Shepherd Mountain Bike Park
We'll be developing a separate website for the park. Progress of the park's development will be made available as well as other notable bits of information.
Current Plans
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Lift tickets and parking will be available in the commercial district of downtown Ironton.
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Shuttles will ferry bikers and bikes to the mountain trailhead.
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Military Hummers will transport bikers to the top.
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A pavilion and restrooms will be available at the mountain.
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Riders will be able to return to Ironton off the mountain via trails that end at to-be-designated city streets.
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Street access will be available to the cities of Pilot Knob and Arcadia.
Construction of Shepherd Mountain Bike Park has begun! All phases of construction of either under way or in the planning phase.
We are currently targeting a Spring 2021 Grand Opening.
For mountain bikers, this will be a great addition to the already existing mountain bike parks in Missouri and Arkansas.
This park has the potential to be one of the premier mountain bike parks in the Midwest, if not the entire country.
Advantages this park will offer:
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Only 90 miles from St. Louis
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600' Elevation
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Great granite rock features throughout
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One green flow trail, one blue flow trail, one blue technical trail, and two black trails, all built by Alex Scott of Jagged Axe Trail Designs.
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It is close to great state parks like Johnson's Shut-Ins, Taum Sauk Mountain and Elephant Rocks.
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Superb kayaking on the St. Francois river.
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Floating, swimming and fishing on the Black River.
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Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site is a 5 minute ride from the mountain.
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Several great restaurants are within a short bike ride.
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Shopping, hotels, B&B's, camping, RV Parks, grocery stores and more, all within a short bike ride!
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Amtrak Service. From Chicago to San Antonio, the Texas Eagle stops in Arcadia Valley two times a day. Riders can literally ride their bike from the station to the MTB Center within five minutes.
Not only will riders have a great park, they'll have access to numerous other outdoor activities that make a multi-day trip worthwhile, including a recently completed Disc Golf Course at the Arcadia Valley Sports Complex.
Plans involve making Arcadia Valley a "full bore" mountain biking community. Once finished riding for the day, bikers will be able ride off the mountain into either Pilot Knob, Ironton or Arcadia.
Phase 2 planning is already underway.
ATTENTION INVESTORS!
Numerous investment and business opportunities will become available as Park construction proceeds. Click HERE for information.
Valley Growth Initiative (with Dave Elkan from Big Mountain Enduro)
Valley Growth Initiative (VGI), a group composed of local business leaders, Chamber of Commerce members, government, residents and members of Gateway Off-Road Cycling (GORC), played a huge role in bringing mountain biking to Arcadia Valley.
From business case development to community presentations and eventual funding approval, VGI displayed the forward thinking attitude to get the project done.
The Ironton Board of Aldermen and Iron County Economic Development also played an indispensable role in making this project a reality. Between the two groups, a mountain was donated and initial funding for the park was provided. Big ShoutOut to these folks!