EAGLE, Idaho — Sometimes you don't have to travel very far to find some of the coolest places. And a local favorite for mountain bikers, families, and people who enjoy the outdoors is the Ada/Eagle Bike Park.
The bike park is 200 acres located just east of Highway 55 in Eagle and is jointly managed by the City of Eagle and the Ada County Parks and Waterways.
When the weather warms up, it turns is a popular destination in the Treasure Valley.
"I like it a lot, it’s really nice. I’ve been coming here my whole life, pretty much since I was a little kid," said Gage Quinlan who was riding with his friends after school got out. "I think it is an amazing place to come and progress."
The Eagle Bike Park offers a variety of different trails and features for riders of all ability levels, but it has also become popular with walkers, joggers and dog owners as a place to visit.
Ian Tracy took his young daughters over to the pump track while his wife and her friend rode into the foothills, as families also like to visit this local gem.
"Yeah it is a nice area right by our house where we can get the girls into biking," said Tracy. “My two-year-old rides the Strider bike going on the whoops and the swoops, and then the four-year-old likes pedaling it fast."
For the more advanced mountain bikers the park has several jump lines, drop lines, wall rides and other features including a black diamond called 'Shake and Bake' that is one of the best technical trails in the valley.
"It’s fun, it’s different and exhilarating," said the kids who were flying off the lower end of 'Stage Fright', which has huge jumps including some big gap jumps.
It's pretty amazing to see the kids progress and how good they are getting. For older riders like myself, it's a fun place because it features a wide variety that includes more than just the extreme trails while also providing features to improve riding skills.
But no matter what skill level you are, the Eagle Bike Park is worth checking out. It is well-maintained and policed, creating a fun family-friendly environment.
"We really hope we can keep supporting it and come to volunteer events to keep it going and make it bigger and better, "said Tracy.
