Use the form on the right to contact us or email us: info@bikehinton.com
Hinton, Alberta
Hinton Mountain Bike Association. Our goal is to develop, maintain and promote the best possible mountain biking opportunities around the Hinton area, while ensuring responsible and safe practices in environmental conservation, trail construction, trail maintenance and riding.
Filtering by Category: Hinton Bike Park
A great big ‘thank you’ to Napa Auto Parts in Hinton for donating this awesome brush saw! The beauty holding the saw is HMBA director of operations Suzanne Stevenson. Suzanne is so happy with the new saw and tells us she plans to keep our trails clear and open with this new tool. Thanks again Napa! #donations #napaautoparts #bikehinton #grateful #happytrails
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Morad Communications Ltd. has donated equipment and their time in helping (and a HUGE help at that!) HMBA get setup with a Bike Park Camera. The camera points towards the Skills Area and is meant to show what current bike park conditions are at. The web link below also shows current weather conditions and sunrise/sunset conditions - to help visitors plan their visit.
We are also limited by sunlight -> our power source! No sunlight = no power = camera is off.
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Air Quality around Hinton is poor today and likely tomorrow too. You may want to postpone any planned biking or other outdoor actvities, especially if there are people at risk in your group!
Check this website for updates, or download the app from "AQHI Canada" to get the latest status updates. http://airquality.alberta.ca/map/
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Over the past winter, a lot of deadfall was cut along Jodoin’s Journey and the Pembina Sprockids Trail at the Hinton Bike Park last winter. We are looking for volunteers to help carry out the cut and stacked deadfall.
Date and times: Friday May 24th at 10:00am or Saturday May 25th at 10:00am.
If a minimum of 3 volunteers are available for one or both of those days, the work should take approximately 1 hour to complete.
If you are available to help out, please contact Bill or Maureen at 780-865-3346 so they have an idea of how many to expect.
Please dress for the weather and wear appropriate footwear :) Bring work gloves if you have them!
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It’s Spring Thaw conditions at the Hinton Bike Park. Some extra signage and tape are in place to remind users to stay out of the park until conditions improve... a lot. If your tires or footprints leave a trace - move to a dryer place 🙂. Town trails? Paved trails? Thanks for everyone’s cooperation in keeping this Hinton gem in tip top shape. Spread the word!
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The Fix It Station at the Hinton Bike Park has been fixed! Thanks to everyone for being patient these past few months as we waited for parts to be ordered, shipped and installed (by HMBA volunteers, of course!).
The Fix It Station, originally donated by Hinton Wealth Planning of Assante Financial Management Ltd. and the cement pad, donated by West Ridge, was installed and continues to be maintainted by HMBA volunteers.
Please note that the bike pump has super strong magnets near the pump head. It is made to cling to the side of the Fix It Station rather than laying on the ground, which increases the likelihood of damage.
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Recent trail users will likely have noticed large signs on some sections of trails in the Hinton area. These have been installed by Trans Mountain to notify all trail users of upcoming pipeline clearing/construction. There are no set timelines, but work in these areas can be expected between now and late November 2018. For more information, please visit the Trans Mountain Expansion Project website at: https://www.transmountain.com/yellowhead
Trails and features in these areas will be disturbed or removed during clearing and construction. Trans Mountain has assured HMBA that identified bike trails will be salvaged and even improved upon after construction is completed.
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Shred Sisters Ltd. are in Hinton this weekend for the ladies bike skills weekend workshop! This is the second year that they have included Hinton in their course schedule. 12 ladies are benefiting from this awesome program this weekend in Hinton!
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We have some trail user counts for the Hinton Bike Park between May 15 and July 19 => 66 days! Both Flow Master and the Pembina Sprockids Trail (PST) average 18 counts/day, where Flow Master had a max count of 93 on May 27 and PST had a max count of 52 on May 20th.
We are happy to see that Flow Master had 0 counts for the 3 downpour days after the Canada Day Long Weekend! Thank you to all uses who use trails and park responsibly :)
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Travel Alberta was in town for a photo shoot and the Hinton Bike Park was one of their stops! Another opportunity to promote the Hinton Bike Park.
We made sure to mention our pals (Hinton Disc Golf) across the road 🙂. So many great activities to enjoy around Hinton!
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The HMBA has invested in 12 Trail Counters this past year. 5 are located within the Hinton Bike Park and the other 7 are located on our trail system. These units count trail users, whether biking, hiking or running. These units do not take photos - sorry to those who may have made goofy faces at them :)
We shouldn't be surprised that The J is the most used trail as it leads to one of our favorite spots: the EZ Lookout! Happy Creek and Ranger are high favorites as well.
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Notice to all Hinton Bike Park (parking lot) users: Saturday June 23rd, HMBA is hosting a wind-up event for our Hinton Sprockids Program. For safety reasons, access to the parking lot will be closed between 9:30am and 2:30pm. Alternative parking options can be found along Eaton Drive. Please DO NOT park on the side of Robb Road as it is an active haul road and parking is not permitted.
On Sunday, June 24th, the Hinton Disc Golf Association is having their Grand Opening event at 1pm. The parking lot is open but will likely be very busy! Again, please consider alternative parking options, or bike/walk from home!
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Just a heads up: pine beetle crews are still present in and around the bike park. Please avoid any flagged or signed areas while they complete their work. They are falling trees and are very active. Thanks for your patience while they complete this important work. Other than that, the bike park is dry and rideable. Tuesday, May 22, HMBA will be doing maintenance in the park starting at 7pm. Hope you can join us!
