What I learned from building a public MTB park

In April of 2022 we opened Berm Park to the public, as well as its encompassing park, Chestnut Mountain Nature Park. Today we take a look back at the process and reflect on some of the important lessons.
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[@wc4201]

What you have accomplished over the course of the past several years is impressive. I used to work as a PM for a local YMCA in Texas and working with local governments is a nightmare. Everything from getting data connections to making a trail wider to adding simple things is a huge process. Bully for you for getting Berm Park put together the way you did.

[@kidsjennings2536]

your nice

[@Idisagreethisisnotanon]

That’s dope! Fellow Texas trail builder… go check out the park I’m building - Rough Hollow Bike Park in Lakeway, TX

[@justkeepdigging1956]

As a trail builder who has dedicated his life to making trails - thank you for making this video. I'm half way through the biggest project of my life and you've helped me think more about the options over funding to help complete it. We all work full time in normal jobs- we only dig one day a week as volunteers - it's a slow process but we WILL get there!

[@tomasdoricak6475]

Hello, I watch your videos. They are great! Keep it up 🙏

[@sanjayheaven5230]

I’m in a similar situation. I’m building my first ever mtb trail and I work full time and can only dig a few hours a week. It’s slow right now because I’m the only one building but I’m determined to finish it.

[@whoiswer]

Same here, building a trail alone, at least I'm happy more people do it and I'm not the only idiot spending time digging alone

[@danyarchambault7121]

@@whoiswer In grand fact... it's people who don't do a single thing by themselves who are idiots... they don't make mistakes; they don't need 2 or 3 showers in a day; they keep shinny soft skin;... but they don't learn anything usable to improve their own life; they don't have much really heart warming fun often neither share it with peolpe; they keep fragile bodies and get injured easily;... Idiots are never those who make efforts to make things happen! I'm working and studying since many years on making my own business making mostly man-powered vehicles and tools and hope someday to lead it to a new kind of university open to all ages and located on a land which should be in big part built by fun activities using all the tools and vehicles I will bring on and of course as many as possible from other communities snd countries as to share efficient creativity, care and appreciation for everything nature and knowledges brings us. Enjoy life!

[@ryanschmidt7691]

Your videos brought mountain biking into my life! 1 year ago I had emergency heart surgery… cycling in my basement last winter was my cardiac rehab! Once the MN weather allowed, I got out daily on my road bike converted to comfort bike (I couldn’t ride in a forward position due to my healing sternum). By August I got my first hardtail and have found a whole new love of the parks around Minneapolis! Ft Snelling is a couple miles from my doorstep! Your videos have taught me basics from technique to gear and maintenance! I can’t wait til next spring when I’m even stronger! For now, it’s waiting for snowboard season and I plan on some winter riding too! Thanks for helping my health goals be achieved!

[@IcalebthelionI]

Be sure to take a short trip over the River to White tail ridge, seriously best place within an hour of the metro

[@mnboys]

Lebanon hills in Apple Valley and Eagan area also has a great bike trail if you ever make it that way!

[@glenneljoseconstantinoagui8428]

Let's give Seth a huge credit for sharing these valuable information for trail builders who literally have passion for riding Mountain Bikes and The same Passion for Trail Building and for Mountain Bikers who wants to be aware of how Mounatin bike Parks are Made in the process, so that Mountain Bikers who will use these Mountain bike parks can be aware of it's Value and have etiquette when riding through Mountain bike parks and Discipline themselves when shredding through these gnarly Trails made my our beloved and passionate Trail builders and have respect for the Trails, the trail Builders and the Environment itself, Truly Appreciated man even through I'm only a Cross country mountain biker, This is lit and Dope as well no cap truly educational of you Seth, It truly is

[@victorrannebro]

hey, ever heard of punctuation?

[@mattsheets]

@@victorrannebro no, but they’ve heard of random capitalization!

[@GaroMatossian]

You sound pretty lit and dope for an xc rider

[@lundymtbtv]

Seth would u do up my bike for me

[@beardytomjanovich]

As a Park Planner in NC, and MTB enthusiast, I appreciate you putting this together. There's a lot of coordination even on what we consider "easy" projects, so looking at something like this where you have the public/private coordination and conservation and recreation interests playing off each other, is truly inspiring.

