A mountain biking trail, developed as an Eagle Scout project, is scheduled to open this summer in the southeast corner of Oconto Falls.
Camden Jackson, 15, of Boy Scout Troop 1024, received the City Council’s wholehearted endorsement of the project on Dec. 9.
“I’m all for it. I think it’s a great idea,” Alderman Marty Coopman said.
Camden Jackson and his father, Jeff Jackson, both avid cyclists, proposed building the trail in a wooded area off Ski Tow Road by River Island Golf Course.
“I think this would be a great area because it’s not really being utilized in the summer time, and it has that really nice hill, which is a great feature for trails,” Camden Jackson told the council.
The proposed 1- to 2-mile trail would cross the tubing hill, cut through a pine forest and give riders a view of the river.
The trail will be easy to access from South Main Street and give the area a new fitness activity, Jackson said.
“It promotes healthy living and a healthy lifestyle,” he explained.
The trail would be built 18 to 24 inches wide, providing a single track for one bike. Features proposed for the trail are logs, a rock garden, bridge, climbing area and switchbacks. It would also include “bail-outs,” which are routes around challenging features, to cater to inexperienced riders.
Jackson said the trail will introduce riders of all ages to the sport.
“I don’t want this to be just for Scouts, but for anyone interested in the sport,” he said.
Jackson and his father started racing when Camden was 11, and employees at a bike shop introduced them to the sport.
Camden Jackson said the sport is easy to grasp.
“You learn as you go. You start small and build your way up,” he said.
Last season, from May to October, Jackson competed in four high school cycling races in the inaugural year of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Cycling League and 12 Wisconsin off-road series races.
He said he enjoys cycling because it’s unlike team sports.
“You’re more against yourself, instead of an opponent, like in any other sport,” he said.
Jeff Jackson said the trail will be well-planned, based on what he learned at a weekend workshop about mountain biking trail design and sustainability.
Camden Jackson said he will be responsible for maintaining the trail.
“If you build a decent trail, like I plan to, it doesn’t need a whole lot of maintenance,” he said.
City attorney Larry Jeske, a former Scoutmaster, said trail maintenance is a ready-made project for Scouts looking to advance in the ranks.
Scouts and community volunteers will provide the labor to develop the trail. The trail will be created at no cost to the city, which has a long-term lease on the land.
Sponsors are needed to cover the estimated $1,000 cost of trail development, with most of the money used to make wooden trail signs. An informational sign about the trail is proposed for an open, grassy area, which will be considered the trail head.
Work is scheduled to begin in the spring, with the trail ready in summer 2015.
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