Collaborative partnership brings mountain biking trails to Mt. Airy

Cincinnati could raise its profile among biking enthusiasts even more with the proposed addition of a mountain bike trail in Mt. Airy. A motion before City Council to create a long-distance mountain bike trail located in Mt. Airy Forest passed last week.

"Mt. Airy Forest provides the best location and framework for this type of trail because it is a large park with good topography," said Wes Munzel, a local mountain biker who presented the proposal with fellow Cincinnati Off Road Alliance (CORA) member Mitch Graham.

The motion asks the Cincinnati Park Board to work with CORA and other residents to create up to twenty miles of trails. CORA, a local mountain bike advocacy group, plans to design, build, and maintain the trails for free.

"Our mission for a long time has been to create one metro area mountain park that is a destination trail for the entire region," Graham said. "We have been trying to get something more central to minimize the amount of travel time and Mt. Airy is the perfect spot."

The most unique aspect of this new project is the partnership and collaboration between public and private organizations. Having City Council approve and move forward with this proposal is a great step forward for the city of Cincinnati and the communities involved according to Munzel.

The new mountain bike trails will provide amenities for mountain bikers and visitors to the forest, and it will also help Cincinnati's reputation as a growing bike-friendly city. Another added bonus, according to Graham, is using the city's bike-friendly reputation as a component of job recruitment and retention. Companies like P&G will benefit from the mountain bike trails as they recruit employees from other major cities that already have such outdoor options.

"Part of the whole vision is creating a great city. We need amenities like this to help create pieces of a great city," Munzel said.

Involving the community and volunteers will be an added benefit of this project. Munzel indicated that CORA has plenty of volunteers to help maintain parks within the city, and hopes to attract Mt. Airy residents to assist with the upkeep on this major project as well.

Munzel has also been in contact with a few philanthropist groups who are interested in providing funds for tools, an interactive website, and trail maps.

Writer: Lisa Ensminger