Client: City of Lebanon Parks Department

Scope: After receiving the Clean Ohio Trails Fund grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the City of Lebanon was able to purchase 55-acres of wooded property adjacent to the established bike park with pump tracks, bike skills area, jump lines and a couple of miles of beginner friendly mountain bike trails. We were contracted to design and build four miles of mountain bike-specific trails with intermediate to difficult riding features peppered throughout the system to encourage newer riders to increase their skills and advanced riders to utilize their expertise. The increased elevation of this property allowed us to build gravity-fueled downhill trails with jumps, big berms and tabletops along with sinuous singletrack incorporating bridges over drainages for a smooth riding experience. The mountain bike trail expansion continues to get rave reviews as users travel from all over the region to experience this multilevel skills bike park that was once a landfill.

Clients: Private Property Landowners

Scope: In addition to collaborating with public landowners, we meet the trail needs of private property owners. We’ve designed and built special, customized trails ranging from a simple, economical, natural surface path to connect - without using expensive stairs - a main house and a garage to trail networks in backyards, vacation properties and campuses. (We’ve intentionally withheld specific names and other details about these projects to respect the privacy of these clients.)

Client: Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Southeast Indiana Mountain Bike Association

Scope: We were contracted to build five miles of beginner friendly trails to add to the park’s mountain bike system which already boasts over 20 miles. We built an enticing undulating singletrack that can be enjoyed in either direction while also adhering to the DNR’s approved corridor to protect sensitive plants. This trail lives up to its name, Potato Peeler, as it hugs the winding ridgeline and hillcrests with varying elevations through the woods.

Client: The Nature Conservancy

Scope: Dirt Artisans teamed up for a second hiking trail project with The Nature Conservancy of Ohio in the 20,000-acre Edge of Appalachia Preserve System located in southern Ohio. This trail is a 1.5 mile natural surface trail that winds along a gorge with 70 foot high cliffs and ends at a 15 foot waterfall named Cedar Falls. To protect a fragile plant community along a section of this trail, we carefully bypassed this area with our machines and equipment and then continued building further down the trail. The Nature Conservancy wanted a platform constructed at the falls for hikers viewing enjoyment and safety. They mandated stamped structural engineering drawings with a geotechnical survey for the platform which we obtained and managed. We brought in the wood, cement and other needed materials and created and installed the concrete piers. We then built the wooden deck structure with a sturdy platform, steps, railings and bench for years of use to view and safely enjoy the beautiful Cedar Falls.

Read more about this Preserve System

Client: City of Covington Parks & Recreation and Rivers Breeze Condominium Community

Scope: Residents of a condominium community wanted a walking path from their property into a nearby park which was up a steep hill that was bordered by the park golf course and a road. They networked with the city to hire us to design and build the path which they wanted wide enough for easy passage of walkers and wheeled carriers. To manage the hillside runoff we elevated the tread two to three feet above the adjacent finished grade by harvesting soil from areas next to the trail and adding culverts to allow water to flow under the trail. The condominium members now enjoy safer access to recreational opportunities in the park including hiking and biking trails, museum, event centers and scenic overlooks of the Greater Cincinnati skyline and Ohio River.