FROM STAFF REPORTS

BUMP (Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers) recently received approval from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to build three new sections of mountain bike trail at Oak Mountain State Park.

The first new section, the South Lake Trail, will be a single track, multi-use trail around Double Oak Lake. The second section features a single track connector from the new South Lake Trail to the existing BUMP trail, Mr. Toad’s trail.

The addition of these trails will increase the net mileage of the overall Oak Mountain Red Trail by approximately four miles.

In addition, BUMP received approval for an alternative single track section that will roughly parallel the existing double track Red Road trail. Accoding to BUMP spokesman Joe Cotlin, the alternative trail is anticipated to be a more technically challenging, narrower single track trail.

BUMP had originally proposed the addition of more sections of trail to increase the total mileage to 25 in an attempt to have OMSP named an Epic trail as defined by the International Mountain Biking Association.

Cotlin said that while DCNR did not approve all of our proposals at this time, it did leave the door open for future possibilities, pending the successful completion of the approved trail sections.

Details and maps of the new plans can be see at http://www.bump.org