BLM Building 2.5 Miles of Mountain Bike Trails

The Bureau of Land Management is in the process of constructing 2.5 miles of mountain bike trails at at its Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area in Lorton.

“The trails are designed and built with a rider’s progression in mind, and allow for different challenges as the rider’s skill develops,” said Doug Vinson, BLM Recreation Technician and Project Leader for bike trail construction.

BLM signed a challenge cost sharing agreement with the Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE) to fund trail construction. MORE fulfilled their part of the agreement by contracting with the International Mountain Bicycling Association and designing the three trails.

To date, 115 volunteers have contributed 1,157 hours for the projects. BLM has raised $32,800 for trail construction, $12,500 of which was donated by Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI).  

The trails being developed:

• A hand-built trail with natural obstacles (A portion of it is expected to be built by 125 Hilton employees who will volunteer during Hilton’s Day of Service corporate workday this fall)  
• The Yard Sale trail: A “Downhill Pump Track” with tabletops, banked turns and hills to maintain and build speed.
• A trail with banked turns on wooden planks, a 300-foot long curvy “ladder” bridge, and drops and rock gardens.

Interested in volunteering? Call BLM’s Doug Vinson at 703-339-3465.