Park County Pedalers, PCP, is a non-profit mountain bicycle advocacy group founded in 2006 to promote cycling in Park County.
Jon Gallagher said the Pedalers’ impetus was discovering “that strip mining threatened the Beck Lake area through mining claims.”
Their solution was to approach the BLM, requesting the spectacular high-use public area become a designated recreational area.
After a years-long endeavor, the PCP opened the Beck Lake Bike Park and Trails. Designed by Flow Ride Concepts, the world-class Bike Park and Trial System has purpose-built trails, jump lines, a pump track, a drop zone and skill trails.
“There is a wide variety of difficulty at the Beck Lake Trails, but we focus on wider, easy-to-ride wide trails, heavily sculpted flow trails and some natural rock lines,” according to the PCP.
The City of Cody, BLM, Shoshone Recreational District, State of Wyoming and the PCP worked together to create the park and trails.
Significant funding for the project has been a community effort with contributions from the Shoshone Recreation District, Wyoming Recreational Trails Program, Park County Parks and Recreation, the Bargain Box-Christ Episcopal Church, Cody Rotary, National Association of Realtors and PCP board.
Their mission encompasses a variety of purposes that serve Park County residents and visitors by promoting bicycling opportunities, increasing awareness, advancing bicycle-safe facilities, advocating for cycling, providing funding for youth cycling and promoting competitive and recreational cycling. The Little Bellas, an organization that works to help young women reach their fullest potential, holds camps there.
“The Park County Pedalers changed mountain biking here. Their thoughtful purpose-built trails made biking assessable to everyone, BikerChix member René Huge said. “They opened mountain biking to kids and adults, (and created) a safe learning place. With the excellent trail system, groups could bring quality coaches to provide foundation skills and mountain bike camps for all skill levels. Thanks to the Park County Pedalers, who put their heart into making it happen. It’s awesome, a huge asset to the community, and it could never have happened without John Gallagher.”
The Pedalers maintain the Beck Lake Bike Park and Trails and build and maintain other natural surface trails. And although board treasurer Ward Dominick “enjoys doing the dirt work” to sustain the current trails, he and the Pedalers encourage volunteers to assist with the miles of trails they maintain. They ask bikers to stay off wet trails to avoid ruts and rough future maintenance.
Their next project is building and working to sustain the Outlaw Trail near Newton Lake.
Volunteers can contact info@parkcountypedalers.org for more information about that project or other ongoing PCP projects or visit their website parkcountypedalers.org/about.html.
Their board consists of President Jon Gallagher; Treasurer Ward Dominick ; Secretary Clint Cook; and board members Chris Guyer, Mike Denning, and Sam Hochhalter
Written By Cindy Bennett
