Designers created the new bike park for intermediate riders looking for a challenge.
WHEATON, Md. – Montgomery Parks is opening a new mountain biking course to draw thrill-seeking riders to Wheaton Regional Park.
What: Wheaton Gravity Mountain Bike Park Grand Opening
When:
Sunday, July 21, 2024, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Rain date: Sunday, July 28, 2024, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Where: Wheaton Regional Park Shorefield area
2000 Shorefield Road
Wheaton, Md., 20902
The mountain bike park is located in the woods behind the Adventure Playground.
The Gravity Mountain Bike Park is geared toward mountain bikers and BMX riders looking for adventure. It has two courses with distinct levels of difficulty. The green course features dirt berms, dirt tabletops, and rollers. The more advanced blue course has a start platform, jump sections, and wooden berm turns. With a combined length of nearly a mile, both routes are designed for moderately experienced bike riders.
Gravity Mountain bike parks traditionally follow directional downhill trails that require little to no pedaling and take riders through a series of rollers, turns, and jumps. At the lowest point, the trails connect to the return line, where riders must pedal uphill to return to the beginning.
Like all Montgomery Parks facilities, the Gravity Mountain Bike Park has a ride-at-your-own-risk policy; bike helmets are strongly encouraged for all riders and required for those 18 years and younger.
“This new bike park is a great spot for adventure riders to build their skills on challenging terrain. Once riders start the course, it’s all downhill with multiple challenges to navigate,” said Bob Turnbull, Montgomery Parks’ natural surface trails program manager. “We encourage riders to start with the green course and work up to blue.”
The Gravity Mountain Bike Park was first envisioned in the 2022 Wheaton Regional Park Master Plan update, which establishes priorities for park improvements over the next 15-20 years. The plan lays out a vision of improved service to Wheaton Regional Park users and the surrounding community.
In addition to the Gravity Mountain Bike Park, park planners are in the beginning phases of designing an Action Sports Park for the Wheaton Regional Park’s Rubini Complex. The complex will include amenities like a skate park, pump track, climbing wall, obstacle course, seating areas, and more. Due to reductions in the parks department’s capital request, this project and others in Wheaton Regional Park may be delayed until additional funding becomes available.
“This bike skills park is one of the first new projects in Wheaton Regional Park coming out of the recent master plan update,” said Miti Figueredo, director of Montgomery Parks. “We hope people will have a lot of fun using it with their friends, and that we can secure funding over the next few years to move forward with more of these improvements, including the Action Sports Park.”
About Montgomery Parks
Montgomery Parks manages more than 37,000 acres of parkland, consisting of 419 parks. Montgomery Parks is focused on promoting physical activity, social connectivity, and environmental stewardship, especially in diverse and urbanizing areas, with an emphasis on teens, working-age adults, and seniors. Montgomery Parks is a department of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), a bi-county agency established in 1927 to steward public land. M-NCPPC has been nationally recognized for its high-quality parks and recreation services and is regarded as a national model by other parks systems.
Accessibility
Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, encourages and supports the participation of individuals with disabilities. Please contact the Program Access Office at 301-495-2581 (Voice), MD Relay 7-1-1 or 800-552-7724 or ProgramAccess@MontgomeryParks.org to request a disability modification. Visit Montgomery Parks Accessibility for more information.
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