[@amberharvey4566]

a maintenance tip from my local trail system here in the uk, it might be worth setting up a volunteer group, my local system has a monthly meet up where the volunteers give a day of their time to help maintain the trails in exchange for a day of socializing and being a part of keeping the trail system in good condition for them to ride all year round. its a good way to build a local riding community while also keeping the costs of maintaining the park lower than a crew on a salary.

[@camwoo]

Somebody really needs to turn old Ghost Town in The Sky in Maggie Valley into a bike park. The lift is already in place and all you need are trails! So awesome what you have done for Caton, Seth. I've been going to Caton for 30 years to see family and they are the sweetest people there who will give you the shirt off their backs. Once I don't have family there, I would love to come back and visit to mountain bike and remember my relatives fondly.

[@bigguyfilms]

On your point about buying a expensive car vs having a entire park named after you: I yearn for the "old days" when the ultra rich would compete with each other to see who could build the largest public library or the most community centers (all with their names on it). Heck, Andrew Carnegie funded the building of over 1,700 public libraries just so he could wave it around.

[@Purplesquigglystripe]

Yeah, we gotta bring that back!

[@topspot4834]

Carnegie, Morgan and Rockefeller donated more themselves than this entire generation.

[@Gyvulys]

Exactly. You've got money, use it to benefit everyone. That's a hell of a lot better legacy, than getting an expensive car, or a big mansion.

[@rustyshackelford5758]

Make the system incentive based again. Property taxes alone make average people unable to afford their own homes, imagine the overhead of building something public

[@jackpiki]

huge respect to both Seth and Kevin for the dedication and hard work they put in on a daily basis, all in name of this passion!

[@Gyvulys]

Some people use money for themselves, their own ego. You used money to do something great for everyone, in multiple ways. You are an exemplary human being. Wish more people acted this way.

[@riverridgetrails]

THANK YOU SO MUCH Seth. River Ridge is surprising similar to what you’ve accomplished with Berm Park. We’re in the process of turning an old golf course into 99 acres of bike/hike/cross country ski trails. I’m sharing this on our social media to give our users an idea what has gone into building our park!!

[@senorpants5604]

love the example with the roman archway and the building blocks. You're such a great story teller Seth, stay aweseome!

[@blondiejoe]

My city of 1,000,000 people does not have a bike park. Although there are many trails and riders here, it goes to show how you need those strong willed individuals/leaders to step up and make a difference. The city is actually closer to closing all the trails than building something new... Kudos to you for making something real happen.

[@hudsonsfishingadventures]

Awesome video Seth!

[@RidingMyBestLife]

Our new trail system in Southern Utah has been in the works for years , funds were raised approvals were granted designers hired and work began … and now it is being shut down by the forest service . So many moving parts to make these things happen . Nice work getting yours built . We are hopeful that this is only a speed bump .

[@scottguenther1464]

Amazing work due to partnering and collaboration. On my local trails we struggle to do this effectively - once again, Seth shows the way to do this effectively. Very impressed….🎉

[@colemiller9938]

Thank you Seth,you got me into the sport and now I’m building a public trail for my Eagle Scout project.

[@alaricpaley6865]

I think the exotic car thing is a good mention. The Guy with the car will be forgotten, you'll be remembered in some way as long as that park is open.

[@jonwood3768]

Thank you Seth, SAHC, Canton, Elevated Trail and all stakeholders, what an awesome addition to the area, and at a fraction of the cost of other systems that are state and federal funded. Seems like Chestnut Mountain is making the most of every dollar and keeping admin costs low. I enjoyed Ladybird last Saturday and feel it ranks as one of the top area trails!

[@BenBike]

I rode berm park for the first time today! I really enjoyed it, and I liked how you have to climb to get to the trails and then after you're done, you have a fun ride back to the car. Also the bang for buck is insane in the trails, I did so many laps. Great job!