Trails are in rideable condition! Just a few soft spots to watch out for. So as always, please ride with care and be conscious of muddy or soft spots. Avoid going around wet/muddy spots - this results in trail widening. Walking your bike through these questionable sections is always a good alternative!
On May 15, 2018, the Board of the HMBA voted to downgrade this trail system as "unsanctioned". A lot of clearing and fire smarting has happened in this area and the trails are very difficult/impossible to find. Upper trails are still "untouched", but getting there will be tricky. Ride at your own risk!
Access Road to Gasifier
Gasifier is good to go! But the road to the top may still need some drying out. The snow is probably gone, but there may still be water/mud puddles on the road. 4x4 vehicle highly recommended.
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On May 15, 2018, the HMBA Board or Directors had to make the decision to downgrade the Jacks Trail System to "Unsanctioned". This means that the trail is no longer maintained by the Hinton Mountain Bike Association. Riders ride at their own risk!
In early Spring of 2018, extensive clearing occurred in the lower areas of the trail system which ultimately erased and/or damaged the trails. The area is also slated for future development. The Board decided that it will focus on the Hinton Bike Park and Happy Creek Trail System moving forward.
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The HMBA has scheduled 4 maintenance nights in the upcoming weeks!
These maintenance nights will focus on the Hinton Bike Park (week 1), Happy Creek Trail Bridge (week 2), Rock Band Boardwalk (week 3) and Happy creek Trail Drainage and other bridges (week 4).
As things can be unpredictable, the work scheduled for these maintenance nights may be different than originally described.
Volunteers: Please wear appropriate shoes and clothing as we will be working in forested areas. Gloves, water and snacks highly recommended. Access to sites will be on foot, unless otherwise notified.
Meeting location for week 1 will be at the Hinton Bike Park, near seacans/parking lot. Weeks 2-4 will be determined at a later date.
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Just a heads up: pine beetle crews are hard at work in and around the bike park right now. Please avoid the area for the interim while they complete their work. They are falling trees and are very active. This is particularly true in and around the new trail (Pembina Sprockids Trail) by the park and just west of the drop zone, slope wars and Fo shore. Thanks for your patience while they complete this important work.
Most trails are in rideable condition! Just a few soft spots to watch out for on Bighorn and Just Give'r. The connecting double-track trail between Happy Creek East and Slow Cooker (south end) is messy/muddy.
Please ride with care and be conscious of muddy or soft spots. Avoid going around wet/muddy spots - this results in trail widening. Walking your bike through these questionable sections is always a good alternative!
If you are not familiar with this trail system, it is best to avoid it. A lot of clearing and fire smarting is happening in this area and the trails are very difficult/impossible to find.
Access Road to Gasifier
Gasifier is about 98% ready too! But the road to the top may still need some drying out. So if you like pushing your bike up hill, it's good to go!
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Please avoid the bike park's Dirt Jumps, Skills Area and Flow Master until further notice.
Outer trails are drying up nice!! Just get there, The J, Cleo's, Halloween Connector, Halloween, west happy are all 98% dry, ready to ride.
No trail reports available.
Access Road to Gasifier
Gasifier is about 98% too! But the road to the top still has a lot of snow on parts. So if you like pushing your bike up hill, it's good to go!
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For those who missed it, here's the 2018 HMBA AGM Recap:
The following Board Members have been voted in where () shows # of years in that position:
President: Jay Hore (2nd year)
Vice-President: Colin Pratt (2nd year)
Treasurer: Julie Duval (2nd year)
Secretary: Casey MacKay (1st year)
Operations: Jesse Kirillo (2nd year)
Director at Large: Mike Langford (1st year)
Thank you, Jonathan Hayward - outgoing Secretary, for doing a great job this past year! Good luck in your new adventures!
Key points of the April 12th AGM:
- The operating budget allocated to the Hinton Bike Park via the Operating Agreement between the HMBA and the Town of Hinton has increased from $5,000 annually to $15,000 annually.
- 2018 Hinton Bike Park spring maintenance (hired contractor) will occur mid to end of May/early June.
- No new builds planned for 2018
- Hinton Sprockids (with over 80 kids registered) will be trying a different format this year: 6 sessions in May/June with a fun day with BBQ planned on June 23rd. A big welcome and thanks to Casey Hore for stepping up as our new Sprockids Coordinator.
- Shred Sisters Skills Workshop happening on July 28-29. Register online!
- Tim Trahan was recognized for his many years (10+) of volunteering and service to HMBA. Check out his bike's headset next time you meet him on the trails :)
Other things you should know:
- Two styles of jerseys are available for pre-order (before April 30th!!) Check out the options at www.bikehinton.com/shop
- HMBA has an online survey. Fill it out now! https://goo.gl/aLvdMa
- HMBA will have some Trail Counters on some key trails this summer which will help provide trail statistics.
- Mountain Pine Beetle work will be happening in the Hinton Bike Park and surrounding areas.
Happy Trails!
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The Hinton Bike Park is "closed" due to poor conditions. This is a critical time of the year when the frost is coming out of the ground and making trails, jumps, berms, etc very soft and muddy. Any ruts and erosion created during this time means higher maintenance and dollars spent on repairs later this spring.
Please help keep the Hinton Bike Park and the trail networks in the best shape possible by refraining to bike the trails until conditions are suitable.
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