A 49-acre approximately $4 million expansion to Big Sky Park on Bend’s eastern edge would add parking and facilities for fast-growing sports in Central Oregon.

A centerpiece of the upgrade is a bike park for cyclocross riders and other cyclists that would be similar to a popular park in Boulder, Colorado. The plan also includes provisions for rugby and lacrosse, said Perry Brooks, landscape architect for Bend Park & Recreation District.

“We’re trying to really respond to the changing recreation needs of the community,” Brooks said.

The bike park would bring a variety of trails to an undeveloped parcel of land on the northern edge of the park, which is at the intersection of Hamby and Neff roads east of Bend’s urban growth boundary.

The proposal includes slope-style trails, obstacle courses and a “pump track,” a compact section of trail where riders use their legs to pump their bikes rather than pedaling, said Woody Keen, a member of Central Oregon Trail Alliance.

While smaller, private bike parks exist elsewhere in Central Oregon, Keen, a cycling enthusiast whose company, Trail Dynamics, has designed bike parks in around 20 states and Canadian provinces, said having an option on Bend’s east side will help the sport’s growing local talent pipeline.

“This is basically a whitewater park for bicyclists,” Keen said.

Big Sky Park opened about two decades ago, and Brooks said it was designed to provide space for baseball, soccer and football practices on Bend’s east side. The park also features a BMX track that’s operated by the local volunteer group High Desert BMX.

Matt Nelson, track operator for High Desert BMX, said the group holds events at Big Sky Park from April through October, and the group has developed several well-regarded riders. Olivia Armstrong, ranked No. 1 in the world by BMX USA, learned to ride at Big Sky Park, Nelson said.

The park district revised its master plan for Big Sky Park in 2017, after receiving input from the community, Brooks said. The project’s price tag of approximately $4.3 million will be funded through property taxes and system development charges, he said.

Keen said the bike park began to move forward in earnest after Brooks came on board last year. Coincidentally, Brooks and Keen worked together in the past, when they both played a role in designing Valmont Bike Park, a 42-acre park in Boulder, Colorado, during Brooks’ time working for the city of Boulder.

Valmont Park opened in 2011 as an extension of Valmont City Park in Northeast Boulder, according to Denise White, communication specialist for the city of Boulder. The park receives about 40,000 visitors a year, about three-quarters of whom are from Boulder or nearby Denver, White wrote in an email.

In Boulder, a bike-friendly community with demographics similar to Bend, Valmont has emerged as one of the city’s most popular pieces of public infrastructure, Brooks said .

“Providing a style of riding that you might not find on, say, (U.S.) Forest Service property is key,” Keen said.

In Bend, the expanded portion of Big Sky Park will feature options for beginning and professional riders with a series of slope-style trails connected to a starting plaza, Brooks said. A skills course with varying levels of difficulty and areas for jumps and trials are included in the proposal. Brooks emphasized that the park district would use elements of the natural landscape where possible.

“We have a really light touch on the design elements,” Brooks said.

The project has drawn the attention of several neighbors in the Quail Ridge subdivision across Hamby Road from the park who are concerned that the expansion could add amplified sound to the park.

Pat Brown, who lives on Quail Ridge Road, said he was happy with the project overall, but added that the sounds that accompany the track are audible on his property, saying he’s had issues with noise and amplified announcements in the past.

“I think the expansion’s fine; it just has to be done in a way that’s considerate to the people who live here,” Brown said.

Paul Hewes, president of High Desert BMX, said the organization sought permission from the park district to add amplified sound to make announcements during large events. The current proposal doesn’t permit it, but that could change in the future, he said.

Brooks said he hopes the park can break ground by late fall, and he expects it to be complete by 2019.

—Reporter: 541-617-7818, shamway@bendbulletin.com