There were too many epic bike parks for just one list…
When we first started our quest to find kid-friendly bike parks in America, we had no idea how many seriously kid-friendly and seriously epic bike parks we’d find. We’re so impressed with the communities and individuals across the country that are spreading the love of biking to our newest generation in the coolest way imaginable.
We originally created a list of 12 Kid-friendly Bike Parks for Your Family Bucket List, and were immediately overwhelmed by our readers helping us discover even more epic and kid-friendly bike parks. We knew we had to make another list. And here it is!
For a more comprehensive list of bike parks across the country, check out our Kid-Friendly Bike Park or Pump Track Directory. Need a way to get your bikes to the bike park? Be sure to check out our Best Hitch Bike Racks for Families article.
11. Rockwood Bike Skills Park
Bend, Oregon
ADMISSION: FREE
FEATURES: Beginner and intermediate bike skills courses (the images are from the intermediate)
EXTRAS: The skills park is part of a larger park that includes: skate park, disc golf, walking paths, natural play areas, picnic area, playground, and water play feature.
AGE REQUIREMENT: None
As if we didn’t have enough reasons to love the gorgeously scenic and adorable town of Bend, Oregon. Situated on the Deschutes River, the area is home to beautiful hiking and biking trails, lakes, and even a lava river cave. And while all these natural features are certainly vacation-worthy on their own, the Bend Parks and Rec department has developed an incredible parks system with unique and interesting parks all over the city.
The Rockwood Bike Skills park is a relatively new addition to the city that has two bike skills courses – one for beginners and one for intermediate. The dirt trails are full of obstacles and challenges that are certainly fun, but that will also prepare young riders to tackle the local trails.
10. Caldwell Junior Bike Park
Redding, CA
ADMISSION: FREE
FEATURES: Technisoil pump track, jump line, tons of kid-friendly obstacles like a bicycle teeter-totter, log rides, and skills loop.
EXTRAS: Next to Jump River Playground and the soccer field in Caldwell Park.
AGE REQUIREMENT: None
Located between Portland and San Francisco, Redding’s Caldwell Junior Bike Park connects to the Sacramento River Trail system and is the only bike park on our list to be designed specifically for kids! But don’t think this “Junior” park is basic and boring. The Redding Trail Alliance was firmly dedicated to designing a park with kid-friendly features that weren’t over simplified. Even though the park’s features are less complex than a full-fledged bike park, kid riders remain challenged and entertained for hours at a time and keep coming back for more.
9. Lumberyard
Portland, OR
ADMISSION: $12/hr
FEATURES: 70,000 sq. ft. of indoor/outdoor riding area, jump lines, pump tracks, skill sections, and technical trail riding for beginners to experts
EXTRAS: Arcade and pizza parlor
AGE REQUIREMENT: None, but kids under 12 must have an adult with them at all times. No training wheels.
An indoor bike park in Portland is kind of a necessity because, you know, it rains a lot…! Lumberyard takes kid-friendly to a new level with TONS of classes geared towards teaching kids the biking basics. From Shred Camps and an Afterschool Shred Academy, to BMX racing and BMX freestyle camps, the Lumberyard is full of pros who will turn your little rider into a hard core mountain biker or BMXer in no time! Its outdoor “Pen” even has a full-sized airbag so your daredevil can practice all those BMX tricks without breaking their neck!
For balance bike riders, the Green Line is a beginner’s course. The basement “Bunker” is a relatively flat BMX street course and can be a great place for balance bikes during the less-busy times.
8. The NoWear Compound
Unadilla, NE
ADMISSION: “We only charge high fives and smiles!”
FEATURES: Tons of ramps, dirt jumps flowing through the back tree line, indoor barn for riding on rainy days
AGE REQUIREMENT: None
The NoWear Compound, located basically in the middle of NoWhere, is, in their own words “… a six-acre BMX paradise full of ramps, dirt jumps and much more, & is FREE to anyone interested in the sport of BMX.” We love NoWear’s passion for spreading the love of biking – it actually became a non-profit organization in 2017 to help achieve their mission to: “Provide kids of any age and background a positive environment while utilizing bicycle riding to develop self confidence and teamwork that will benefit their character development and future.”
The people at NoWear are currently in the process of fundraising and building an indoor, heated facility so that even on those frozen winter nights, local Nebraskan bike-lovers can still get their ride on… FOR FREE!
7. The Railyard Bike Park
Rogers, AR
ADMISSION FEE: FREE
FEATURES: 8 jump lines (novice to expert), pump track, skills park
EXTRAS: Trail system, walking trail, picnic tables
AGE REQUIREMENT: None
The railroad-themed Railyard bike park has an actual train car you can ride right through! Located in Rogers, Arkansas, there are 8 jump lines that cater to skill levels from novice to expert. The Railyard’s progressive features make it a great family destination because everyone – from parents to balance bikers – can find their own challenge. The pump track and skills park are especially great for kids on balance bikes.
The Railyard is also unique because it has lights that allow night riding, and it connects to a paved trail that leads to Lake Atlanta Park and to off-road trails that connect to Lake Atlanta and Pleasant Ridge trails.
