Country Grove Park- Bike Optimized Singletrack

Parks will construct approximately 1.2 miles of natural surface, bike-optimized singletrack trail at Country Grove Park in 2025.  The trail will be open to bikes and other non-motorized uses such as hiking, walking, and snowshoeing.

Portions of the trail will be covered in a natural stone chip seal surface while others would be constructed of native soil, stone, and wood.  The project will be built by a professional trail builder with experience in constructing bike-optimized singletrack. 

A similar project was constructed at Aldo Leopold Park and Cannonball Path in 2021 and another is underway in 2024 at Sycamore Park. 

Trail construction such as this uses techniques such as bermed turns, rollers, and technical trail features to enhance the experience of riding bikes off-road and make riding fun.  Trail difficulty is proposed to range from "easy" to "moderate" with a ride around optional lines for technical features.

Trail construction methods used by professional trail builders use a combination of machinery and hand work to shape a trail tread.  The tread is carefully constructed to minimize erosion, create a firm and sustainable tread, protect trees, and create a safe and predictable experience.  The professionally built trail lets riders choose their level of risk and excitement in a predictable manner.  After trail construction is complete, the disturbed area will restored with native vegetation and managed by Parks.
 

Background
The need for natural surface trails has been communicated to Madison Parks over the past two decades.  While the communities surrounding Madison on the south and west sides have many miles of single track, opportunities on the east side remain scarce.
To best determine locations for trails, Parks underwent a city-wide planning process in 2020 to develop a vision of an urban singletrack network.  That planning process and details can be found on the MadBAT project page.

A Master Plan for Country Park was completed in 2023 that identified recreational biking and an amenity to be added to the Park.  See Country Grove Park Master Plan for that planning process including recordings of public meetings.

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