Highbridge Park
HIGHBRIDGE PARK
Please consider a donation to help NYCMTB’s efforts to grow the sport of MTB in New York City.
Location: Inwood/Washington Heights, Manhattan, NY
Length: 3 miles
Difficulty: 25% beginner, 25% intermediate, 50% expert XC trails, plus a freeride trail and beginner and intermediate dirt jump park with pump track
Description: Highbridge confounds expectations. With everything from smooth cruisers to wickedly technical “east coast gnar,” the trails provide a small but entertaining subsample of the best of the regions trails, all within the confines of the densest metropolitan area in North America. Highbridge Park itself straddles the rocky cliff band above Harlem River Drive between 155th Street and Dyckman Street, and the trails use this rocky, cliff-strewn terrain to their advantage… routing beginner riders through the shadow of hulking rock cliffs, and taking expert riders up, down and across the steep and challenging cliff-side. In addition to the XC trails, Highbridge also features the Hellfighter freeride trail, with terrain that includes drops, berms, steeps, rock gardens and other challenging features built to test your skills.(designed and built in conjunction with pro rider Jim Dellavalle and the Brooklyn Bike Riders). But the most-used feature of Highbridge Park is the dirt jump park, designed and built by IMBA Trailsolutions with current and former pro riders Judd DeVall, Jeff Lenosky and Kyle Ebbett. The Highbridge jumps begin with a pump track and a flow-line with beginner level jumps. The progressive intermediate section develops into a mini slopestyle inspired course with multiple tables, step up/downs and berms. While the XC trails are a bit short to ride as a destination, they’re perfect for city residents looking for a local spin and riders out to sample a bit of everything- jumps, drops and trail riding all in one place, just blocks from the #1 train.
Directions: By Car-From the South, take the Harlem River Drive north until it ends at Dyckman Street, then turn left on Dyckman and left onto Ft. George Hill. Look for the trailhead about 30 yards up the hill on the left. From the North, take the Major Deegan to the Fordham Road/207th Street bridge exit. Cross the bridge into Manhattan, then turn left on Nagle Ave (under the elevated subway train), and veer right onto Ft. George Hill and park. By public transportation- take the #1 train to Dyckman Street and look for the trailhead across Ft. George Hill, or to reach the jump park at the top of the hill, exit at the 191st Street station, and ride three blocks north on St. Nicholas, then follow the curve around the top of the hill and look for the park between the playground and the basketball court.
The Highbridge trails were built by and are managed by NYCMTB. Many thanks to all who helped us make them a reality- NYC Parks, IMBA, NY State Parks, CLIMB, BBR, JORBA, WMBA and more.
Stories
Our Stories
Ride Report: Westchester Trifecta 2017
The other brave riders assemble at Grand Central. There are only 5 bold enough to attempt this year’s ride– Daniel, Cee, Sean, Matt and…
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Outdoorfest at Highbridge
OutdoorFest is a 10 day outdoor adventure festival that brings the outdoors to New York City through hiking, biking, kayaking, sailing,…
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Learn
SKILL CLINICS
Free Clinics
We have beginner clinics in exchange for trail work during our Second Saturday Workdays at Highbridge Park.
more info coming soon…
Advanced Clinics
Contact Christopher Trombley at Christopher@nycmtb.org for info on custom tailored individual and group clinics
more info coming soon…
Start Page
UPCOMING EVENTS
Having fun in the dirt is serious business- We all want to build and ride more trails, but it takes a village, and we need your help. Here you'll find info about our work days, group rides and random happenings.
Group Ride: Westchester Trifecta – June 24th
One day, three trails and a bunch of stuff in between. In total we’re looking at almost 100 miles of gravel, pavement, dirt and single…
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Group Ride: Spring Series
The days are getting longer and the temps warmer. Join us for a series of mixed type group rides in the spring greens.
