Category Archives: Trails

Storyteller – the new double black diamond trail at Oak Mountain State Park

Storyteller was initially planned to be cut at the same time as Thunder. Thunder as it exists now was meant to be the easier of 2 options down the mountain. The rumors circulating at the time were that only a few people would be able to ride the hard line down the mountain. Due to the cost and difficulty of the build the second line was dropped at the time and fell off the radar for several years. However, the dream was kept alive by a few people who saw how special it could be.

In February of 2021 we reflagged and resubmitted the second line for approval to the state park. Approval to move forward was granted July 2nd , and on the morning of July 17th we hit the trail at 730 am and began cutting our new trail. Over the summer numerous volunteers came out to lend a hand digging, moving rocks, and clearing brush. On October 9th, after several hundred volunteer hours and about 30 yellow jacket stings later the trail was completed. The final product is roughly 1 mile long with about 500 ft of elevation drop. This trail is the only big mountain down hill trail in the state of Alabama with numerous steep rolls, mandatory drops, and tons of off camber sections.

The Name

Storyteller Overland is a Birmingham based manufacturer of overlanding adventure vans. They have been sponsors of past Bump N Grind races, and great supporters of the BUMP mission. In their quest to promote community and the spirit of adventure, Storyteller Overland has donated generously to help us continue our work in the Birmingham mountain biking community. We are incredibly appreciative of their support and believe the name “Storyteller” is a perfect match for our new trail at Oak Mountain State Park.

/Written by Chase Draper/

SLINGSHOT -BUMP’s Newest Trail at Oak Mountain

The ribbon cutting for highly anticipated new trail at Oak Mountain State Park took place on May 6, 2021.

Thank you to the many people who were involved to make this trail happen. Kelly Ezell and Oak Mountain State Park, Chad Scroggins and Shelby County, BUMP members and Board led by Jeff Rozycki, and our trail builder Barry Smith with Barry Smith Trails.

Slingshot is over 3 miles long and rated as intermediate skill level trail. It is very scenic, has fun flow, berms and a long skinny to practice your skills.

Let’s ride, it’s new trail day! Share your pictures with us by tagging them with #slingshotOM on social media.

Slingshot on Trailforks.com



New Trail Alert

NEW TRAIL Alert: As of April 11, 2021 the new trail at Oak Mountain State Park is still closed for unauthorized users. It needs time to dry and settle, riding it will damage the trail and delay the opening. Trail’s opening day is being planned with park, look for event announcement.

Another trail, Johnston’s Mountain trail is undergoing renovations and currently closed. We have heavy equipment operating on the trail and your presence will hinder their progress and create an unnecessary danger to you.

There are over 20 miles of open trails available to be ridden at Oak Mountain State Park. Enjoy your ride!

July Trail Workday at Oak Mountain State Park

It was a scorching hot Alabama July day but it did not stop our dedicated group of volunteers from coming out for July trail workday. They worked on repairing bridge on the Quarry Road Trail before Pevine road and cleared a section on the Chimneys Trail. Additional work was done on the Pump Track to clear the drains.

We appreciate their commitment and effort and want to thank each one of them:

  • John Goidel
  • Ken Blackwood
  • Freddie Gordon
  • Michelle Browning
  • Eric Hagan
  • Rick Hebson
  • Braxton Bruce
  • Madelyn Roberson
  • Susan Buttler
  • Nicole Martin
  • Blake LeCroy
  • Jeff Rozycki
  • Will Abner

Thanks to Extreme Terrain for sponsoring this work day with a $250 grant from their Clean Trail Grant Initiative Program!  http://www.extremeterrain.com/clean-trail-initiative-program.html

Check our events calendar for next Trail workday. If you are interested to be part of the next Trail Workday, contact us and request to be added to the Trail Workday email list. We would love to have you!

June Trail Workday at Tannehill State Park

Thank you to the small but dedicated BUMP crew that helped show Tannehill State Park trails some love. Volunteers got to run the chainsaw for about 5 hours while clearing downed trees and some “widow makers”. They took care installing a drain on washed out section of trail, deberming sections of trail, put in some new signage and repaired some of the old signage.

We appreciate each volunteer who took time to come today and work on improving the trail system:

  • Roger Lucas
  • Jeff Rozycki
  • Christopher Gruil
  • Stacey Harris
  • Nathan Harris
  • Blake LeCroy
  • Ken Blackwood
  • Reagan Pennock

One more downed tree was reported right as group finished the workday. Jeff drove up access road, then rode into Never Never Land to knock it out and of course, leave the signature mark.

