Singletrack trails
are important,
and we plan to
bring singletrack
to Payson!
are important,
and we plan to
bring singletrack
to Payson!
Help us
advocate for
singletrack
trails in
Payson's Rim
Country!
advocate for
singletrack
trails in
Payson's Rim
Country!
| PASTEL - The Payson Area Sustainable Trails & Environmental League |
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| Welcome To Hike, Bike, & Run |
| Singletrack As It Should Be! |
According to the 2003 National Survey on Recreation and the Environment, bicycling was the 2nd most
popular land based recreational activity in the United States. Of those who bicycled, an estimated 45.2
million people, or nearly 21% of the American public biked on backcountry roads, trails, or cross country on
a mountain bike at least once in the twelve months prior to the survey.
Payson, Arizona is a mountain biking paradise waiting to happen. All the ingredients are here. We have
some of the best terrain and year round weather in North America. On top of that, we enjoy endless
sunshine, just enough rainfall, and a very mild four season climate. Summers here are not extreme,
winters are mild, and spring and fall are absolutely perfect. We have the elevation, the forests, the
mountains, the deserts, the landscape, the terrain, the weather, all the ingredients for world-class
mountain biking. The one thing we don't have are singletrack trails.
Over the years Payson has had good singletrack, but a lot of our local trails have been lost to urban
development, and the lack of regulation by the Forest Service on motorized vehicle use has turned most
everything else into roads. I have ridden almost all of the Payson Area Trail System, and most of the riding
here is equivalent to riding on Jeep roads. Our trails tend to be extremely loose, extremely sandy,
off-camber, many trails take you into washes, and a lot of trails have been badly eroded by motorized use.
All of these things are detrimental to what mountain bikers (and hikers and trail runners for that matter too)
want to use, and this is a key reason people by-pass Payson as a mountain bike and outdoor destination.
Payson also doesn't have a voice promoting mountain biking in the Rim Country. There is no organized
club here that advocates for, builds, and maintains singletrack trails. There are plenty of individuals in town
who advocate for mountain biking, and there are also plenty of people who show up to do trail work on the
Payson Area Trail System, but Payson needs a club that will advocate for, build, and maintain good,
sustainable singletrack trails. In my opinion, not having a real bicycle advocacy group is the main reason
for the lack of singletrack in our region. Even Cottonwood, Arizona, a neighboring town an hour and a half
away, has a bicycle club that was successful in building a nice singletrack mountain bike loop. If
Cottonwood can do this, why can't Payson?
Now I don't want people to think that I am out to advocate for mountain biking and singletrack only. Our
shop is called Hike, Bike, & Run for a reason, and everything we do here will always include hikers and
trail runners too. I am also not against motorized trail users or horseback riders. I do feel that motorized
use on our trails needs to be regulated, but I also feel that motorized users should be given an area to
ride.
A big reason why you will hear me advocate for mountain bikers more than any other outdoor enthusiast is
because Payson's Rim Country already offers great hiking, great backpacking, great horseback riding, and
great trail systems for motorized users. The Mazatzal Wilderness, the Susperstition Wilderness, the
Mogollon Rim, and all of our surrounding National Forests are filled with some of the best backpacking
and horseback loops in the desert southwest. Payson has long been heralded as cowboy country, and
just sit at the junction of the Beeline Highway and State Highway 260 and watch all the quads, dirt bikes,
and side-by-sides pass through town on the backs of trucks and SUV's coming up from Phoenix on the
weekends. What holds true for us in Payson is that businesses like our local gas stations and restaurants
reap the rewards of people passing through town, but many other small businesses lose out because
most travelers seem to use Payson as a temporary stop on their way to someplace else. We need to give
people a reason to make Payson their destination. Mountain biking could the catalyst that helps Payson
become an outdoor destination.
This is where we come into play. Our shop's advocacy group PASTEL (The Payson Area Sustainable
Trails & Environmental League) will help to develop a voice for hikers, bikers, and trail runners in Payson's
Rim Country, in hopes to establish a good network of singletrack, non-motorized trails in our local area. It
is our goal to help advocate for, build, and maintain trails that are environmentally friendly, sustainable,
and hopefully will help to make Payson's ZRim Country a world-class mountain bike and outdoor
destination. Our biggest goal will be to help limit the destruction of our local trails due to heavy motorized
use. We do not want to stop the quads and dirt bikes from having places to play, we only want to create
separate, non-motorized singletrack trails that will be sustainable for hikers, bikers, and trail runners for
many years to come.