[@84Joooli]

Man, your dedication is inspiering. Your humbleness as well

[@SecretSpots]

The arch analogy was BRILLIANT! Congrats on such a monumental achievement, I hope to ride their one day!

[@z33tanner]

Thank you Seth! This is what it's all about, using your success to help the community and being a leader.

[@taylor8109]

Through your hard work building this channel, you added greatly to the mountain biking community. Your influence has helped so many people mentally and physically. Your reach has brought positive change to communities like Canton. Thank you!

[@hutch73]

I finally made it last week to see for myself and ride. I was blown away! I have no doubt that other advocates and communities will look at this project as an example of what can be done. and the new ladybird trail is a blast. can't wait to come back!

[@mariajennings6441]

look at what you accomplished coming back from an injury is truly inspiring. Can't wait to visit berm park, you're awesome. currently I'm developing and designing a town in the vail valley colorado its called sienna and cause of you I will build a bike park there

[@Jakebranscom610]

I visited berm peak last month and it was awesome!

[@amore8325]

Seth uploaded today Eric uploaded today this day just keeps on getting better and better

[@motionstudio77]

You have reached an incredible milestone in your life, what you have sone truly inspired me & alot of riders out there, thanks & keep it up Seth !!

[@oscardoesthings8974]

thank you for your videos seth. they have been a huge influence from day one and because of you, im now volunteering as a bike mechanic at my local co-op. i hope to make it to berm park one of these days!

[@Hehehawhaw__]

Seth is the reason why I started mountain biking and it the best thing I have ever done I even changed my dream job I wanted to be a farmer I want to ride for Red Bull now if I’m good enough and that is pretty impressive that he can have something that good to get people like me into mountain biking (people that didn’t start mountain biking yet)

[@CaptainLou19]

Thank you Seth! I hope this project inspires other people who have ideas for their local area gain the wherewithal to make it happen.

[@donjones7461]

It is refreshing to see a community doing good work. Thanks Seth for planting the seed and following through!

[@brandonwilson7651]

Great videos Seth, since I've seen them you have reunlocked my love for bikes and after watching them makes me want to go out.

[@nicks8026]

Found this channel about a month ago and couldn’t stop binge-watching. Berm Peak and BPE have reignited my interest after being (mostly) out of MTB for 20+ years. Bought a Commencal hardtail today and looking forward to getting back out there. Seth’s enthusiasm and advocacy are infectious! Thanks, Seth!

[@drmoynihan]

Thank you for your inspiration and information. So far, here in Oregon, we can still ride some freezing trails, but we are likely heading into a very wet winter. The trail building and maintenance continues - sometimes setting aside the shovels and "just" planning. Our trails are a mishmash but things are coming together. I really admire your commitment to trails for all - and bringing together the community. Thank you again for letting us see the level of complexity and commitment necessary.

[@AmoLaMusicaIAC]

Well THIS is a project well thought out and well executed! This is something really well done and I'm so proud of you and of our passion.

[@mikerothmusic4128]

Love this video thank you Seth! Excited to hear more about how you collaborated with the other stakeholders and community to create such a great project!

[@TheLEGITstuff]

seth remains to be one of my favorite youtubers. the journey has been amazing to watch and ive learned a lot along the way. loved the roman archway analogy!

[@raykreisel]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is so impressive. I am happy that my small donation was put to good use.

[@onerider808]

Props for keeping it free, and for sharing your experience.

[@joshuaeller7732]

Thanks for all the hard work Seth and for sharing this great information of how it came to fruition. I can't wait to Ride BP next season!

[@BenNemec]

This is great information! My community is looking to purchase a tract of land and turn it into something similar so it's great to hear from someone who has already gone through the process.

[@valeriesorrells]

Thank you so much for sharing! As a member of GROC, Genesee Regional Off-Road Cyclists, our mission is to educate those in and out of the biking community on what it takes to create and maintain the local bike trail system. This will help tremendously and hopefully encourage more to participate.

