Building sanctioned mountain biking trails in Eugene has been a long sought dream. There aren’t many opportunities (yet) to mountain bike within city limits, though many members of the mountain biking community have shown up at every possible opportunity to advocate for greater access in town. Mountain biking is still a fairly young sport; its popularity soared in the 1990s, continuing to grow over the decades. In 2020, as Covid spread and people searched for ways to get out of their house, interest in the sport exploded once more. Understandably, it took some time before developers could trust the saying, “if you build it, they will come,” but the time has come! Now, you see children, parents, and community members getting excited about mountain biking and using nearby trail systems such as Whypass and Alsea! Mountain biking popularity has taken off in recent years, but several members of the Eugene community have looked forward to trail expansions for decades, and are grateful to see their advocacy and dreams come to fruition.

The newest addition to mountain bike access in Eugene called “Baby Steps,” was finished in May of 2025 and is located in the Black Oak Basin. Baby Steps is simply a teaser of what is to come. With the recent announcement of Suzanne Arlie Trail system designation, and expansion of the Ridgeline Trail System, Eugenians have even more to look forward to.

Hyped for the new trail in Black Oak Basin. Photo courtesy of Anya Vollstedt

Thanks to the dedication of Ben Hansen, who identified this user trail was up for rehab and redesignation, and spearheads the Friends of Moon Mountain Group; Jack Hill, who is a member of Disciples of Dirt and was brought in for designing and developing the trail; Eugene Parks Foundation, who supported and funded Jack Hill’s time; Eugene Mountain Bike Stewards; the City of Eugene government; and the numerous volunteers who helped build trails, we can celebrate a newly sanctioned mountain biking trail in Eugene, Oregon. The collaboration of these groups has been integral in creating exciting new recreation opportunities, and they will continue to work together over the coming years.

Baby Steps. Photo courtesy of Anya Vollstedt

QUICK sidenote about the name! This trail name was inspired by the movie “What About Bob?!” which features Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss. Bob suffers from numerous fears, and anxieties and his therapist prescribes him a book called “Baby Steps.” The character Bob states “All I have to do is take one little step at a time and I can do anything.” Baby Steps (the mountain bike trail) is the same way as it is one little step towards a greater goal. At the second section of the trail, there is a laminated photo of the book being referenced in the movie.

Black Oak Basin is a natural area located across 30th avenue from Lane Community College (and the soon to be expanded Suzanne Arlie Park). Black Oak Basin is just north of Bloomberg Park, and can be accessed several ways. One option is to park at Bloomberg Park, pedal up past the gate on the north side of the road up to the top of the butte. Another option is to park at the Ribbon Trail South Trailhead, ride up the gravel road, parallel to 30th Avenue for about .8 miles. The trail is nicely marked with signage.

As an avid mountain biker myself, who frequents nearby trail systems and serves on the leadership team of the Dirt Maidens, a women’s inclusive mountain biking group based out of Eugene, I had to check out the new trail.

I took my first exploration of “Baby Steps” on August 28, 2025. For a newly built trail, I am incredibly impressed by the quality of dirt and compactness of the ground. Technically, the first and last part of this trail existed already as mixed use trails, and like many of the brushy, mysterious corners of this open space, they were long forgotten. With the help of trail building volunteers, the existing portions of trails were revived, reimagined, and connected to each other. The thoughtfulness of features on Baby Steps demonstrate the expansive trail building knowledge behind their construction. This narrow downhill trail miraculously takes you through a little bit of everything.

Work in progress. Photo courtesy of Anya Vollstedt

Baby Steps has two short sections. The first section (.3 miles) has a scattering of lightly technical rock throughout, and starts with a steep downhill, flows into windy single track, and ends with a rock feature which can be rolled or jumped.

The second section (.2 miles) begins with several nicely carved berms, followed by rollers, and a bit more tech. Though the trail is a total of .5 miles long, the diversity makes it fun-packed and inspires you to take multiple laps in order to get comfortable. Thankfully, Baby Steps can be easily lapped with a short climb, or looped into a longer ride when integrating some mileage on Moon Mountain. From the start to end of the trail, imagine a horse shoe shaped bend; since you end close to where you started, it would be silly to only take one lap! Grading this trail is somewhere between a green and a blue, because it is more technical than a green, but less challenging than many blues.

You may be wondering—why is having mountain biking specific trails important?

The answer is simple—primarily for safety, with the added bonus of fun and ease. From a trail building perspective, there is an additional sustainability element with designated downhill trails because they won’t be eroded by uphill foot traffic, and will therefore need less maintenance. For all trail users, bikers and hikers alike, it is safer to have designated trails where bikers can ride freely without the concern of running into an uphill trail user. Mountain bike trails are usually built around curves in the natural topography of the landscape, leading to features such as tight turns and steep downhill sections. Turns can lead to decreased visibility of what is ahead, and steep trail segments can get bikers up to high speeds. It is the responsibility of both bikers and hikers to be aware of when they are on mixed-use trails, to be considerate of other trail users, and to only use trails as they are designated. While rare, having a downhill bike collision with an uphill hiker is a situation none of us trail users hope to experience, and can lead to serious injury. Mountain biking already has inherent risks, and due to the nature of these trails, bikers may not always know what is around the corner. As we see the expansion of mixed-use and sanctioned mountain bike trails in Eugene, let us practice good trail etiquette so we can all enjoy these spaces!

Why is the addition of this short trail such a big deal?!

To put it into perspective, Eugene currently has about 38 miles of soft-surface trails which are hiking specific. The Ridgeline Trail system is 12 miles total, with many miles explicitly closed to mountain bikers, though some trails are considered multi-use. Mount Baldy and Martin Street-Erin Noble headwaters trails allow mountain bikes, however, west of Fox Hollow on the Ridgeline Trail System, mountain bikes are not permitted. Even further west, you can find some multi-use trails at Wild Iris Ridge, although these tend to be geared towards gravel biking.

Currently, 1.015 miles of trail are specifically designated to mountain bikers in Eugene city limits. If you move the boundary, and count Thurston Hills Natural Area managed by Willamalane Parks and Recreation, the mileage jumps to 4.715. Before the construction of Baby Step, a trail called “Pipedream” was the only mountain bike specific trail in Eugene. Clocking in at a .515 miles of trail, Pipedream has been a sacred space for Eugene mountain bikers to recreate.

With the proposed Suzanne Arlie Park expansion project, an additional 5.6 miles of mountain bike specific trails, and 6.7 miles of multi-use trails will be added to the local system. Having support from the City of Eugene has been instrumental in the sustainability of these trails, and seeing the value these trails bring to the community. If you’re a curious rider in the area, I would encourage you to check out Baby Steps to get a taste of what’s to come. And stay tuned on trail building opportunities and updates as we continue to see our local recreation opportunities increase access for all.

Baby Steps: The Start of a New Mountain Bike Trail System in Eugene

The Valley that Burns to Bloom