These parks let MTB and BMX riders of all ages practice their skills and get some air—without even pedaling.
By Ben Lilly
September 10, 2024—This just might be a new reason for you to get pumped about biking. We’re talking about pump tracks, the all-level-friendly urban bike park that you may or may not have noticed multiplying in recent years. Not only are pump tracks adding a new feature to the landscape of our coastside cities – they’re giving folks a new way to get out on the bike close to home. Here’s what you need to know about the phenomenon that’s got everybody pumping their wheels.
What is a pump track? Think a skate park, but made for mountain bikes (and smaller bikes made for dirt, a la BMX bikes). Sound daunting? Look closer, and you’ll see that unlike the vertical half-pipe features of skate and classic BMX parks, pump tracks are centered around berms (curves) and rollers (bumps or tiny hills) that just about anyone can traverse—though these landscapes are also a playground for those who practice tricks and stunts. Some pump tracks are paved, in which case they can be shared with other wheeling athletes like skaters and rollerbladers. Others are dirt—you could conceivably make a pump track yourself with nothing more than an empty lot and a shovel.
How do you use a pump track? And what does it have to do with this special motion, “pumping”? The central idea behind pump tracks is that you can get around the circuit without pedaling. Instead, you start the top of one of the rollers, grab a first burst of speed, and then rely on a movement skaters have been familiar with for decades: pumping your center of gravity up and down on each roller, thus super-powering each descent and generating enough kinetic energy to travel around the track. (Think of the motion you make to get moving on a swing set when no one is pushing you).
Perfecting this style of movement alone is an addictive way to spend a day on the track. But of course, there are myriad other ways to use a pump track. The main one is practicing mountain biking skills. Catch air on the bumps, practice the way you absorb shock as you barrel over the jumps, and practice taking turns higher and higher on the berms. For those who have trouble getting up to the trails on busy days but want more mountain biking in their lives than just that one free Saturday a week, a nearby pump track is a game changer.
Pump tracks have also been gaining popularity as family-friendly destinations. City parks often aren’t so bike-friendly, yet concerns about traffic safety have been rising since the pandemic. The result? Families are taking to pump tracks as a place to bike with kids who aren’t old enough yet to interact with the rules of the road.
Convinced yet? Scroll below to find the closest address where you can check a pump track out (all these options are free). Happy pumping!
West Side Pump Track: This winding asphalt circuit is miniature-sized and ideal for kids, but all are welcome. It’s open every day, sunrise to sunset, in good weather. Bring drinks for the hot sun – for food, if you’re lucky on timing, you might spot the Pana Food Truck parked nearby to grab some Venezuelan arepas! (100 Western Drive, Santa Cruz)
Depot Park BMX Track (aka, Bicycle Trip Bike Park): There are some smaller features at this mostly stunt-centric bike park where you could get some pumping in, but be aware this one is best suited to those who are here to try some tricks. That said, it merits a mention for its central location right downtown. (119 Center Street, Santa Cruz)
Harvey West Pump Track: Built & maintained by the non-profit Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship (SCMTS), this sprawling dirt track under mature woodland trees is a great place for a spin for all levels – and with options for a longer circuit, it’s mountain-bike-centric. (275 Harvey West Boulevard, Santa Cruz)
Chanticleer Park Pump Track: Another SCMTS project located in a public park, this medium-long dirt pump track offers naturalistic riding on the East Side. (1975 Chanticleer Avenue, Santa Cruz)
Family Cycling Center Pump Track (McGregor Park): Small but mighty, this family-friendly place is more like a field of rollers than a track, allowing many routes through the terrain. The location is a plus right next to New Brighton State Beach. (1550 MacGregor Drive, Capitola)
Bonus options further afield: Some of these are maintained and opened seasonally on a guerrilla basis, meaning there’s no official venue to check conditions and opening hours—so if you want to go check them out, bring a sense of adventure and a plan B. Still, a well-informed Coastside Hilltromper needs to know where these spots are!
Ramsay Park Pump Track, 32 Watkins Slough Road, Watsonville
Polo Grounds Dirt Jumps, 2200 Huntington Drive, Aptos
Pinto Lake Pump Track, 789 Green Valley Road, Watsonville
Scotts Valley Pump Track, 361 Kings Village Road, Scotts Valley
Also find Peninsula and Silicon Valley pump tracks in our Hilltromper Silicon Valley article.
Before you go pump it up on one of these tracks, get pumped with more great articles and events by becoming a Hilltromper today (free e-newsletter).
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