Happy Birthday, Harvey West Pump Track!

This dirt track’s one of the most popular destinations for pump track fun in Santa Cruz County. Located just a stone’s throw from Downtown Santa Cruz, HWPT has a range of mellow and advanced features. Come out to learn to jump, get outside and test your skills, or simply hang out at the picnic area near the track to spectate… there’s something for everyone at Harvey West!

Back in 2015, there were only a handful of pump tracks in the Santa Cruz area, and there were no professionally-built dirt jumps available to the public. The Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship team (formerly known as Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz) noticed this gap in outdoor access, and reached out to the City of Santa Cruz to explore opportunities for new pump tracks and jumps.

After touring a handful of potential locations, Harvey West Park was the standout spot: it was an area that was underutilized and close to town–perfect for a new pump track. The SCMTS team designed the pump track, harnessed volunteers to assist in the building process throughout late summer 2016, and opened the new track to the public that fall.

This project was funded in conjunction with the City of Santa Cruz alongside support from the local community. Major project contributors included Las Animas Concrete, Plantronics, Day One Solar, Geo. H. Wilson, Rob Donato, Mark Aubin, Kirby School, A Tool Shed, and Central Home Supply. The very first Summer Youth Trail Crew also assisted in the construction of the Harvey West Pump Track.

Since its opening, the pump track has transformed a portion of the park that had previously been a hangout for transients into a thriving community resource. SCMTS staff continue to maintain the track during regular maintenance events. Our Pump Track Keepers, Alex Jones and Noel Clark, tune-up Harvey West about once a week. If you're interested in joining them and providing care to the track as an official Pump Track Keeper, email [email protected].

The Harvey West Pump Track is currently adopted by Bell Helmets. Bell supports all maintenance out at HWPT, and keeps our team digging. We’re grateful for their support!