[@suragencia]

I remember when Berm Park Express was born, it was a channel for everything additional to the Bike. The truth is that the bicycles, the contents, the jumps are missed. I watch the other channels and I still see Seth out there, going down here and there, but the truth is that he misses himself. I would never stop watching the channel, but I imagine that everyone can give their opinion about it.

[@thesongwritingstudio5783]

This is super insightful (and something I've wondered about many, many times)... thank you so much sharing!

[@jal316]

Now that is a cool KZbin flex. Sure, Seth doesn't have a Lambo but he has a freaking park with miles of cool trails that not only he but anyone in the area can use!!

[@mikelee7672]

I won’t write paragraphs about it (like I want to) but just wanted to say your comparison to the exotic car is so true but also sad about our world. Thank you Seth! You are great human😊

[@kevinpeters8372]

You are my hero bro. What you started is such a great thing for both that local community and the mtb community. You are right to be proud and your humbleness is inspiring. Thanks for all you do man

[@josephesparza4280]

Awesome, Seth! And all the community of people involved.👏👏

[@JulianAtkinson]

Thanks so much Seth. As a volunteer doing the hard slog to get some urban TMB trails built in Perth, Western Australia (coming up to 2 years now, with suitable land identified but not yet secured), your videos (and this one in particular) provide the motivation to keep going and to work with the multitude of stakeholders; some of whom support MTB but many who don't.

[@pat_makes_stuff]

Great work on wading through the fog of this project and making it such a huge success!

[@winklertribe5268]

This was such an interesting look behind the curtain! Thank you,Seth, for all you do for the mountain biking community!

[@Loepert_]

This is one of my bucket list mountainbike destinations with Whistler on there too. But beign from the netherlands its quite a challange to plan any of it. But I will definatly come once in my life! Great content seth

[@michaelgartner4720]

I love your vids! You even got me to start Mountain Biking and now I even build my own trails

[@cadman9615]

Awesome Seth! This is very cool & impressive your dedication to make Berm Park a reality. We camp in NC every yr & do some mtn biking at the Kerr-Scott Reservoir near Wilkesboro & I’m DEF gonna have to road trip it west to Canton. The park looks like an absolute blast!

[@ritchebalahadia3956]

You're the best Seth! Amazing idea!

[@harrygrimley4352]

This is amazing. You guys should be proud. Great job 👍

[@szwecmylove]

Fantastic video,thanks for sharing some of the process!

[@frankie2132012]

Love the park and loved riding with you out there those few times! You did an awesome job bringing this all together Seth! 💙

[@TylerCheeseman]

so so rad. Your super car vs. entire park argument really puts things into perspective

[@texarama]

Awesome video. Great work on this park, Seth.

[@willbros1499]

It's so awesome that you were able to do this! At the 2:10 mark, I was struck by your comment stating "....in a town that benefits from its existence." People for Bikes have made efforts to estimate the economic benefit the trails have brought to Bentonville and the entire Northwest Arkansas area, which is great information, because they estimate it to be about a 2:1 ratio of dollars from tourism, to dollars spent on trails. Anyone can see the bike racks on the cars, people riding bikes everywhere, and the patrons in mountain bike clothing. Quantifying the economic impact is difficult. I think it's the most compelling story to tell, and would open more doors for people wanting to convince communities that trails are a cost-effective way to promote tourism and that they will see a return on investment. The comment about a main water or sewer break told a very simple and relatable story regarding the scope of money spent by communities on the things that are needed. The reality is recreational funding is viewed separately, and there are always multiple options on the table. Softball complexes, fitness centers, etc., etc. I've seen firsthand the impact trails have as I've watched our area grow, and met countless mountain bikers who have moved from all over the country BECAUSE of the trails and trail access. I want to see other communities like Canton get involved, and see them realize the same benefits!!

[@4KMTBRider]

Great project and a real success, credit to all involved. Keen to see more of the other trails in the future as well. I'd love to visit one day!

[@joshuaocello5603]

i love how seth is always giving and such a great guy!

