That spirit still defines BUMP today. Volunteers have helped us expand and maintain more than 100 miles of trail, host major events, introduce new riders to the sport, and build strong partnerships with land managers, foundations, businesses, and community organizations.

BUMP is stronger than it has ever been, but that growth has created a new challenge. The opportunities in front of us are now greater than what volunteers can manage in their spare time.

Every grant application, trail project, event, partnership, and volunteer effort requires consistent attention. To protect what our community has built and continue moving forward, BUMP is preparing to hire its first full time Executive Director.

This person will focus every day on securing funding, managing projects, strengthening relationships with land managers and community partners, coordinating volunteers, expanding programs, and advocating for mountain biking throughout the Birmingham region.

This position will not replace our volunteers. It will give them the support they need to accomplish more.

Our Three Year Plan

We believe BUMP needs a strong financial foundation before making this commitment. Our goal is to secure approximately $300,000, enough to support the position for its first three years while giving the Executive Director time to develop sustainable funding for the future.

BUMP has already committed $100,000 from funds we have carefully saved and placed in a dedicated Executive Director account. We are now working to raise the remaining $200,000 through grants, multiyear pledges, corporate partnerships, and community giving.

BUMP could afford to hire someone today, but doing so would require us to reduce the trail maintenance, advocacy, events, and programs that define our mission. We do not believe building a staff should come at the expense of the work that staff member would be hired to support.

That is why we are looking for mission based partners and individual donors who believe in the value of trails, outdoor recreation, and a stronger mountain biking community.

Why This Matters

Imagine where BUMP could be five years from now with someone working full time for mountain biking in Birmingham.

More trails. Better maintained trail systems. Stronger events and programs. More opportunities for women, veterans, adaptive riders, and new participants. Better coordination with our land managers. Greater access to funding. Stronger advocacy. More places to ride and more people discovering the sport we love.

This is about protecting everything our volunteers have built while creating the capacity to pursue opportunities that are currently beyond our reach.

Every contribution to our Year End Giving Campaign will be added to the $100,000 BUMP has already committed to the Executive Director fund. Whether you make a personal donation, organize a fundraiser, or connect us with a business or foundation partner, you will be helping build a sustainable future for mountain biking in Birmingham.

The future of our trails and our community will not be determined by someone else. It will be determined by all of us.

If BUMP has made a difference in your life, please help us ensure it can make that same difference for generations to come.

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Jackhammer wasn’t designed to be the fastest way across the mountain. It was designed to be an experience—a trail where the landscape dictated the route instead of the other way around. Riders can access the trail by climbing Red Road, turning left onto the Orange/Blue Connector at the top of the climb, then following it to the Blue Trail. Turn left on Blue and continue until you see the signed entrance to Jackhammer on the right.

The trail traverses a rugged, south-facing ridgeline and is both physically and technically demanding. Riders will encounter several short, punchy climbs that were intentionally incorporated to weave around massive rock outcroppings instead of blasting through or disturbing them. There are also a handful of sections where most riders will choose to hike their bike. The reward is a level of solitude, rugged beauty, and technical riding rarely found so close to a major metropolitan area. If smooth, flowing XC trails are your preference, Jackhammer may not be your favorite ride. But if you enjoy exploring challenging terrain and don’t mind earning your adventure, you’ll find an experience that feels more like a remote wilderness than a city park. Because the trail follows an exposed south-facing ridge with no bailout routes, riders should be prepared for the additional challenge of Alabama’s summer heat.

From the beginning, BUMP envisioned Jackhammer as something different from the rest of Oak Mountain’s trail network. The goal wasn’t simply to build another trail, but to create an experience that captured the feeling of riding deep in a remote mountain wilderness while remaining only minutes from downtown Birmingham. The rugged ridgeline presented significant design and construction challenges, and Trail Visions was awarded the construction contract. We challenged Mike and his crew to bring that vision to life by creating the kind of raw, backcountry riding experience usually reserved for much larger wilderness areas. As always, they embraced the challenge with exceptional craftsmanship and determination, delivering a trail that is every bit as beautiful as it is demanding.

As the project evolved, our ambitions exceeded the available construction budget. To complete the connection between Oak Mountain’s original bike loop and the Belcher Property via Jackhammer, two short sections of the Blue Trail and Orange/Blue Connector were converted to multi-use trails. That small modification created a seamless connection while preserving the overall vision for the trail network.

The opening of Jackhammer also marks the successful completion of the Innovate Alabama Trail Project, one of the most transformative trail investments in Oak Mountain State Park’s history. The project included the construction of Jackhammer, Roman Road, three gravity trails—Valhalla, Rodeo Clown, and Fish Whistle—along with the new Oak Mountain Skills Park. Together, these additions have expanded Oak Mountain’s appeal to riders of every discipline and significantly elevated the park’s standing as a mountain bike destination.

