paradise royalParadise Royale, a purpose-built mountain bike trail in California’s King Range National Conservation Area (NCA), will receive $600,000 in federal funding from the 2009 omnibus appropriations bill (H.R.1105), which became law on March 30, 2009, (P.L. 111-8). The appropriation follows years of work by IMBA California Policy Advisor Tom Ward, who lobbied representatives in both the House and Senate.

Joey Klein, a senior trail designer for IMBA, has worked closely with Gary Pritchard-Peterson, manager of the King Range NCA, on the Paradise Royale trail. Pritchard-Peterson came up with the original idea of utilizing two defunct logging roads and potential sections of single-track to create a 14-mile loop, connecting two ominous ridges that overlook the spectacular Lost Coast. “IMBA and Joey changed the way we think about trails,” said Pritchard-Peterson during a grand opening, held last fall. The $600,000 funding will be used to expand the orignal 14-mile loop into a more extensive MTB trail system. More info at imba.com.