[@mitkoshredder]

This video is actually really useful and what I was looking for. Thanks

[@Kris-ek5sy]

It is the amazing way you have come to this place i love it, Greetings from Poland

[@EZSteve]

Congratulations on an awesome park! You are the master organizer and wizard! steve

[@samburnsmtbbmxandbeyond]

Very good video seth, keep up the good work. Especially liked the roman bridge bit

[@gixxerblade]

We went through much of the same thing when we built Big Branch Bike Park in Jacksonville NC. THANKS Seth

[@briancarter9927]

Love seeing these update videos 😍

[@Idisagreethisisnotanon]

Seth, this was a super cool video. I’m currently going through the process of building a bike park in Texas right now! Rough Hollow Bike Park in Lakeway. Going through the same struggles and wins at the moment, this video was super cool to see 👍

[@RikAindow]

I've really enjoyed watching what you've built here. It all looks amazing and a great benefit to the local community.

[@zachdiroff359]

you should watch berm peak express its awsome too

[@RikAindow]

@Zach Diroff it's a great side channel. 👌

[@raphaelwolff8205]

Seth well done mate it so good what you do.

[@44apw44]

Just rode there 2 days ago. Had a great time. Thank you!!

[@rhysharven2361]

Amazing work Seth, thank you for posting awesome content! :)

[@pf465]

Inspirational as always Seth.

[@MrLmao37]

Seth you did it. Berm park is reality. I have enjoyed watching the videos of berm park being built i hope to ride there some day. I can't wait to see what berm park is like in a year or two

[@marlonpdot]

I can't wait to plan a trip there.!! This looks soo good!

[@Birdmusic77]

So awesome and I love the luxury car comparison. Great job

[@Maddoxconley]

Love you videos Seth inspired me to start mountain biking

[@WeekendPirate]

Lady bird This is making me want to visit berm park even more 🔥🔥🔥

[@red2lucas]

You’re a bloody legend Seth. Well done mate.

[@brucemannjr]

I have been impressed what you have done in Canton North Carolina. I will say I will get my brother and some friends to ride out there and whoa downhill trail that’ll great for me to go down.

[@mattkavanaugh5623]

Good on ya Seth, and a shout-out to all of those working to make this project a success! A great model for future projects and so much more meaningful than an exotic car :)

[@jeffdickinson9819]

Well done and and a credit to all those involved.

[@MrPhotodoc]

Fantastic project! I'd like to try something like that in Western Illinois.

[@scottbowers5019]

You are a very smart guy, Congratulations, you have vision and work ethic, pass it on to Alex!

[@todoxe]

without much thought, this is due to the work of everyone, starting here, without the viewers, this channel would not exist or at least would not have the impact that, for example, led to the creation of that park. it is a community. of course managers are needed, and that is what Seth does very well. Congratulations!

[@kirkwoodbharris5110]

Thank you for sharing this - I've been dreaming of a bike park project in Marin county (CA) and this video might give me the wherewithal to get it rolling.

[@nathaniel5291]

Great video! Just started a non profit cycling org locally to help with trail maintenance and build new trails. This video is a great inspiration! Crazy how long it can take to get these things going!

[@gojonnygogogo]

Great video, Im never going to build a bike park but this was super interesting. Also useful for other large scale projects!

[@Vivendocadadia]

Great rider, great youtuber and a legendary bike park creator? Congratulations for everything you do for Mountain Biking. Shame the Visa to USA is so hard for us Brazilians, if not it would be a pleasure to ride there and meet you. MTB is a perfect sport!

[@vanleichliter7973]

lovee the videos seth, keep up the great work

[@1958indyfan]

Thanks for the insight.

[@sanjayheaven5230]

I was waiting for a video like this.. awesome

[@jakeupnorth21]

I would love to put my road building/maintenance background into trail building for my new passion of mountain biking. Awesome video man

[@tony791999]

Such good info thank you for everything you've done for biking. Screw exotic cars!!!!!! Build trails!!!!!!! Seriously the best message ever, I couldn't agree more.

[@erickauffmann_official]

That’s so cool, I wish I could visit! ❤

[@missltonay]

excellent and informative video. love that you are explaining the practical benefits of civic engagement