Are there any trails over or around Mammoth cave that are open to MTB anymore? Sal Hollow? If so, where are the trail heads? Seems like KYMBA used to have this info.

Posted by: Eric O'Neal
22 May 2009 04:17 PM

Sal Hollow is on the trailmaps page and you can get driving directions by clicking on it.

Posted by: Eric O'Neal
22 May 2009 04:17 PM

..

Posted by: Chuck Clark
22 May 2009 09:24 PM

This was the latest on this board:

http://www.bikeclicks.com/Community...fault.aspx

However, the website for Mammoth Cave still has a "no equestrians" note on it:

http://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvis...seback.htm

You might want to call and report back. I would love to ride Sal Hollow again if it was still hike-bike.

Posted by: Chuck Clark
22 May 2009 09:31 PM

Here's the background:

http://www.nps.gov/maca/parkmgmt/up...Upload.pdf

Posted by: nick leonard
26 May 2009 04:27 PM

i haven't read the links above but last i heard we still had a little more time for them to be hike and bike i think. so hopefully some of the new trail will hit the ground and ridable before we get the boot. there's always a chance the red tap could last to long and we get the boot to soon.....good lord i hope not. sal hallow is going to turn to mush when they take it back over. i remember 2001 or 2002 days i think when i swore i would never be back.

Posted by: Steve Bland
27 May 2009 02:11 PM

I thought the NPS said that the new loop would be constructed before horses were allowed back on Sal Hollow.

Posted by: mike dulin
27 May 2009 07:29 PM

Sal Hallow is scheduled to re open to horses in 2011, which should leave us enough time to get new trail permitted and built. As many of you know, the NPS is a bit different when it comes to bikes and Mammoth will be one of the first (actually, it will be THE first) NPS unit to have a purpose-built mtb/hiking trail. Congress still needs to approve the "special regulation" that will allow the new singletrack to be built, but our IMBA DC insiders have made it sound like our chances are incredibly solid. When we're closer to final authorization, we'll roll out our fundraising campaign - hopefully as a partnership with The Friends of Mammoth Cave - a newly formed (and bicycle friendly) non-profit in Bowling Green. Things are looking really good, but it's still a lot of balls in the air. I hope to know more later this month and I will report back as soon as I hear anything. In the interim, everyone should figure out who your US Congressperson is - we'll probably want to call them for support, money or just to say thanks.

Posted by: Chuck Clark
27 May 2009 10:37 PM

Will it be singletrack or a "path"? I've been led to believe it will be the latter.

Posted by: mike dulin
27 May 2009 10:47 PM

straight singletrack all in the north-east quad (along the bluffs above the river). A couple of us have walked the corridor - it's arguably some of the nicest terrain down there. I suspect the "path" you've heard about is the 11 mile rail trail that connects Cave City to the visitor center.

Posted by: Chuck Clark
28 May 2009 12:11 AM

Sounds good! Will it be a loop, out-and-back or lollipop? Professional and machine built ala Brown County, FATS, etc.?

Posted by: Bill Victor
28 May 2009 11:28 AM

While not a National Park, we did just build about 2 miles of hike/bike trail in the Chatahoochie NRA which is manged by the NPS. This is down around Atlanta. Looks like another contract is getting ready to go out to bid for more miles of trail.

This is good news that the NPS is going to build this trail in Mamouth Cave NP. I hope they follow the lead of the NPS in the CNRA and use professional contractors.

Posted by: Charles Myrick
30 Jun 2009 03:41 PM

Posted By mike dulin on 27 May 2009 07:29 PM
Sal Hallow is scheduled to re open to horses in 2011, which should leave us enough time to get new trail permitted and built. As many of you know, the NPS is a bit different when it comes to bikes and Mammoth will be one of the first (actually, it will be THE first) NPS unit to have a purpose-built mtb/hiking trail. Congress still needs to approve the "special regulation" that will allow the new singletrack to be built, but our IMBA DC insiders have made it sound like our chances are incredibly solid. When we're closer to final authorization, we'll roll out our fundraising campaign - hopefully as a partnership with The Friends of Mammoth Cave - a newly formed (and bicycle friendly) non-profit in Bowling Green. Things are looking really good, but it's still a lot of balls in the air. I hope to know more later this month and I will report back as soon as I hear anything. In the interim, everyone should figure out who your US Congressperson is - we'll probably want to call them for support, money or just to say thanks.

Mike,
I'd be interested in speaking with you. I'm the SORBA trail steward for the referenced Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area trails in Atlanta. We've been working with NPS for 20 years and thanks to a new superintendent, just completed phase 1 of 3 of a trail rehab project. (Yea BillV, not sure if I told ya yet, but I'm already planning phase 3 for 2011).

I'd like to find out what the issues you guys are having at MCNP and what measures you're taking to alleviate them. We're about to reinstate the National MTB Patrol program that kind of fell apart several years ago but we're doing it under the NPS and with their full backing.

Feel free to post here, but I'd like to speak with whoever is the main POC for trail advocacy at MCNP.

Thanks!
Charles Myrick
clmyrickjr@gmail.com

Posted by: Richard Dixon
30 Jun 2009 05:12 PM

This reminds me... In case you guys missed it. If you get the chance, check out the July issue of Mountain Biking Magazine. You will find a nice little piece in there with Dulin talking about the Mammoth project.

Posted by: Steve Bland
30 Jun 2009 10:38 PM

WOW! Dulin is becoming a celeb!

Posted by: Will King
01 Jul 2009 12:58 PM

I hate to hear this we rode 12 miles last week out there. I really like the sal hallow trail. This is probably one of my favorite trails among youngers creek. Thats even with Captiol View 12 miles from my house. Keep us up to date.