MOTORCYCLISTS' PLAYGROUND - Oakland Riders Enjoy Exclusive Use of City Park Trail - Motorcyclist - date?

MOTORCYCLISTS' PLAYGROUND

Oakland Riders Enjoy Exclusive Use of City Park Trail

San Leandro Knights MC members McMeans, Barnes, Marino, Hickman and McKinney at entrance to rugged two-mile trail in Oakland.

By Don R. Hammitt
Photos by Jerry Krieger

WHEN directors of East Bay Regional Park began enforcing an old edict. "No motorcycles allowed on. horse trails," representatives of three of the area's oldest motorcycle clubs stepped forward to voice objections. As a result horsemen are happy, cyclists are happy and the large public park north of Oakland, California, has what park directors believe to be the first public park trail for exclusive use of cyclists. 

It was in the interest of safety that park officials made an effort to keep cyclists off the riding paths of the extensive park area. But the rough mountainous trails through groves of redwood trees and underbrush country were too great a challenge for cyclists to resist. Cycles roaring down riding trails caused otherwise sedate horses to bolt and unseat their riders. A serious accident was in the making when the park officials clamped down in an effort to get rid of cyclists.

The mountainous trail is punctuated with sharp switchbacks which keep the riders alert. Course is on city-owned property, and came into being after local clubs asked city officials to supply them. with an area to ride in, so that they wouldn't have to use the horseback riding trails.

Then Wilbur "Bud" Dutot, of Oakland Motorcycle Club, visited Park Director Richard Walpole. "Some people like to ride horses. We like motorcycles. Make a trail for us and we'll stay away from the horse trails."

Park Director Walpole immediately conceded that it sounded like a fair proposal, but projects involving public land and public funds take time. 

John Nelson, of Oakland Acorns, and Art Mattos, representing Oakland Rough-Riders, added the influence of their clubs to the proposal. The result was that the park district bulldozers soon went to work and hacked out two miles of trail through otherwise virgin land.

Jerry Krieger, president of the San Leandro Knights, describes the trail as "Dusty, smooth in spots, rough in spots, a lot of steep up and down, and sharp switchbacks that keep you wide- awake."

For the most part, the trail is about four feet in width. Part of the trail narrows to three feet through heavy brush.

"Some of the hills can be climbed only with class A traction. Some we climbed with class C traction, and there are a couple of climbing hills off the main trail that require chains. "The trail is good training for endurance runs and beginners at hill-climbing. During the winter it will be good training for mud runs.

"The San Leandro Knights are planning to sponsor a Field Meet on the new trail in the early summer of 1955." Krieger said.

East Bay Regional Park district, pleased with the acceptance of the public cycle trail, is now making plans to build a club house for use of cycle groups near start of the trail.

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