THOR and IMBA bring a three-day Trail Care Workshop to Nebraska’s panhandle
Trails Have Our Respect staff spent a few days in the Nebraska panhandle at Chadron State Park, working alongside key stakeholders at Nebraska Game and Parks, the Nebraska Forest Service, and the Northwest Nebraska Trails Association. To support their work, THOR brought in additional expertise from the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) to host a three-day Trail Care Workshop.
The Purpose of the Workshop
The goal was to bring stakeholders together to understand what the community wants and needs from its trails. From there, the group worked to formalize a process for planning the future of the trail system and to triage some of the existing trail.
IMBA brings decades of experience developing, maintaining, and building trail systems across North America and around the world. That meant an extra set of professional eyes on what’s already on the ground, including the soil types, along with facilitated conversations about stakeholder goals, community needs, available resources, and what the planning process could look like.
“We’ve long believed our region is a diamond in the rough for mountain biking, and this workshop was a big step toward making it shine.”
A Landscape Worth Planning Around
Chadron State Park is Nebraska’s oldest state park, surrounded by additional forest land. The terrain is full of ups and downs, steep drop-offs, and vast vistas. The soils change significantly over just a few miles, from rocky to sandy and loose, which makes for a fun riding experience and a real design challenge.
The group worked with what’s here, looked at the history, and considered the legacy built generations ago. The questions on the table were: What has worked? What could work in the future? And which concepts and designs would best serve a larger community of trail users?
Starting With Shared Vision
Conversations with land managers and local organizations are crucial, so everyone understands the community experience they’re after. Is the goal to serve locals, draw visitors, connect areas, or all of the above? What is the collective vision five, ten, or fifteen years from now? Any concept needs environmental, social, and financial sustainability to support that long-term vision.
“Very inspiring to see what the volunteers have already made happen in both funding and engagement. With some good planning, a lot of opportunities exist here.”
How the Workshop Worked
The class paired academic classroom concepts with in-field work and plenty of conversation throughout. Participants also rode with locals, took a tour, and explored what Chadron has to offer.
It was inspiring to see what volunteers have already accomplished in both funding and engagement. The Northwest Nebraska Trails Association was, and continues to be, key to keeping the conversation going.
What’s Next
The steep terrain and varied sandy soils will require careful planning, but it’s encouraging to see so many different types of users excited about more trails in their region. With good planning, a lot of opportunities exist here.
From Nebraska Game & Parks
Members of the Northwest Nebraska Trails Association joined THOR, U.S. Forest Service, and park staff to learn best practices for designing, building, and maintaining sustainable and enjoyable mountain bike trails.
Nebraska Game & Parks extended thanks to THOR for sponsoring the workshop and bringing it to northwestern Nebraska. Since its creation in 1996, THOR has worked to develop, protect, and share natural-surface trail experiences across Nebraska and neighboring states, and Game & Parks says it looks forward to realizing the possibilities of this growing partnership.
They’ve long believed the region is a diamond in the rough for mountain biking, and this workshop was a big step toward making it shine. Visit Chadron State Park →
Photos by Eric Freudenburg
