Trailblazing in Gahanna's Parks

Gahanna residents team up with Gahanna Parks & Rec to plan the City’s first-ever Mountain Bike Trail

Acollaborative partnership between a group of Gahanna residents and the City’s Department of Parks & Recreation is bringing an exciting and unique new feature to Gahanna’s Academy Park in 2023.

For nearly six years, local mountain biking enthusiasts Kevin McGinn, Chris Irvin and Hugh Ralston have worked with the Department of Parks & Recreation to bring a permanent mountain bike trail to the City.

According to McGinn, the group’s passion for the project truly took shape when they connected with Stephania Bernard-Ferrell, the City’s Director of Parks and Recreation.

“Honestly, it started with: ‘There’s a trail back there, can we just give it a name and tell people it’s for mountain bikes?’” McGinn explained. “That’s all we were looking for, but Stephania saw a little different picture. She put a budget behind it and did things the right way. She helped make it official.”

Bernard-Ferrell notes that the trail has involved important efforts from both parties.

“Chris, Kevin and Hugh came to us first,” she said. “It really was their idea, and it wouldn’t be here without them.”

When the group first approached her with their idea, Bernard-Ferrell was excited to explore possibilities for the trail. She quickly identified the need to evaluate the topography and environmental conditions of the site to ensure that the space would be safe for the trail development and for future users.

Over several years, Bernard-Ferrell and her team worked together with the local residents to visit other mountain bike trails in the region, research the site, and gather input from other organizations on how the trail could be developed. Funding for the project at that time also was a challenge.

“Doing this thing the right way means the trail probably outlives us, and that our kids and even their kids can enjoy it.”

In 2020, the City obtained a grant from MORPC to provide an environmental assessment of the area. Thanks to Issue 12 dollars, capital funding for the project was approved by Gahanna City Council in 2022.

The completed track will be between 2-3 miles in length and will feature a variety of elements like humps, hills, banked turns and more. Work is slated to begin this spring and is expected to be completed later this year.

According to Irvin, when ground breaks and the project is officially underway, it will serve as an important milestone for the trio of Gahanna mountain bikers.

“The day they start turning dirt, we’re going to be super thrilled that this is real, that it’s actually happening,” he said.

McGinn agreed and noted the future benefits of the project. “Doing this thing the right way means the trail probably outlives us, and that our kids and even their kids can enjoy it.”