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/

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 info@bump.org to be added to the trail workday email list.

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.

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