Louisiana isn’t a state well known for mountain biking, but like the rest of the country, that’s slowly changing. A new bike park with five professionally built downhill trails (totaling two miles of singletrack), a dual slalom and a skills course, priced at $1, just opened at Lincoln Parish Park in Ruston, Louisiana. million.
Even to those in the industry, $1 million for just two miles of trails sounds like a steep price. At first, he also did it in Lincoln Parish Park.
How a million dollars came from nowhere
“In August 2020 I had the revelation that we had an area in the park that has about 100 feet of relief in about 1/2 mile and that we could have downhill flow trails,” said James Ramsaur, Lincoln Parish Park Director. . “I contacted top builders to get an idea of how much it would cost and found out that my flow trail idea alone cost about $500,000. We are very underfunded and I knew we couldn’t afford it, so I just went with the idea.
“Approximately 6-8 months later, the parish (county) administrator called me and informed me that the state notified us that we qualified and that we were awarded a $500,000 grant WHICH WE DID NOT EVEN KeynoteUSAPLY FOR!
“When the cost estimate for Waterfall Hub came in, it was just under $500,000. We had budgeted $50,000. So I reached out to the Ruston Convention and Visitors Bureau to see if they could help financially, emphasizing that the project would attract a lot of people from outside our area. Fortunately, they understood what this project could do for tourism and awarded us a grant to build Waterfall Hub. So the mountain biking God hooked us up!”
America’s First Cascade Trail Center
To characterize these trails as mere “singletrack” is an understatement. The five downhill trails present progressive difficulties for all levels, from beginner to advanced. The trails include many features such as table jumps, huge berms, a huge hip hop, a raised wooden ramp to a drop, two rock gardens, and more.
But by far the most notable feature of the bike park is the Waterfall Hub.
If you are familiar with modern trail development in Arkansas and across the country, you will have observed the rise of the “hub” feature. Hubs were first popularized in Bentonville and red trails – hailing from Bentonville – was the contractor for this project.
A trail hub is a central point from which a large number of different trails start. Typically, several downhill trails leave the hub, and a climbing trail takes riders back to the top. The hub can function as a convenient place for friends to meet up, and riders with different abilities can easily choose different downhill lines because it’s easy to regroup at the top.
But what exactly is a “cascade center”? Turns out it’s just what you imagine: a path with water falling down the sides. Watch this short video to get an idea of what it looks like:
This facility cost a staggering half a million dollars alone, as much as the construction of all the park’s other mountain bike trails and features combined. While that cost seems staggering on the surface, if Ruston is trying to differentiate himself, he has succeeded.
Lincoln Parish Park was already home to more than nine miles of classic cross-country singletrack, hosting one of the oldest XC races in the country. The March 2025 race will mark the 33rd year of the Piney Hills Classic.
Whether you’re coming to race or see what the heck a “cascade hub” really is, Ruston, Louisiana is now officially on the MTB map.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Local News, Follow Keynote USA Local on Twitter.