only trail in the city where mountain bikes have the right of war) along-side a mile of hiking trail. This makes for a fun loop at the western end of the North Bank Trail.
And if that wasn’t enough for the year, as soon as the work at Dogwood Dell wrapped up, work began on the Belle Isle Skills Area. This new area on Belle Isle was designed to simulated some of the features found on the James River Park System Trails to give both beginner and advanced riders a chance to brush up on their skills before heading out onto the trails. The skills area includes two pump tracks, several rock garden, rock drops and various logs and skinnies to play on.