Craig Park MTB park

Didn't get to attend Wednesday's workshop, so I'm pretty stoked to see what they've proposed; it's much more than I expected. Pump track and skills area, sure. But surprised to see dirt jumps, flow and freeride trails. Personally I wish it was in South OC, but perhaps its proximity to The Bruery, Bottle Logic and Hoparazzi will help ease the pain.

I hope OC folks will get behind this. I hope to be able to contribute in some way.

http://ocparks.com/about/projects/craig_park_bike_facility

 

Very cool if the project gets traction...

I tried to thank your post skyungjae, but the forum told me it was an "invalid thank you". Maybe I've hit my quota.

 

Nahhhhh, it means your trigger finger was faster than the server and you tried to thank it twice before it registered completely Quick Draw McGraw!

 

Attended Wednesday's workshop, and there was plenty of enthusiasm to get this off the ground. However, enthusiasm needs to be accompanied by $$'s and volunteers. This is a 10-acre project. By comparison, Valmont (a flagship example) in Boulder is 40-Acres. I think with the $$'s, enthusiasm, and industry in OC, getting Craig moving should be seen as a first step. A successful Craig Park would allow other opportunities to develop. I think that we could all envision the success that could be had with a couple of 40-50 Acre Bike Parks in OC. We have dedicated Equestrian Facilities within and surrounding the current park system...its time that the more numerous MTB users chipped in to help make this happen. There will be a follow-up meeting in the next couple of months based on the initial meeting...that may help solidify the funding required and timetable for implementation.

Successful small steps lead to large leaps.

 

Thanks for the post! I had no idea such a facility was in the works for anywhere in OC. I think it's essential now that the unofficial bike park/skills area (Oakley) is off limits. Unfortunately, it's in Fullerton - but hey - it's a start. Can I assume the photo on the OC Parks page was from Valmont?

I would think with OCs saturation of MtB related businesses headquartered or otherwise anchored here or nearby, plus the huge population of riders, it would be fairly easy to get the donations necessary from riders and corporate sponsors. I'll donate - but only if I get one of those awesome Fully Loop t-shirts I saw in another thread.

 

Good to finally see the proposed layout.

Only 10 Acres here and 40 in boulder? I'll be that 10 acres is worth considerably more that the 40!
A great start, and if it's good who knows what the future will bring.

 

Update:

The next meeting has been scheduled to present follow-up information. At the last meeting, we had 60+ people nearly fill the room. The participation and feedback was sufficient to not only enhance the momentum for this specific project, but to demonstrate that there is demand, desire, and people willing to put in the dedication for this type of project. Pitching in to help make this project a success will help foster success for other MTB Projects around Southern California.

Lets see if we can get 100+ and create the need for a bigger room. I'm sure that we can all think of stuff that would fall into the category of "hey, wouldn't it be great if..." Moving those ideas forward can start here.

RSVP via the OC Park Event created on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/events/734410953341490/

 

I'm going for sure this time.

 

awesome, I will begin the badgering of all my friends and Fullerton locals.

 

Bump...this coming Wednesday. Participation here helps communicate needs beyond just this project. And there's a few places with beer right around the corner after the meeting. Just sayin'....

 

Any updates on how this meeting went?

I wasn't able to get off work early enough to make it.

 

Sorry for the tardiness on the update:

Updated information has not yet been posted to the official OC Parks site (<a class="postlink" href="http://ocparks.com/about/projects/craig_park_bike_facility/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://ocparks.com/about/projects/craig ... _facility/</a> it usually takes about a week for the new graphics to go up...and any further meetings have not been scheduled) regarding this next step, but it was basically taking the feedback received in the first workshop and applying it to the first rough pass. There was also an additional mailer sent out to everyone within 500 ft of the proposed project, which resulted in some of the longtime residents and park users adding their questions and concerns. About 75% of those in attendance had been to the first meeting, so it was good to hear some of the concerns, and to involve others.

Some more history on how we got here was presented. OC Parks and IMBA took over a year to get to the first workshop, after whittling down the sites from five that would support something like this, to this particular site. Given the history of the site, use of that area, political influence (cannot be underestimated), central location, etc., Craig was selected because it gave the project the best opportunity for success. Feedback from the first meeting refined the plans and it is continuing to move forwards.

The room felt very confident that money was not an issue, and that political approval was not an issue. If volunteers were wanted/needed to contribute to the build, there are plenty who would sign up. The real issue is the permitting process as the land is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and leased for operation by OC Parks. That approval overlaps with all the other laws, regulations, etc., needed before this is complete, along with any additional park improvements that might be needed.

IMHO, this is moving pretty quickly. Other parks in adjacent states with fewer issues are moving just about as quickly and are on about the same timeline. The buy-in and participation from EVERYONE has the potential to change this from an OC Bike Park to the FIRST OC Bike Park. Wouldn't it be great to keep this momentum going so that before this breaks ground, there's enough will to have more of these facilities?

 

That's awesome, but it still blows my mind that with half of the MtB industry tied to OC and the IE, we still don't have any form of mountain bike park. I am certain that SoCal (Ventura-Sandy Yago) must have the highest number of MtBers in a given geographic area, and certainly one of the world's longest riding seasons.

Thanks to all who are making this happen. :clap: :thumbup: