My family is planning on turning their north Texas ranch into a state-of-the-art riding park for ATVs and dirtbikes and we would like your suggestions on what you want and don't want in a riding park. The terrain includes rugged steep hills, heavily wooded areas as well as open pastures. We are planning on using a 12 foot blade to cut the trails through the woods and would like to include a separate 'family-friendly' riding area that's designed for smaller kids and their parents to go slower speeds without worrying about the higher speed ATVs and dirtbikes. We hope to have bathroom, shower and food facilities. We are wanting to design this from the ground up by what the ATV and dirtbike riders want and don't want, so this is your chance to sound off. Even if you don't live in the north Texas area, your input will be valuable.

Thanks!
Bart - Raptor 660R
www.members.home.net/bartkim

 

Hill climbs, woods trails and mud and water crossings. Woods trails mixed in with a little mud and hill climb would be ideal.

If you build it they will come. Where is it, with the loss of Flying P we need another place to ride. How many acres is it?

Make sure you talk to a lawyer about ensuring you have the right disclaimers and liability releases. Someone who gets hurt could try to sue your family saying something crazy like you provided unsafe riding conditions. You ought to post this in the where to ride forum.

 

You need a mx track.

 

As far as the trails in the woods, use something smaller than a 12 foot blade, maybe cut that size in half. I think most other atvers are like myself and like tighter trails than that through the woods.

 

Let us know when and where and we will help get the word out. Please make the trails wide enough for ATV's. After Bulcher this weekend, I could spell the Chinese Alphabet with my tie rods.

 

The size of the ranch is roughly 800 acres and it's located a few miles north of Saint Jo, TX (next town to the west of Muenster). There are trails cut through it now and I like the terrain much better than Rocky Ridge or Bulcher, but it's not as fun riding around by yourself. I was concerned that the 12 foot blade may be too wide, but I think most will agree that the tight trails at bulcher are way too narrow for ATVs.

If some of you from the area (like the Raptor group that met a couple of weekends ago at Bulcher) are interested in a 'private tour', we could meet there for a ride and you could act as 'consultants' to what should be where and so on...

My father-in-law and I are supposed to tour Bulcher and Rocky Ridge this weekend (on his 'slow' Prairie 400s ) so he can get a feel for what is currently offered and not offered.

Let me know if any of you are interested in the 'private tour' as mentioned above - the more the better!

Bart

 

Let people carry passengers if they want to. Many of my friends would like to come along with our group when we take trips, but they are couples who only have one quad. Every ATV park I've been to around here won't allow passengers, and their business suffers for it. Just my opinion.

 

You need to go disney land with it. Have several Sub- Areas.
Like an MX zone, which could be placed appropriately inside a large Oval for the Flat Tracking area.
A drag zone, possibly sand for say 200 yds, and a hardpack or paved section for 1/4 mile.
Then you would of course have a Mud Bog Zone and Some Rough and Rocky climbing areas for 4x4s.
Then you are right to have a leisure Drive for slower more conservative drivers and kids.
Consider also a Cross country course As well as a good fast fire road type trail for more Aggressive riders.
Also A good Smooth but steep Climb area for Sport riders on Banshees, EX's, Raptors, Etc. To Climb.
Also Alot of good Open MX style Single Jump areas are good for people to safely get some good air.

If you could do well enough, have an overnight area for people to camp out and stay for a long weekend.

It is good to have all of the above. But a Full Time MX course, XC course, or TT course are not good Ideas. Have Scheduled events on them such as MX practice Friday and TT racing on friday, Then MX racing and XC practice On Saturday. Sunday XC racing. This Will save on maintenance.

A good Idea is To form a Riding association for the Racers and Riders. For a Membership fee they could have access to practice on and ride the courses on other days of the week. And you'll Have an organised group to Promote different Parts of the Park, you can have the ????? organizations first annual ????? RIDING PARK Mud Bog weekend, or hill climb week end, etc. etc. etc.

Just My thoughts, But If you could do it all It would Rock. Id drive a couple hundred miles to do it some weekends.

 

i wished i lived in texas!!!WE only have 5 public parks here in iowa,there was just a new atv club formed in my town and they arew trying to get the old gypsum quaries turned into an atv park.
whatever you do i am sure it will be awsome.
have the unloading/loading area be nice a open and flat for ppl to puts around and warm up there machines.

 

YaMaRaPtoR!,

You interested in being hired as a consultant? Those were great suggestions and I can invision all of it. I think everything (except the paved 1/4 track) is within reason at this location and I really hope it will work out. Lately, my father-in-law has been hammered in the stock market, so he may start leaning toward selling it instead. I really hope not because this could be a HUGE turning point in the sport of ATVing and dirtbiking in this area.

Keep the ideas coming in...

Bart
www.members.home.net/bartkim