Funds Trickling In for Stafford Lake Bike Park

The plan to turn a portion of Stafford Lake County Park into an off-road biking mecca is taking baby steps forward, but a lot more money needs to be raised and more riders need to raise their hands to volunteer.

The Marin Independent Journal reports that $32,000 has been raised toward the facility that would carve single-tracks and moguls into a hilly area on the west side of the county park. The Marin County Board of Supervisors has said it would match the first $50,000 raised by the public, the IJ reported.

The bike park, the first of its kind on Marin County public land, is a project of the Marin County Department of Park and Open Space and will take up about 14 acres. The gently undulating terrain and 100 feet of elevation change on the parcel lends itself well to providing many types of riding opportunities — from a basic single-track perimeter trail, kids learn-to-ride zone to more advanced gravity-fed flow trails with berms and table-top jumps to “north shore”-style elevated trails. 

The park is in the planning stages and funding has not been secured, but the county is making steady progress with Hilride, a company that builds bike parks, said the county’s Steve Petterle. If things go well with grants and donations, there’s a chance something could be opened by 2013. 

The cost is expected to be about $500,000, Petterle said. A key factor would be business partnerships with local bike shops, bike manufacturers, riding coaches and professional riders who can help get the park off the ground an make it a family-friendly recreation site with “learn to ride” areas.

More than 100 people have taken tours of the park with county parks officials and designers from Hilride. To e-mail feedback, send notes to nat@hilride.com or spetterle@co.marin.ca.us.

How can you contribute. Go to www.marinparks.org, click on the “donate” button and complete the Marin Community Foundation's online donation form. Write in “Open Space and Parks Fund” for Item 1 and proceed with a donation using a credit card. 

You can also donate directly by sending a check, made out to Marin County Parks, to Steve Petterle, 3501 Civic Center Dr., Suite 260, San Rafael, CA 94903. Be sure to specify “Bike Park” on the memo line.

A lot more information is available on the proposed park's website.