We need your help. We cannot do this alone. So many of you have come into my shop and voiced your
frustration for the way Payson and our local National Forest have not regulated the usage of our existing
trails. Without your voice, your support, and your help, we will never bring world-class mountain biking to
the Rim Country. Join our Outdoor Club's Online Forum today so we can start to bring back the singletrack
that Payson use to have.
You can also help us by filling out our Rim Country Trails Survey and Feedback Form. Just open the Word
document, fill in the blanks and email or mail the document back to us. You can also come into the shop
to fill out the form. We want to get tons of these forms filled out this summer, so we can put them on the
desks of those who are in charge of the Town of Payson and our local National Forest, to let them know
the people have spoken.
We are in the process of making PASTEL a 501c Non-Profit Organization. It is our ultimate goal to help
raise money that goes directly toward singletrack trails in Payson's Rim Country. We are in the process of
putting together a hierarchy of people to help form this organization. We need volunteers who want to
become officers of PASTEL. We will meet at Hike, Bike, & Run on Monday's at 6pm to further promote
and discuss Payson Trails.
Below are links that will better explain the importance of singletrack to the average mountain biker, the
popularity of mountain biking in the United States and around the world, and also the economic effects of
mountain biking and cycling in other areas.
IMBA
The Importance of Singletrack
IMBA Mountain Bike News Brief
Outdoor Industry State By State Outdoor Recreation Report
The Economic Benefits of Mountain Biking
Economic Study On Impact Of Mountain Biking In Fruita, Colorado
Sea to Sky Mountain Bike Trails Economic Study
1990's Study On Economic Impact Of Mountain Biking In Moab, Utah
Economic Impact Of Mountain Biking In Wisconsin
Economic Impact Of Cycling In Portland, Oregon
Coconino National Forest Economic and Social Sustainability Assessment
An Economic Study For The Development Of Mountain Bike Trails At Whinlatter Forest
Economic Impacts of Bicycle Tourism In Colorado
Slickrock Trail Mountain Bike Survey
Mountain Biking Worth Millions In Southern Scotland
Economic Impact Of Bicycling & Walking In Colorado
Planning & Managing Environmentally Friendly Mountain Bike Trails In Arizona
popular land based recreational activity in the United States. Of those who bicycled, an estimated 45.2
million people, or nearly 21% of the American public biked on backcountry roads, trails, or cross country on
a mountain bike at least once in the twelve months prior to the survey.
Payson, Arizona is a mountain biking paradise waiting to happen. All the ingredients are here. We have
some of the best terrain and year round weather in North America. On top of that, we enjoy endless
sunshine, just enough rainfall, and a very mild four season climate. Summers here are not extreme,
winters are mild, and spring and fall are absolutely perfect. We have the elevation, the forests, the
mountains, the deserts, the landscape, the terrain, the weather, all the ingredients for world-class
mountain biking. The one thing we don't have are singletrack trails.
Over the years Payson has had good singletrack, but a lot of our local trails have been lost to urban
development, and the lack of regulation by the Forest Service on motorized vehicle use has turned most
everything else into roads. I have ridden almost all of the Payson Area Trail System, and most of the riding
here is equivalent to riding on Jeep roads. Our trails tend to be extremely loose, extremely sandy,
off-camber, many trails take you into washes, and a lot of trails have been badly eroded by motorized use.
All of these things are detrimental to what mountain bikers (and hikers and trail runners for that matter too)
want to use, and this is a key reason people by-pass Payson as a mountain bike and outdoor destination.
Payson also doesn't have a voice promoting mountain biking in the Rim Country. There is no organized
club here that advocates for, builds, and maintains singletrack trails. There are plenty of individuals in town
who advocate for mountain biking, and there are also plenty of people who show up to do trail work on the
Payson Area Trail System, but Payson needs a club that will advocate for, build, and maintain good,
sustainable singletrack trails. In my opinion, not having a real bicycle advocacy group is the main reason
for the lack of singletrack in our region. Even Cottonwood, Arizona, a neighboring town an hour and a half
away, has a bicycle club that was successful in building a nice singletrack mountain bike loop. If
Cottonwood can do this, why can't Payson?
