Check out some photos from the Strider Nature Trail in the gallery below!

Want to figure out how to know how you can build one in your area? Here’s a short summary and timeline of how we made it happen.

The plan was to re-purpose an unused piece of local park property and put in a fun riding trail to serve a population not typically served by many public biking systems: kids 2-5 years of age. We wanted the trail to be a narrow, winding single-track through natural terrain and vegetation, allowing young riders to have an intimate adventure and experience with nature.

We specifically wanted to create the trail without using heavy equipment. This minimized the investment of time, money, environmental studies, etc. It also eliminated the specialized labor requirements of a licensed equipment operator. We created the trail with nothing more than rakes, shovels, weed whackers, and elbow grease.

We invested about 20 man-hours on the trail itself and another 10 hours on the sign and park bench installations. In total, we had about 30 hours and less than $1,000 invested in this new city park feature that received primetime news coverage on two TV stations. Considering the years of service to our community we expect from the trail, this was a HUGE success.

Timeline:

• Fall 2013: Strider Sports International, Inc. presented the Nature Trail plan to Rapid City’s Park and Recreation Department (P&R)
• Winter 2013/2014: P&R worked with administration, committees, and legal for final approvals
• Spring 2014: SSI created trail and purchased bench. P&R purchased sign and installed bench and sign.
• Summer 2014: Grand opening complete with riders, P&R representatives, and local media.