Las Cruces plans bike park to complement mountain trails

LAS CRUCES — The city’s parks and recreation director told councilors he was “ecstatic” at the prospect of a new bike park that he said would be the first of its kind in the region.

Parks and Recreation Director Steve Bingham said the bike park plans include a cycling course for high school-age bikers meeting National Interscholastic Cycling Association standards; a pump track, which cyclists complete by up-and-down movement rather than pedaling; gravity trails featuring steep inclines for experienced mountain bikers; and dirt jump areas for different skill levels.

The Las Cruces Bike Park will proceed to its design phase with a $1 million award from the New Mexico Economic Development Department’s Outdoor Recreation Division, matched by $1 million in city funds. The project was among several awarded grants that councilors voted to accept during their business meeting June 2.

Currently, local mountain bikers make use of trails around the city. Bingham said the bike park would complement those trails and serve as an entry point for less-experienced cyclists.

“We are a mountain biking paradise down here,” Councilor Becki Graham said, “but it can be tough to break in on the kind of trails we have. They say if you can learn to ride around here, you can ride anywhere … it can be a high barrier to get out and learn safely.”

City grant manager Gabriela Prats said the funds would support planning and design plus the beginning of construction at the city’s new East Mesa Public Recreation Complex, though no estimated completion date was available.

“This will significantly diversify our park system,” Bingham said. “It will bring in a facility that will have … an economic impact to our economy here. People will come from hundreds of miles away to ride our local trails, but also participate in this bike park.”