New O.P. Schnabel Park Expansion Bike Park Complex

South Texas Off Road Mountain-Bikers (STORM) supports efforts to allocate a portion of District 7 Parks 2022 Bond funds for a 20-acre bike park complex in the O.P. Schnabel Park Expansion. Let City Council know that the MTB community wants funding for this bike park complex!

Call 210-207-0870 or Email District7@SanAntonio.gov
and let them know that we want and fully support a destination bike park complex built on the 20 acres set aside for this project.

We, the mountain biking community, are excited and grateful for the opportunity to have a 20-acre bike park complex added to the 2022 bond project for funding. With the pump track and beginner bike skills area being implemented into McAllister Park, and another pump track and kids zone area currently under construction at Pearsall Park, the residents in those areas are getting more and more diverse mountain biking and cycling opportunities. Mountain biking in San Antonio has grown exponentially in the last few years, especially during the pandemic. The available trails and bike amenities, like the pump track and skills course at McAllister Park, have seen a tremendous amount of use. This bike park complex to be built in the newly acquired O.P. Schnabel Park Expansion will be the first of its kind in San Antonio, both in size and scope. We constantly hear about people taking trips out of town and out of state to experience the type of bike facilities we now have the opportunity to build in San Antonio. With San Antonio at a population greater than 1.5 million people and Bexar County projected to grow from 1.9 million people in 2020 to over 3.3 million people by 2050, it’s more important than ever to invest in outdoor recreation infrastructure to help improve the health of our citizens.

Despite these recent additions of pump tracks and skills areas, Northwest and centrally located residents still must travel far to practice and build bike skills or ride a pump track. Construction of the proposed bike park complex in the O.P. Schnabel Park Expansion along the Leon Creek Greenway will help realize the city’s goal of equitable investment in park facilities across all city sectors and bridge the gap between available and accessible bike amenities for San Antonio residents in this area. Maintaining a focus on multi-level appeal will ensure that this skills complex will entertain riders of all ages and abilities, including small children, high school teenagers, and adults. With Marshall HS, Warren HS, Holmes HS and other NISD schools nearby, those teenagers that are often left out of the parks’ design concepts will be able to reap the benefits of the 20-acre bike park amenity proposed at this location. These young adults will be able to ride from home or school via the Leon Creek Greenway and enjoy hours at the bike park complex exerting their energy and learning skills that will benefit their physical, mental, and social health.

Ideally, the bike park complex would include:

Permanent wood features like ramps, rollers, and jumps
Progressive drops and jump lines to be able to advance skill
Wall or berm wall rides for advanced skill riders and smaller wood berms for intermediate and beginners.
Table top jumps for progressive skill building
Progressive gap jump lines
Progressive wood skinny lines
Progressive teeter totters
Progressive rock gardens to practice rock hopping and riding along rock terrain which is found along the dirt trails of the Leon Creek Greenway.
Separate beginner and advanced asphalt pump tracks

Please reference the links provided below for examples of public bike park complexes and features to model. The topography and acreage of the bike parks differ but so much can be done within the 20 acres set aside for this bike complex.