Now I don't want people to think that I am out to advocate for mountain biking and singletrack only. Our
shop is called Hike, Bike, & Run for a reason, and everything we do here will always include hikers and
trail runners too. I am also not against motorized trail users or horseback riders. I do feel that motorized
use on our trails needs to be regulated, but I also feel that motorized users should be given an area to
ride.
A big reason why you will hear me advocate for mountain bikers more than any other outdoor enthusiast is
because Payson's Rim Country already offers great hiking, great backpacking, great horseback riding, and
great trail systems for motorized users. The Mazatzal Wilderness, the Susperstition Wilderness, the
Mogollon Rim, and all of our surrounding National Forests are filled with some of the best backpacking
and horseback loops in the desert southwest. Payson has long been heralded as cowboy country, and
just sit at the junction of the Beeline Highway and State Highway 260 and watch all the quads, dirt bikes,
and side-by-sides pass through town on the backs of trucks and SUV's coming up from Phoenix on the
weekends. What holds true for us in Payson is that businesses like our local gas stations and restaurants
reap the rewards of people passing through town, but many other small businesses lose out because
most travelers seem to use Payson as a temporary stop on their way to someplace else. We need to give
people a reason to make Payson their destination. Mountain biking could the catalyst that helps Payson
become an outdoor destination.
This is where we come into play. Our shop's advocacy group PASTEL (The Payson Area Sustainable
Trails & Environmental League) will help to develop a voice for hikers, bikers, and trail runners in Payson's
Rim Country, in hopes to establish a good network of singletrack, non-motorized trails in our local area. It
is our goal to help advocate for, build, and maintain trails that are environmentally friendly, sustainable,
and hopefully will help to make Payson's ZRim Country a world-class mountain bike and outdoor
destination. Our biggest goal will be to help limit the destruction of our local trails due to heavy motorized
use. We do not want to stop the quads and dirt bikes from having places to play, we only want to create
separate, non-motorized singletrack trails that will be sustainable for hikers, bikers, and trail runners for
many years to come.
We need your help. We cannot do this alone. So many of you have come into my shop and voiced your
frustration for the way Payson and our local National Forest have not regulated the usage of our existing
trails. Without your voice, your support, and your help, we will never bring world-class mountain biking to
the Rim Country. Join our Outdoor Club's Online Forum today so we can start to bring back the singletrack
that Payson use to have.
You can also help us by filling out our Rim Country Trails Survey and Feedback Form. Just open the Word
document, fill in the blanks and email or mail the document back to us. You can also come into the shop
to fill out the form. We want to get tons of these forms filled out this summer, so we can put them on the
desks of those who are in charge of the Town of Payson and our local National Forest, to let them know
the people have spoken.
We are in the process of making PASTEL a 501c Non-Profit Organization. It is our ultimate goal to help
raise money that goes directly toward singletrack trails in Payson's Rim Country. We are in the process of
putting together a hierarchy of people to help form this organization. We need volunteers who want to
become officers of PASTEL. We will meet at Hike, Bike, & Run on Monday's at 6pm to further promote
and discuss Payson Trails.
Below are links that will better explain the importance of singletrack to the average mountain biker, the
popularity of mountain biking in the United States and around the world, and also the economic effects of
mountain biking and cycling in other areas.
IMBA
The Importance of Singletrack
IMBA Mountain Bike News Brief
Outdoor Industry State By State Outdoor Recreation Report
The Economic Benefits of Mountain Biking
Economic Study On Impact Of Mountain Biking In Fruita, Colorado
Sea to Sky Mountain Bike Trails Economic Study
1990's Study On Economic Impact Of Mountain Biking In Moab, Utah
Economic Impact Of Mountain Biking In Wisconsin
Economic Impact Of Cycling In Portland, Oregon
Coconino National Forest Economic and Social Sustainability Assessment
An Economic Study For The Development Of Mountain Bike Trails At Whinlatter Forest
Economic Impacts of Bicycle Tourism In Colorado
Slickrock Trail Mountain Bike Survey
Mountain Biking Worth Millions In Southern Scotland
Economic Impact Of Bicycling & Walking In Colorado
Planning & Managing Environmentally Friendly Mountain Bike Trails In Arizona