If you are interested to be part of the next Trail Workday, contact us and request to be added to the Trail Workday email list. We would love to have you!

Lightning Trail Updates

Lightning trail at Oak Mountain State Park received several much-needed improvements in the Spring of 2020 thanks to BUMP, Will Abner and Barry Nobles, and the volunteers who helped to carry this project through. Essentially the goal was to resurface the eroded features on the trail and add a few new features along the way. We received different perspectives from riders of all skill levels to make sure the new sections would be fun for “pro” level riders as well as those who are relatively new to the sport.

Everything was built to help riders progress into the features. Some of what has been revamped may look intimidating, but everything has been crafted to be friendly to all skill levels. We hope riders can use this opportunity to help develop their riding.

Lightning now has properly shaped lips on many of the jumps, rebuilt berms and so much more variety, all with a principle of progression applied so you can learn safely. Because of the improvements the character of the trail has changed, and it is also faster. Get familiar with the trail, it’s features, and learn to ride it safely using progression and good judgement.

Lightning is an expert level trail so know your limits as well as your bikes limits, always stay within them, and ride it at your own risk. Control of your bike and your speed is a must. 

Get to know the trail features by watching the great videos below:

Part 1:

Part 2:

If you are interested in volunteering to help in future maintenance please refer to our future work days. The more help BUMP gets maintaining trails, the more time a BUMP can spend doing revamping the current trails.

Next time you are riding Lightning, please keep in mind:

FEATURES YOU WERE ONCE FAMILIAR WITH HAVE BEEN ALTERED.

AS ALWAYS, LOOK FOR CHANGING CONDITIONS ON THE TRAIL. 

IF YOU STOP ON THE TRAIL, PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF THOSE PASSING THROUGH AND GET OUT OF THE WAY.

RIDE WITHIN YOUR LIMITS.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS.

Approximately 50 volunteer hours have been spent revamping Lightning. We hope you enjoy the improvements while learning some new skills.

Please Donate to or Join BUMP to help us continue to Build, Maintain, Preserve, and of course Ride the great trails in the Birmingham area.

If you are interested in volunteering to help BUMP with future trail maintenance projects, please email us at [email protected] to be added to the trail workday email list.

May Trail Workday at Oak Mountain State Park

Our BUMP volunteers came out and worked hard on May Trail Workday at the Oak Mountain State Park that took place on May 9th, 2020. Work was done to address several pressing issues and improve the following trails:

  • Garrett’s Gulch
  • Lake
  • Lightning
  • West Ridge
  • Boulder Ridge
  • Fire Pits

A section of the Lake Trail got a new re-route…. you can’t miss it when you ride there, it is looking as sweet as it is to ride.

A big “Thank You” goes to each one of the volunteers who came out and put the work in to keep our trails fun to ride:

  • Eric Hagan
  • Bruce Martin
  • Leo Henry
  • Ken Blackwood
  • Mark Muro
  • Jacob Ingram
  • Braxton Bruce
  • Eric Tinney
  • Zac Frowine
  • Ethan Tinney
  • Brandon Sanford
  • Christy Sanford
  • Tonia Mora
  • Nick Spain
  • Vaughan Casey
  • Reagan Pennock
  • Will Abner
  • Jeff Rozycki
  • Blake LeCroy

If you are interested to be part of the next Trail Workday, contact us and request to be added to the Trail Workday email list. We would love to have you!

Keeping Trails Fun

Are you going to be riding next year? The following year? The one after? Of course you will be! Your support now means that more and better trails will be there for you when you need them.

Keeping trails fun to ride takes effort, time and resources. BUMP depends on our club members and volunteers. We hold monthly Trail workdays in addition to our designated volunteers cleaning out fallen trees in between the workdays.

When you join BUMP, the majority of your membership dollars are distributed and applied directly to the local efforts through IMBA. Your voice drives national progress and your commitment helps new trails come to life where you live and ride. We would love for everyone who rides local trails that are maintained by BUMP to show your support and appreciation by joining and becoming a member. All it takes is $39/year or $5 per month.

Progress for trails is still happening, even now – be a part of our success.

Join BUMP Now

How To Report Fallen Trees

When you come across a fallen tree, we ask that you report it so it can be properly removed.

See a tree down on trail? To help us find the downed trees on the trails, please use the TrailForks app and write a trail report. Really easy to use and it provides GPS coordinates for us to find it. Please take a picture of the tree (with location services on) with you or your bike next to it so we can tell the size of the tree as well.

Trailforks report

Open TrailForks app, click yellow > sign, click write report, select trail add condition, and add picture from the app.

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