PARKS & MOUNTAINS

Update continued: So we will need some help with those that have some experience shaping jumps. It is looking like we will go for a full on weekend of Dirt Jump building and fine tuning. That will be this weekend November 3rd & 4th. Kyle and Mike from Transition Bikes will be leading the work crews. Please contact them at kyle@transitionbikes.com if you're interested in helping out. Flat Nosed Long handled shovels will be the tool of choice so if you have one bring it along.

2007 Dirt Jump Park Renovation

When the Civic Field Dirt Jump Park was first constructed it was one of few around and one of VERY FEW located inside of a city park. Bellingham Parks and Rec was visionary and cutting edge in allowing it and a lot of credit for the inception goes to David Waugh, Ben Cashman and Patrick Dahl who led the initial charge to make it happen.

But as with many things now days progression is fast and furious and the sport of Dirt Jumping has grown by flipwhips and 720s! The youth movement has pushed things to a whole new level and it soon became apparent that the sport had outgown the initial design of the park. As the use of the part started to decline we knew there needed to be some work done to elevate it back to it's original status as one of the best around.

Thanks to some savvy folks the word came in that the only way to return the park to that stature was to start from the somewhat level ground up. So as of today September 9th, 2007 the ground is leveling and the work will begin. Our goal is to provide a better experience for all park users. A new design was put together by Mike Metzker and has been refined with the help of John Cowan and the former IMBA Trail Crew Team (our favorite) Nat and Rachael Lopes.

The first and most important part of the rebuild is that we have located the perfect dirt for the park, thanks to help from RAM Construction. It will make for much better jumps that can be better maintained and will be minus the rocks and clay that impeded progress from the first build.

Design features will include an expanded line for the better riders with transition lines and berms making creativity in line selection much more available. And in what may be the most welcome addition the effort and design has gone into making sure there is a great line for beginners and young kids to learn. Also, a medium level line that will allow for a better opportunity for progression as riders skills advance.

Special thanks to Bellingham Parks and Rec, The Parks Advisory Board that voted to help us with the Funding, Transistion Bikes, Kona Bicycle Company, Fritz from Public Works, David Waugh and last but certainly not least Barry Dikeman/RAM Construction.

It is projects like these that the WHIMPs Mountain Bike Coaltion is able to help faciliate and help be successful. It's also a great reminder that we live in a great community of bikers and  volunteers and visa versa.

Cheers,

Mark Peterson

WMBC President

Galbraith Mt.

Galbraith Mountain, Questions Answered

Recently the WHIMPs have been fielding numerous questions regarding the use, ownership and general  history of Galbraith Mountain. In an attempt to help educate our fellow users and insure our continued use of this area we have put together some information to get the users both old and new get up to speed.

Background:  Galbraith Mountain is the common name by which North Lookout Mountain is known. This spectacular tract of open space is nestled between Bellingham to the west and Lake Whatcom to the East in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Views are incredible and showcase Bellingham Bay, The San Juan Islands, The Canadian Coastal Range, The North Cascades and Mt. Baker.

Land Use Policy:  Galbraith Mountain is open to NON-MOTORIZED use only. The full stewardship stewardship agreement can be viewed here. The Whatcom Independent Mountain Pedalers are responsible for the trail maintenance, trail building and help with user management of this area. Unauthorized trail maintenance and construction is not allowed. Let us know if you have a trail idea or to report unauthorized trails/TTF's, by clicking here.

Galbraith Mountain Ownership:  Currently a large portion of the mountain, where most of the trails the WHIMPs have built, is land owned by Trillium Corporation, a Whatcom County based business. Trillium's land holdings on Galbraith Mountain constitute over 3,600 acres.

Access:  Two major access points for trail users are available. Both access points are restricted to non-motorized access only (as is the rest of the mountain). Bellingham has an incredible network of Greenway and Rails to Trails. You can access Galbraith Mountain by bike in about 1/2 hour from anywhere in the city. This 1/2 hour can make for the perfect warm up before the ascent up the mountain and when the Greenways are used makes for an enjoyable low or non-traffic ride to the trailhead.

