Randon Seitz and his father, Chance (in the background), carry tools along the trail to rake away rocks. Photo by Aaron Ricca
KINGMAN – Local hiking and biking trails continue to expand as the Colorado River Area Trail Alliance (CRATA) sets out to construct a new path for multi-use recreation.
Josh Langdon comes down from Flagstaff a few times a month to lead the efforts of anywhere between 10 and 20 volunteers and CRATA members to rake away the rocks, clear brush, catclaw and cactus and just ride for the fun of it.
CRATA has been spending the last few years maintaining old trails while simultaneously building new ones at the Cerbat Foothills Recreation Area (CFRA), the 11,300-acre landscape west of Kingman with nearly 40 miles of trails that have been inviting to thousands of mountain biking and equestrian trails that span across the Monolith Gardens and Camp Beale areas.
The manpower that goes into making the trails at CFRA look and feel good for mountain bikers, hikers and equestrians is a huge effort for as little the number of volunteers involved.
Langdon, CRATA President and part of the City of Kingman Trails Team
has taken a huge lead in making the trails better.
Camp Beale Loop Trail expansions started November 11. The designs have been a partnership between Langdon, CRATA and the City of Kingman for nearly a decade.
“We will be developing trails throughout this area over the next few years,” Langdon said. “I believe the Beale Loop Trail parcel has about 380 vertical feet of elevation change.”
The new trail system is a stacked loop design that will add plenty of options for different of trail users. The majority of the mileage is standard multi-use type trail that is intended to create a fun and friendly user experience. It’s designed to be as sustainable as possible and have a more family friendly and beginner focused system that has been missing from the Kingman trails systems.
“There’s also a small jump line or two that will help riders safely progress their skills, hand-built trails in the plan to add diversity and a possible directional downhill trail for more advanced mountain bikers,” Langdon said.
Father and son riding team Chance and Randon Seitz were out building and exploring the trails Sunday, November 24. It was their first time on the CFRA trails and they were enjoying every minute of it.
Randon, 11, races BMX but switched to mountain biking recently to join his dad on the trails.
“So far I enjoy riding both of them,” he said. “I really enjoy riding the mountain bike trails.”
A full set of new trails could take about three years to be completed.
“When it’s all said and done I believe there will be around five miles of new and realigned trails throughout the city park system,” Langdon said. “The old Beale Loop Trail will stay as is as a sort of more primitive old school trail experience for those users that enjoy that.”
CRATA plans to host more trail days – weather and volunteer efforts permitting. There are even plans to expand trails as far as Hualapai Mountain park.
“We hope to continue a series every winter as well as a summer season as needed to help the Mohave County Parks Department with efforts in the Hualapai Mountains,” Langdon said.
The Rattler Race held at the CFRA has been on hold for the last few years since COVID and it’ll be a few more years until something to that effect is up and running again.
“As far as another mountain biking event, we are currently focused on trail development,” said Langdon.
CRATA volunteers and local riders are a grassroots team working on products they can be proud to share and promote a mountain biking festival that can be held in the historic downtown district.
“I’d like to see a street closed off for vendors and live music, maybe even some van life camping right in town for that event,” said Langdon. “This is purely conceptual. But before we invite the masses we need the product. Kingman is sitting on a gold mine right now for trail development.
Langdon has continued to highlight the potential downtown has as being the perfect central hub for a trail community who is surrounded by public lands and city parks.
“The opportunities here are incredible,” he said. “We envision a town where you can park your car while staying for several days to ride and enjoy the downtown area. Kingman just checks all the boxes for a really awesome trail town. I’ve completely fallen in love with it here and I’m so excited to be a part of this development.”
Mike Meersman, Director of Parks and Recreation has been working in tandem with CRATA and the Bureau of Land Management for years to improve the local trails.
The city’s trail crew is working on the first phase of the Camp Beal Loop Trail System re-route and revisions. The CRATA group volunteers are working with them on their volunteer workdays.
“The future of trails in Kingman is bright,” Meersman said. “We will be adding up to five miles of sustainable trails that will tie into and complement the existing trails.”
Those trails will hug the natural contours highlighting the scenic overlooks, interesting rock outcroppings, scenic vistas and natural desert native flora.
“The stacked loop system will be a much-improved experience for mountain bikers, hikers, trail, runners and equestrians for experienced and beginners alike,” Meersman said.
The city has a Trails Master Plan request for proposals out now, will be evaluating them in the near future and making a recommendation to city council to have the plan completed that will guide the city’s trail future.
There are cross-jurisdictional trails that run through both county and city lands and are being eyed for improvement and new construction.
They include a conceptual Kingman Crossing Regional Trail, Sun Corridor Trail (in the works) and ultimately The Pai In the Sky trail linking Hualapai Mountain Park at nearly 8000 feet in elevation and dropping 5000 vertical feet into historic downtown Kingman, Descending along an 18-to-20-mile journey with only a few short and easy climbs through seven different ecosystems.
“The Pai in the Sky drop and it will be one of the premier shuttle rides in North America,” Meersman said. “There is a lot going on and it is very exciting.”
Langdon and CRATA plan to continue with a volunteer trails day series every year from now and throughout the foreseeable future.
“Volunteers are essential for us to reach our goals and their involvement gives them a sense of ownership which helps develop more stewards to protect Kingman’s public lands and city parks,” he said.
Aaron Ricca