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Events
UPCOMING EVENTS
2nd Annual Great Gobbler 2024 FreshKills Park Staten Island
A full day of free off-road cycling competition, showcasing 10 years of volunteerism at Highbridge Park. Demo fleet of mountain bikes…
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Monthly Second Saturdays – Highbridge Welcome Day With Bike Share
Gettin’ the tools sharpened up for “Second Saturdays” workday/clinic/guided rides event at Highbridge Bike Park, 10am until 3:30pm the…
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Trail Work: First Saturdays @ Wolfe’s Pond Park
Join us this Saturday for our monthly ride and trail work at Wolfes Pond Park. For those that wish to ride we’ll be taking the 8am ferry…
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Movie Night: Rebecca Rusch Blood Road Film Screening
Rebecca Rusch, affectionately known as The Queen of Pain, is among the greatest female ultra-endurance mountain bikers in the world. While…
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Group Ride: Westchester Trifecta – June 24th
One day, three trails and a bunch of stuff in between. In total we’re looking at almost 100 miles of gravel, pavement, dirt and single…
0 Comments4 Minutes
Group Ride: Spring Series
The days are getting longer and the temps warmer. Join us for a series of mixed type group rides in the spring greens.
0 Comments2 Minutes
Trailwork
TRAILWORK
One of the most important functions of NYCMTB is to maintain trail systems and bike parks we’re responsible for. Creating a fun, challenging and safe riding experience requires a lot of work; planning, approval, muscle, tools and patience are some of the ingredients needed for successful projects. To ensure the existing trails are safe and rideable we conduct monthly inspections and during the summer months the trimming and grooming can turn into a full time job.
With the help of our generous sponsors we organize two work days every month. These are a great opportunities to meet fellow group members and learn how to build and maintain sustainable mountain bike trails.
First Saturday of the Month: Wolfe’s Pond Park
Info & RSVP: First Saturdays at Wolfe’s Pond Park – Eventbrite Info & RSVP
Second Saturday of the Month: Highbridge Park
Info & RSVP: Second Saturdays at Highbridge Park – Eventbrite Info & RSVP
About
ABOUT NYCMTB
The New York City Mountain Bike Association (NYCMTB) builds and maintains trails in the five boroughs of New York City, advocates locally and regionally for the sport of mountain biking, and fosters a community of mountain bikers in NYC. NYCMTB is a nonprofit, and a chapter of IMBA and USA Cycling.
In addition to building and maintaining trails, NYCMTB is committed to promoting Mountain Bike culture through events, programming and races. Our goal is to celebrate the ride with everyone. From youthful beginners to expert level riders, we are out in the forest riding bikes and building trails within and outside of the city. Revenue from our races funds our trail-building and maintenance work, which creates better trails to race and ride on- a virtuous circle.
Our off-trail social events bring riders together and foster a sense of community, which in turn builds greater volunteer participation. Our race team is designed both to keep racing fun for the racers of NYC, and to support our youth development team- we’re not just racing for our personal results, we’re racing to mentor the next generation of young riders and racers, and to grow the base of the sport in under-served communities in New York City while promoting fitness and a love of the outdoors.
Please consider a donation to help NYCMTB’s efforts to grow the sport of MTB in New York City.
History
NYCMTB was officially founded in 2005 (after a year of kicking around the idea) by Dawson Smith and Jamie Bogner. Smith and Bogner met through an e-mail list of New York City mountain bikers started by longtime advocate and former NYC IMBA Rep Matt LeBow. The group was founded to manage the trail building process at Highbridge Park in Manhattan, which Smith, Lebow and CLIMB President Mike Vitti had successfully lobbied for, and NYCMTB volunteers contributed over a thousand hours to the construction of the trails at Highbridge alongside volunteers from many other regional mountain bike clubs and a dedicated crew of NYC Parks Green Apple Corps volunteers.
In 2007, Matt Lebow invited NYCMTB to join him in advocating for trails at Wolfe’s Pond Park on Staten Island, and in the summer of 2008 the Wolfe’s Pond trails became the third legal trail system in New York City (the Cunningham Park trails in Queens, built and maintained by CLIMB, Concerned Long Island Mountain Bikers, was the second). NYCMTB is actively pursuing potential trail proposals in both the Bronx and Brooklyn—aiming to fulfill the vision that NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe set out at the Highbridge Park Trails opening—of mountain bike trails in all five boroughs of NYC.
Destinations
LOCAL TRAILS
Please consider a donation to help NYCMTB’s efforts to grow the sport of MTB in New York City.
Brooklyn: Brooklyn Bike Park
Manhattan: Highbridge Park
Queens: Cunningham Park
Staten Island: Wolfe’s Pond Park
Skateparks in the City: NYC Parks’ guide to skateparks in NYC.