6. Lake Cunningham Bike Park
San Jose, CA
ADMISSION FEE: $7 day pass, annual memberships available
FEATURES: Dual slalom track, beginner and advanced pump tracks, dirt jump zone, slopestyle zone, skills trail, drop zone
EXTRAS: Adjacent to skate park, patio area, phone charging stations
AGE REQUIREMENT: None
Lake Cunningham Bike Park has basically every feature a bike park enthusiast could ask for. Its 8.5 acres has seven riding zones for all types of skills and all riding abilities. From racing a friend down the dual slalom track to weaving through one of the two pump tracks, newbie and experienced riders alike will find their challenge. The beginner pump track’s easy rollers and berms are especially great for balance bike riders just figuring things out. A kid-friendly Skills Trail is still in the works and will feature rock gardens, sand pits, and wooden riding features.
And if you want to leave your kids at the beginners areas, feel free to go tackle the 8 pack of tabletop dirt jumps or the 5 foot Drop Zone!
5. Gateway Green
Portland, OR
ADMISSION: FREE
FEATURES: Bike skills area (pumptrack, jump lines and technical features), gravity area (progressive flow and jump lines that are a natural step from the skills area)
AGE REQUIREMENT: None
If you’re lucky enough to have explored the magically green Forest Park in NW Portland, you probably did so on foot. If you want to bike Portland nature in a spot specifically designed for bike use, you need to check out Gateway Green! A 10-year passion project that’s finally coming to life, Gateway Green is Portland’s first outdoor bike park – situated on 25 acres of formerly unused space on the eastside of Portland.
These days, the area’s come a long way with miles of biking trails in open fields that have already become a popular destination for individuals and families. A bike skills area and gravity area with pump tracks and jump lines for everyone from kids to adults keep things friendly and challenging for all ages. And if someone in your group isn’t into two wheels (or you just need a break!) the park is also full of hiking trails.
Portland Parks & Recreation (the park’s owner and manager) is currently working on Phase 2, set to open fall of 2019. This additional development of the park will feature natural play areas, picnic areas, as well as features for adaptive cyclists and wheelchairs. Gateway Green has a broad and inclusive mission to appeal to different cultures and communities so kids and families of all backgrounds can ride, play, and enjoy nature in one outdoor destination.
4. Big Marsh
Chicago, IL
ADMISSION: FREE
FEATURES: Pump track, single track, 3 BMX jump lines, multi-use track
AGE REQUIREMENT: None
Chicago’s iconic Lake Side Trail may be a city cyclist’s dream, but the new Big Marsh Bike Park in southeast Chicago is giving families easy access to friendly all-terrain exploration! The bike park is part of 278 acres of Big Marsh open space that is being developed by the city as a new eco-recreation area. Having once been dedicated to the steel industry, its new natural recreation development has brought back families of deer, herron, hawks, and snapping turtles.
Big Marsh Bike Park still has lots of plans for the future. In the next two years they’ll have nine mountain bike trails for beginner to pro skill levels, one or two nature play spaces, possibly camping, more singletrack, and a multi-use trail that will connect all 278 acres of the park! And all of this within Chicago city limits!
3. Beck Lake Bike Park
Cody, WY
ADMISSION FEE: FREE
FEATURES: 10 miles of trails, jump lines, pump track, drop zone, skills trails
AGE REQUIREMENT: None
About 100 miles outside of Yellowstone National Park, the Beck Lake Bike Park and Trail System is a serene and gorgeous location in the small town of Cody, WY. With plenty of advanced and remote mountain bike trails in the area, Beck Lake Bike Park provides fun and entertaining practice features for experienced riders (like rollers with 6 foot lips and drops). The park, however, was actually designed with the beginning and advancing rider in mind. With wide, beginner-friendly trails, flow trails and natural rock lines, the park’s features help prepare young riders to brave the more rugged natural areas outside the park.
2. Bijou Bike Park
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Tahoe’s Mountain Biking Kids: Trail Riding & Stewardship from First Tracks Productions on Vimeo.
ADMISSION FEE: FREE
FEATURES: 3 progressive slopestyle lines – man-made and natural jumps, ramps, and features, large pump track, small pump track – balance bike friendly, BMX track, loop trail
EXTRAS: Bijou Park has a basketball court, volleyball court, disc golf, skateboard park, and BBQ pits
AGE REQUIREMENT: None
A bike park in South Lake Tahoe. I mean, do we really need to say anything else? Yes, we DO want to ride in that forest! The most kid-friendly features include the small pump track, small slopestyle line, and the loop trail. Bijou’s features are designed for fun, obviously, but also to help aspiring young shredders learn skills that will translate to the local trails.
1. Snake Hollow
St. George, UT
ADMISSION FEE: Free
FEATURES: Hundreds of features and four skill zones -Rattler’s Revenge (dirt jump zone), Snake Den (pump track and skills loop), Venom Drops (gravity skills) and Sidewinder Slopestyle (gravity jump trails).
AGE REQUIREMENT: None
80 acres of bike park. EIGHTY!! The small city of St. George in Southern Utah basically just rocked the go-big-or-go-home mantra. The brand-spanking-new Snake Hollow Bike Park is huge, kid-friendly, and absolutely EPIC. Set against a redrock backdrop, St. George is already a year-round playground for mountain bikers, hikers, and rock climbers, and now it has Utah’s only year-round bike park.
Related Articles
Balance Bikes: The Authoritative Sizing and Buying Guide: Everything you need to know to choose the perfect bike for your child
How to Teach a Child to Ride a Balance Bike: The 4 phases of learning to balance
Biking with Kids in National Parks- Western US: Did you know you can bike with kids in some national parks? Yep!
Kid-Friendly Bike Park or Pump Track Directory: For a list of bike parks by city and state