To enter Galbraith Mountain from the south:
Use Galbraith Lane off of Samish Way. It is important to continue south on the Galbraith Lane on the paved road and past where it turns gravel and through the easement to the gate that denotes entering Trillium Land. This gate is signed with their logo and allowable uses. The Easement most users historically utilized up the towers road is no longer applicable due to change in land ownership. Those accessing from the Galbraith Lane should park at the parking lot maintained by Bellingham City Parks on Samish Way or at Lake Padden Park and ride up the park trails to Galbraith. The gravel pull-out on Galbraith Lane is a privately maintained easement-PLEASE be courteous and respectful to the neighbors and do not park there.

To enter from the North:
Use Birch Street off of Lakeway Drive. The WHIMPs have worked with the firm of the impending housing development and the city parks dept. to maintain access to Galbraith Mountain during construction. It is very important to continue due south on the Birch Street right of way to the relatively newly constructed Miranda Trail which leads to the famous Ridge Trail. The Miranda Trail is located on a private conservation easement. The Ridge Trail is located within a Bellingham City Parks Conservation Easement and is City Park Property. The best place to park is Whatcom Falls Park not on Birch St. Please be courteous and respectful to the neighbors and park at Whatcom Falls and not on the side of the Birch St. Parking on Birch St. is extremely limited and more often than not results in obstructing a residents driveway.

Trail Etiquette:  IMBA rules of the trail apply on Galbraith Mountain just as they do in the rest of Whatcom County and other multiple use lands. The fact that mountain bikers build and maintain all the trails on Galbraith does not mean we do not need to continue to yield to hikers and equestrians. Ride in control at all times especially on blind corners. With increased use we should expect to encounter other users on the way down. A note to dog owners: Please leash your dogs upon exiting the trails. Not only is it for the safety of your pooch but also the safety of the neighborhood through which you ride-DOGS OFF LEASH IN NEIGHBORHOODS WITH MOUNTAIN BIKERS IS THE NUMBER ONE COMPLAINT WE FIELD.

Have Fun:  Galbraith Mountain and Whatcom County was recently ranked as one of the top 10 places to ride in the nation. The increased use and the official permission to use the land has resulted in some minor changes for non-motorized users. These changes are definitely for the better and paramount among them is that there is an official policy allowing for recreational use of this land

Motorized Use on Galbraith Mountain Prohibited.  Signs have been posted throughout the mountain and key access points to inform users of the policy. This includes motorcycles, ATVs, ORVs and 4 X 4s. Galbraith Mountain has been officially non-motorized use for over five years. The only authorized vehicles on galbraith will display passes on the dash of the vehicle or rear view mirror.

Please report violators to the Whatcom County Sheriff

Have fun and Happy Trails,

DJ Park

The Civic Field DJ Park is located on Puget St. in Bellingham.  The park was build in 2004 in cooperation with the Bellingham Parks Department.

 
Images courtesy of Hunter Bennet and WHIMPs.
The DJ Park was open for WHIMPfest, June 26, 2004!  Above are some shots of the Big Air Competition.

Construction got in full swing beginning June 1st, 2004 Ben Cashman, Vaughn Larsen, Pat Doll and their buddies helped the RAM guys every day with the major earth moving, shaping and grading.

The Saturday before the Ski to Sea Race, just the start of the main roller.

That's Brad Brown of RAM Construction showing us the 2004 WHIMP Fest Flyer with Milt Unick grading the new DJ park on the tractor in the background on 6/3/4

 
Above is Milt and Brad working with Vaughn and his buddies to dial in the big jumps today, Friday, June 4th, only 22 days until the Big Air Competition at WHIMP FEST!

This line of shots is from 6/10/4 of Vaughn, Ben and Paddie and the RAM guys doing the final heavy equipment work. Pat won the WHIMPfest 2004 DJ competition by the way and wowed the crowd after doing a successful backflip. Good work Pat, and the rest of the peoples.

That's Ben Cashman on the hose above, everyone who uses the DJ Park needs to Thank him for being the 'main' man behind the DJ Park. Thanks Ben     

The Civic Field Jump Park is OPEN and was site of the 2004 WHIMPfest Big Belly Air competition.

Lookout Mt.
Coming Soon!

Chuckanut Mt.
Coming Soon!

Blanchard Mt.
Coming Soon!