06/01/2026
In the 90s, mountain bikers were getting kicked off hiking trails. Land managers didn't want them. Hikers didn't want them. And for a while, it looked like mountain biking on public lands might justβ¦ not survive. π΅
So they picked up shovels.
A movement of volunteer trail builders started doing the work nobody asked them to do: designing, digging, and maintaining trails on public lands. Not to get something in return. To prove they belonged.
It worked.
That volunteer-driven effort shifted the conversation entirely. Mountain bikers went from being seen as a problem to being recognized as some of the most dedicated stewards of public trails in the country. Land managers took notice. Policies changed. Funding followed.
Today, trails aren't a fringe outdoor debateβthey're economic development. Towns compete to build them. Regions brand themselves around them. The mountain bikers who picked up shovels in the 90s didn't just save their sport. They built the foundation for how we think about trail access today.
We sat down with the team at to hear how it happened, and what it means for the future of trails and public lands.
π2026 offer: Find your Western Sprit trip on TripOutside.
π Catch the full episode β link in bio
π Share this if you've ever ridden, hiked, or run a trail that someone else built for free.