On this specific Saturday, the Gateway Green Bike Park was the place to be. Overrun by hundreds of kids on bikes, if one was to look closer, you’d realize that you were witnessing a glimpse into the future of Portland cycling.
The cause of the gathering? A yearly event that has come to be known as “Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day”. On this day it also served a dual purpose, doubling as a first year celebration of the official opening of the Gateway Green Bike Park.
In the year since the public opening, thousands of cyclists have experienced urban mountain biking in a location that previously was an abandoned and unutilized space marooned between two transportation corridors.
The most notable item though, was the number of cyclists in attendance that were visiting the new park for their first time.
Many had gathered simply to take their childern for a bike ride in a safe place, away from cars. While Portland can be easily traversed by bike, those that ride it daily know there is risk involved — especially if you find yourself on an unfriendly street populated by short-tempered commuters. Safe spaces like Gateway Green are an urban oasis, a refuge from dangerously irritable drivers.
With the high school mountain bike racing program kicking off this year thanks to the efforts of Heather and Kurt of the Oregon Interscholastic Cycling League, more opportunities (and demand for safe urban riding destinations) for safe recreation are needed and hopefully will improve.
Gateway Green wouldn’t be possible if not for the efforts of many, including the Friends of Gateway Green, the Northwest Trail Alliance as well as community minded folks at Portland Parks — it takes a village to make something like this happen.
It’s going to take a lot more work still to make it the bike park we all want to ride. It’s a work in progress though, and we have no doubt it will evolve over the next few years to become something truly special.
Perhaps more importantly, it has the potential to act as a case study for what mountain bike trails in the city will do for improving the quality of life for all — especially in a city that is home to so many in the outdoor and cycling industries.
With Portland’s Off Road Cycling Master Plan still on the table, the brief taste of (two miles) bike-optimized singletrack trail has the potential to be fruitful and multiply.
For the coming summer months, the Northwest Trail Alliance continues its celebration of trails.
Instead of the typical meetings, the monthly meetings will consist of social rides. It’s an ideal opportunity to get out on your bike midweek and gather with like-minded folks passionate about creating more opportunities for trails.
The next evolutionary phase of Gateway Green construction will begin this November. Stay tuned for more, and if you’re interested in helping make the existing trail even more fun to ride, the trail alliance will be putting on more trail work parties.
To learn more about the Northwest Trail Alliance and to sign up for their email newsletter, check them out at www.NW-Trail.org