The Oak Park Trail Project in Whitewood, SD was started initially by the father and son team Rick and Markus Heinrich and several friends. After a small amount of trail was constructed in 2010/2011, longtime resident Jackie Hoffman was able to secure a grant that resulted in a visit by I.M.B.A., the International Mountain Bike Association. The purpose of the visit was to educate the community about the social, economic and other benefits of recreational trails and also to train area residents in modern and sustainable trail construction techniques. Since that time, many residents of the Whitewood community as well as other area residents have come together in a combined effort to build more trail and improve the experience in the park as a whole. Black Hills Trails in cooperation with the Black Hills Mountain Bike Association has been actively involved in supporting this community effort by supplying expertise, planning, tools, supplies and labor.
As of late 2013 a main, approximately 1 mile loop has been completed with the exception of a small convenience bridge. Additional loops are expected to be built off of the main loop, possibly resulting in up to approximately 6 miles of trail in the 40 acre park in the future. Black Hills Trails will continue to be involved in supporting this community-driven effort.
Related News:
- Project Status Update Sep 30, 2013 - Part of the mission Black Hills Trails continues to pursue is connecting our local communities to each other and connecting our communities to points of interest with beautiful ribbons of trail. A great deal of progress was made toward that goal last weekend with two successful volunteer trail build days. ...