From its inception, the project was designed to position Oak Mountain State Park for International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) Silver-Level Ride Center designation. Every trail and facility included in the project was intentionally selected to broaden the riding experience, diversify the park’s trail offerings, and align Oak Mountain with the qualities found at nationally recognized mountain bike destinations.

During the course of construction, however, IMBA announced that it would be retooling the Ride Center program and temporarily paused new evaluations while developing updated designation criteria. Although the Innovate Alabama Trail Project is now complete, we are still waiting for IMBA to release the new evaluation metrics before Oak Mountain can be considered under the revised program. Regardless of when that process resumes, we believe this project has already accomplished its most important objective: creating one of the most diverse and memorable mountain biking experiences in the Southeast.

Like Jackhammer, the project required creativity and collaboration to overcome budget limitations. Funding did not fully cover construction of Valhalla, so BUMP volunteers built the upper technical section, while the lower portion became a joint effort between BUMP volunteers and the Shelby County Trail Builders. Trail Visions constructed Jackhammer, Roman Road, Rodeo Clown, and Fish Whistle, while Flow Motion was selected to build the Oak Mountain Skills Park.

Projects of this scale are never accomplished by a single organization. This effort represents an incredible partnership between Shelby County, BUMP, Innovate Alabama, Trail Visions, Flow Motion, and  the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Their collective investment has transformed Oak Mountain into a destination that offers everything from beginner progression features and gravity trails to technical backcountry adventures.

While we look forward to IMBA releasing its updated Ride Center criteria, this project has already changed what is possible at Oak Mountain State Park. Whether you’re riding gravity trails, developing new skills in the Skills Park, exploring the backcountry on Jackhammer, or linking together an epic cross-country ride, the Innovate Alabama Trail Project has created experiences that simply didn’t exist a few years ago.

To everyone who helped make this vision a reality—our volunteers, contractors, funding partners, land managers, and agency partners—thank you. We can’t wait to see riders experience everything this project has to offer.

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This free event (excluding park entry) is designed to introduce new riders to adaptive mountain biking while also creating opportunities for experienced riders to build skills and confidence on the trail.

This event like all of our events will be staffed entirely by volunteers.  Volunteers will need to take a short training class Friday evening to become acquainted with the adaptive bikes and find out what to expect.  We’ll have opportunities to help out Saturday and Sunday  and you’ll mostly be riding along with adaptive riders as support and possibly guides.  We’ll need 10 or so people each day to pull this off.  We’ll be grilling lunch and I believe Catalyst provides a T shirt to volunteers.  Please create an account here and sign up to support this cool new event.

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In 2021, Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers (BUMP) had a big idea—but very few answers. The concept of building a mountain bike skills park was exciting, but at the time, the organization had little clarity on what a true skills park should include or how to bring one to life. What BUMP did have was curiosity, persistence, and a belief that Birmingham deserved world-class mountain bike infrastructure.

Learning What a Skills Park Could Be

The first step was education. BUMP began researching skills parks across the country and reaching out to professional designers and builders to better understand best practices. The goal was to learn not only what made a skills park successful, but how to design one that would be inclusive, progressive, and valuable for riders of all abilities.

That learning process took a major step forward in early 2022, when BUMP was accepted into the IMBA Dig In Program. Through this program, BUMP was able to crowdsource funding to commission a professional skills park design and cost proposal. The effort was strengthened by a $2,000 matching grant from Shimano, giving the project its first real financial momentum.

Chasing Funding and Building Momentum

Armed with a professional design and a clear construction estimate, BUMP applied for Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funding in both 2023 and 2024. Despite strong applications, the project was not selected in either funding cycle.

Rather than shelving the idea, BUMP doubled down. The organization continued to share the skills park proposal with anyone willing to look—local leaders, partners, park advocates, and potential funders—believing that the right opportunity would eventually emerge.

The Breakthrough

That opportunity arrived in 2024. Representatives from Oak Mountain State Park (OMSP) informed BUMP that a group was interested in investing in a large-scale project within one of Alabama’s state parks. They asked to present the skills park concept as part of that vision.

The potential investor turned out to be Innovate Alabama, and the result exceeded expectations. Innovate Alabama selected the skills park as a cornerstone of a much larger initiative aimed at elevating Oak Mountain State Park toward an IMBA Silver-Level Ride Center designation.

From Concept to Construction

Once funding was secured, Shelby County stepped in to lead the overall project. BUMP served as the mountain bike subject-matter experts and consultants, ensuring the park would meet the needs of riders and align with national standards.

