Kids in Parks invites families and friends to celebrate the grand opening of a new biking TRACK Trail at the Rocky Knob Park Pump Track in Boone on Saturday, August 29, at 9:30 a.m. The day also marks the program’s sixth anniversary.
The Pump Track at Rocky Knob is one of the first of its kind in the country to incorporate educational signs designed to teach the skills needed to master berms, rollers, and other features on the course. Skills illustrated on the signs range from novice to advanced, including proper body position, pumping, bunny hopping, wheel lifts and more. The educational signs were designed by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s Kids in Parks program. This is Kids in Parks second bike trail and expands upon a large network of hiking, canoeing, and disc golf trails in parks across North Carolina and the country.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the Boone Area Cyclists and Watauga County on this project. Rocky Knob is an amazing facility for mountain bikers,” said Jason Urroz, director of Kids in Parks. “I’m glad Kids in Parks was able to help design educational signs that encourage kids and families to be more active in parks and on trails of all kinds.”
The Pump Track was made possible through a partnership with the Boone Area Cyclists and Watauga County Parks and Recreation Department. The track was built through collaborations between Terra Tek Trails and Elevated Trail Design, and was funded by the following organizations and private donors: Ray’s Weather Center, Appalachian Mountain Brewery, Cole’s Lawn Care, Coyote Kitchen, Destination By Design, the Tessien family and numerous individuals.
“Rocky Knob Park has already developed a reputation with mountain bikers across the Blue Ridge, and the Pump Track, with these new educational signs, is really going to help set us apart as a preferred destination,” said Kristian Jackson, a representative and volunteer with the Boone Area Cyclists.
Refreshments from Bald Guy Brew and Sticky Buns will be available at the Grand Opening. The event is followed by the Blue Ridge Battle Pumptrack Challenge at 10 a.m., when kids and adults can compete in time trials.
The first TRACK Trail opened in 2009 at the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitors Center in Asheville, North Carolina, and has grown to a nationwide network of more than 130 trails, including 72 trails in 39 North Carolina counties.
Rocky Knob TRACK Trail Grand Opening
Saturday, August 29, 9:30 a.m.
Rocky Knob Park is located on U.S. 421 just east of Boone city limits. From downtown, take U.S. 421 S toward Wilkesboro. The park is located just off 421 on the right, less than a mile past Bamboo Road and the Marathon Gas Station.
For more information about Kids in Parks, visit www.kidsinparks.com. Details about Rocky Knob Park are available at www.rockyknob.wordpress.com. Learn about the Blue Ridge Battle at www.facebook.com/Blueridgebattlepumptrackchallenge.
About Kids in Parks
Kids in Parks is a program of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and was formed through partnerships between the Foundation, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation. Working together with partners throughout the country, its mission is to promote children’s health and the health of our parks by engaging families in outdoor adventures that increase physical activity and foster a meaningful connection to the natural and cultural world. The Kids in Parks TRACK Trails program provides kids and families with a network of self-guided hiking trails. Every TRACK Trail has a series of brochures designed to turn an ordinary walk in the woods into a fun-filled adventure. Kids can register every adventure through the Kids in Parks website, www.kidsinparks.com, and earn Trail TRACKer gear designed to make their next outdoor adventure more interactive and fun.