A Mountain Bike Access Update

25 years ago, we were founded as a mountain bike advocacy organization. And though we have expanded our work to serve all trail users, equitable access for mountain bikers is still a top priority for our team.

In Santa Cruz County, mountain bikers have just 35% of the access to official singletrack trails that hikers enjoy, despite the huge increase in the sport's popularity across a wide range of demographics.

Creating mountain bike specific trail access is good for more than just mountain bikers. Other trail users, land managers, and our public lands will all benefit from providing adequate access to mountain bikers. Check out some important mtb updates from our team and consider giving today to play a role in bringing these updates to life:

We know that the trails at Soquel Demonstration State Forest (SDSF) are beat up after heavy use over a couple of especially dry years. I’m glad to share that early next year, not only will we host a slew of volunteer events, but we’ll have our professional SCMTS Trail Crew out at SDSF to do some major machine work and upgrades to buff out the trails throughout this beloved forest.

We’re getting ahead of this wet-season work with a healthy dose of volunteer trail work this month. Join us out at SDSF every Friday to get involved. We’ll brush sections of trail, clear drains, and complete smaller maintenance tasks that will make our crew’s work easier once the rain comes through. Check out our events calendar for all the latest sign-ups.

As a member of the California Mountain Biking Coalition (CAMTB), SCMTS has been actively involved in advocacy work at the state level to improve mountain biking access. We have engaged with State Parks leadership and elected officials in Sacramento to advocate for improved management of mountain biking on our public lands and have made great progress and new connections!

After more than two decades of hard work and relationship building, we’re starting to see a sea change in how local land managers think about mountain bike access and management.

We’re proud to share that over the past year, SCMTS has been leading a working group including many of our local land managers. This group is having an open and honest discussion about the state of mountain bike access in our area and the associated challenges and opportunities. This group's reception to mountain biking has been far warmer than in the past.

We’re at a critical tipping point for local bike access. While there's still much work to be done, we are looking forward to making some meaningful progress.

Donate today to help us continue this important work for mountain bikers. We need your support now more than ever as we work to create new mountain bike trail access!