The skills park design and engineering drawings were completed by American Ramp Company, bringing technical precision and progression-based design to the project. Construction and installation were awarded to FlowMotion, whose team transformed the plans into a fully realized, ride-ready facility.

A Milestone Moment

On December 2, 2025, the journey came full circle with a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of the new skills park. What began in 2021 as an ambitious idea—without a clear roadmap—had become a permanent, community-serving asset.

The BUMP skills park stands as a testament to persistence, partnership, and the power of sharing a vision until the right collaborators step forward. More than a collection of features and trails, it represents years of learning, advocacy, and belief in what mountain biking can bring to a community.

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If you didn’t make it to the meeting, the vote passed and we have purchased a mini skid steer to help us with building and maintenance at Tannehill and the other parks we service.  Nov 2 we have our first workday planned out there to begin clearing the corridor for phase 1 of the build.  We plan to build the first 3 phases of the expansion which would add about 8 miles of trail to Tannehill.  We are applying for grant funding to fund the final phase that would connect the trail system back into Farley Field.  Until we get that funding the loop can be closed by use of the access road next to the maintenance facility that leads back into the most recent Forever Wild Acquisition. We are currently looking for sponsorship and material donations to assist us in completing phase 1-3 of the build.  Sponsorship in the form of monetary donations, trail building equipment, bridge building materials, and signage are all critical to the project.  If you think you can help with any of these or know someone who can please let us know.  We are also evaluating some of the abandoned horse trails on the property to see if they can be modified to be more bike friendly in the future.  All of the approved trails are shown on the map in dotted lines.  Phase 1 is in dark blue, Phase 2 and 3 are shown in orange and purple.  Phase 4 is shown in light blue.  If you want to look at the full proposal from the meeting you can find it here.

Download the proposal

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Admission Cost: $35 can be purchased here or on site

Cost (includes event admission)

Level 1 $60

Level 2 $60

Level 1 and 2 $100

Beginner 9-11: Participants should arrive by 8:45 to check-in and create name plates. The clinic starts at 9 with an overview of bike and gear checks to perform before every ride.

We will be covering the basics: Shifting, braking, body/bike positioning, and more before heading out to practice your new skills on the Lake trail.

It is preferred that clinic participants should be in flat pedals (not clipped in) and all participants must wear a helmet.

Intermediate 12-2: It is preferred that intermediate participants have had a beginner’s skills clinic prior to the intermediate skills clinic.

Participants should arrive by 11:45 to check-in and create name plates. The clinic starts at 12 with an overview of bike and gear checks to perform before every ride, including suspension setup.

Skills covered will include wheel lifts, roll-downs, cornering, switchbacks, and more. Riders should be comfortable riding all blue trails at Oak Mountain State Park and be ready to start tackling specifics such as Seven Bridges and possibly Garrets Gulch, time permitting. Intermediate riders should ride in either flat pedals or clipless, whichever they most typically prefer to ride in.

Tie Dye Station

We’ll setup the tie dye station from roughly 2:30 until 5.  You purchase a white BUMP T shirt and we’ll provide the materials and training to die your own shirt.

Short Track Race

The short track race will start around 3:30 pm.  It’s a spectator friendly lap around the South Trail Head with some optional new features added in.

Entertainment

Band Goes on Stage at 5pm at the South Trailhead.

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With some big support from Intense, Cane Creek, and Industry Nine; we’ve put together another incredible sweepstakes bike.  Click here to find out more.

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Our Membership is still hovering just below 500 but I’m sure we’ll make it next year.

Financially we managed to make a couple thousand dollars while still completing a number of large projects.  Those projects include purchasing a timing system, resurfacing Bloodrock, resurfacing Lightning, and Rebuilding our Website.

We managed to put on the most profitable and most fun Bump N Grind that anyone I know can remember.  The success of the event was largely due to the 87 volunteers that put our 923 volunteer hours on that weekend.

Speaking of volunteers, our top volunteers for 2023 were:
Scott Pruitt, Eric Hagan, Michael Lee, Jeff Palmer, Ken Blackwood, Hunter Nobles, Fletcher Scott, Leo Henry, George Ford, and Freddie Delchamps.

Our 2024 Board will be:
Chase Draper, Will Abner, Reagan Pennock, Jacob Tubbs, Butch White, Scott Pruitt, and Freddie Delchamps

Notable additions to the 2024 event Calendar will be the Sorba Fall Conference/Fall Festival on Oct 4-5 and the return of the Oak Ass Epic on Nov 16.

Bump N Grind XXX will be June 7-9 and the Alz Bike a Thon will be Oct 19.

Thanks to everyone who donated or volunteered in 2023, you made it all possible.

We have several large opportunities coming our way next year, it is a great time to be a BUMP member.

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