Utah claims to be home to the world’s best mountain biking, but most people automatically think of Moab as the reason. Well, if you’d ask the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) they’d tell you the Wasatch is actually the best place to ride as they’ve awarded Park City as the world’s first IMBA Gold Level Mountain Biking Destination.
So what does it mean, exactly, to be a Gold Level destination? According to IMBA Regional Director, Ryan Schutz, it all has to do with the area’s commitment to master planning. “The sheer miles of trails are fantastic, but what’s really important is that they function as a cohesive network, with signage and trail connections that create a model riding area,” Schutz said in a press release.
The IMBA goes on to say that no location better exemplifies the Ride Center ideal of offering great options for any level of rider and any style of riding than Park City. They point to the fact that trails are offered for every type of rider at every experience level. From beginner-to-intermediate trails like the Round Valley Trail System, Glenwild in Kimball Junction, and the ever-popular Mid Mountain Trail, to technical challenge and expert-only terrain on Dead Tree and Sweeny’s, the options are immense. In addition, you can bomb your downhill bike on lift served runs at Deer Valley and Canyons, or practice your skill at bike parks like Road to ARCYLON.
To get to Gold Level status, Park City underwent an extensive evaluation after applying to be one of IMBA’s Ride Centers. A perfect score on IMBA’s evaluation criteria is 100, and in the history of the Ride Center Program, no other place has ever broken 90. But when Park City’s Mountain Trails Foundation submitted the evaluation form last fall, the score that came back was a 96, more than enough for the gold.
Along with getting the gold, the IMBA has also designated Park City as the model ride center for their whole Ride Center program. That means other places will come to Park City to find out what they can do to improve their trails and to create a sustainable trail system.
Six other ride centers earned props from IMBA, including one silver and five bronze destinations. You can see the full list on the IMBA website.
For more information about the trails in Park City and system’s impressive Gold Level status, visit the Mountain Trails Foundation at http://mountaintrails.org/