- February 3, 2025
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For a group of local mountain bikers, Riverbend Nature Park screamed "potential." The historic oaks, proximity to water, varying levels of elevation and tranquility in its woods were all contributing factors to what could be a great trail for their sport.
So, instead of waiting for the city of Ormond Beach or another organization to find a use for Riverbend, one of the city's underutilized facilities, these mountain bikers decided to approach the city themselves. Through an all-volunteer effort — including a civil designer and an environmentalist — the mountain bikers approached Leisure Services Director Robert Carolin in January with a plan to build Ormond Beach's first ever mountain bike trail at Riverbend.
“This park has the perfect name — Nature," said Mike Manis, one of the mountain bikers driving the effort. "Mountain bikers are all about nature.”
The group presented their idea to the Leisure Services Advisory Board on Feb. 13, gaining unanimous approval, and their project was later approved by the City Commission on March 21. Building the trail would consist of trimming vegetation and some underbrush. Manis said no trees will be removed, as mountain bike trails use nature as obstacles to maneuver around. However, the trail will require a raised 150-feet-long boardwalk and bridge to navigate through some wetlands and a culvert, according to a city memo. The group's professional environmentalist will be overseeing that task.
“We’re a very ecologically-minded group," said Tim Cone, whom Manis called the mastermind behind the trail.
Cone lives near the park, and has always thought Riverbend would be a good area for a trail. By the time the trail is completed, Cone said it could measure between 5-7 miles.
“It’s almost ready made for it," Cone said. "Almost.”
“Close,” Manis said.
Currently, the mountain bikers have rallied the support of about 30 volunteers, and they've cleared roughly 3 miles. Civil designer Allen Kull is donating his time to provide blueprints for the boardwalk and bridge, Jim Moore of PSP Dock Builders Inc. has agreed to provide all labor, equipment and pylons, the Bike Shop has committed themselves to the project and the Daytona Beach Bicycle Club have committed to donate $7,000 for the lumber needed.
Carolin said the city didn't have plans for the future of the park. Having that volunteer workforce come together in such a short period of time is unusual, and his hope is that a new mountain bike trail will make people aware of what the park has to offer, as well as create more family-oriented activities there.
“All volunteers and excited individuals that are willing to do all the work, provide all the resources and create what we hope will be a sought-after amenity for not only our residents, but for our visitors as well," Carolin said.
After the trail is fully completed, the mountain bikers will be responsible for cleaning and maintaining the trail on a quarterly basis. It's a commitment that both Cone and Manis are more than willing to take on.
“I see it as just a win-win," Cone said.
This story was updated at 2:01 p.m. to correct that Allen Kull is a civil designer, not an engineer. City documents stated otherwise.
