Biking enthusiasts have a new spot to challenge their skills in North San Diego County with the recent opening of Bradley Bike Park in San Marcos.
Mayor Rebecca Jones joined the first riders to break in the facility’s amenities on Monday, June 24.
“The opening of Bradley Bike Park is in direct response to public input and emphasizes our effort to enhance recreational activities in San Marcos to encourage community members to participate in healthy physical adventures,” Jones said in a city news release. “This new park will foster a community where riders and spectators of all ages and their families can come together to enjoy a special experience in the City.”
Ground was broken on the $1.1 million facility, located at the southeast corner of Bradley Park on Linda Vista Drive, last Sept. 28. It’s the first of its kind in North County.
Funding for the 3.4-acre project came from a California Department of Parks and Recreation Proposition 68 per-capita grant, in addition to grants from the San Diego County District 5 Neighborhood Reinvestment Program and Friends of San Marcos Parks and Recreation, and donations from the San Diego Mountain Biking Association.
“Thanks to partnerships between the City, local community members, bike organizations and the state, we have the opportunity to shift gears in our recreation activities and offer something unique to North County,” Jones said in the city’s news release. “Recreation amenities like our new bike park encourage our community members and our visitors to continue discovering the beauty of San Marcos.”
Schneider Grading did the work on San Marcos’ facility. The company previously graded Sweetwater Bike Park, which opened in January 2020 and was the first such facility in the county’s park system.
Bradley Bike Park park is designed to accommodate a progression of bike skills and features three jump lines, from beginner to advanced. It also features a pump track, which is designed with a series of rollers, banked turns and other features that riders navigate by pumping, a method of gaining momentum through body movements instead of pedaling.
“The San Diego Mountain Biking Association is thrilled at the opening of this amazing new amenity,” Susie Murphy, executive director of the San Diego Mountain Biking Association, said in the city’s news release. “The community has needed something like this for some time and we applaud the City of San Marcos on their accomplishment of building a world-class bike park.”
Bradley Bike Park, located at 1587 Linda Vista Drive, is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to sunset and closed Mondays. More information is available at the city’s Bike Park webpage.