On Station

Oct 25

Chris Smith looks over the Texas Hill Country at the top of Station Mountain

One of the neat things about Station Mountain in Marble Falls, is that it is about as tall as Spider Mountain, but less steep which is perfect for building long feature packed jump lines. That is exactly what Rhett Jones and a big crew of builders have done… plus a little bit of tech to round things out.

Rhett Jones - Station Mountain Bike Park Founder, Teenager

I had a chance to visit Station Mountain Bike Park twice last month to do a little bit of work and ride with some friends. I admit that I was worried that the park would cater mostly to advanced riders but that is not the case. The longest trail - 75 Hits - has 75 very reasonable intermediate difficulty features that will push progression without breaking anyone. This trail runs the full length of the mountain and will be enough to keep you occupied for a full day. Although I did not get a chance to ride Daponte Run, it is another intermediate trail that looks like it flows beautifully.

For those not looking for jumps, “Berm Park” followed up by “Rhetts Ruts” will be berms the whole way down. The craziest trail that I saw was without a doubt “El Cinco” which begins with some intermediate tech but then quickly escalates with a rock drop into three step downs followed by two gap jumps. I estimate the step downs are 15, 25, and 30’ gaps, and I think the second biggest gap may be 40’. The final jump is about 50’ to the landing. Rhett says there will be 20 trails in total, but don’t expect all of them to be running for opening weekend.

On my second visit I was able to steal about ten minutes to ask Rhett some questions about what is still left to complete before the grand opening ceremony, and what to expect for the big weekend.

While the wind did ruin a fair amount of audio - really wish I packed my mics - I was able to save a fair amount of it. The part that was too noisy to include in the video is included in the transcript below:

Dale Daugherty: When did you first start thinking about the idea for Station Mountain?

Rhett Jones: Well, I first thought about it like two years ago, where I noticed the opportunity to build a park in Texas with all the riders we have. But I didn't really start getting investors and finding property and really start getting to it until January of this year.

DD: To-date, how many hours do you think have gone into this project?

RJ: Hours? Man hours... I think we're at about 800 hours total per week if you add up all the (paid) work and then ten weeks of work, also add in the volunteer hours... probably about 10,000. Yeah, a lot.

DD: How much longer until you open?

RJ: We open in less than three weeks.

DD: And how much do you have to do?

RJ: We have a lot to do. We have a lot of like, just kind of physical handwork to do and things on the computer side. Actually building new trails? We're pretty much done. We're set on that. We more have of an issue with cleaning up the trails right now. The jumps will need a lot of watering and brooming. The tech trails need a lot of clean up like there's pokey branches, there's leaf blowing, brooming, raking. We have to hang up signs and then just the not so fun logistical work such as finding porta-potties. I mean, there's a lot of random tasks like that that we have to do as well.

DD: So if somebody wants to come out here and help, what is the best way for them to go about doing that?

RJ: Best way is just send me a text or a DM. Pretty much anyone is free here, so just show up, come out, build for a bit. No restrictions at all.

DD: What do you expect for opening day? Do you have anything special in the works that you haven't mentioned yet?

RJ: For opening day? Yeah, there's a few things I haven't mentioned. We have some pros coming out. Neko Mulally, who built two of his own parks, pro DH racer. I’m ninety percent on Brad Simms right now. And then we’ll also have some pretty big media outlets and magazines out here like Pinkbike.

DD: You expect a pretty big turnout. What should guests expect for opening weekend?

RJ: They should expect a lot of crowds and long lines, but the biggest mountain bike event in Texas’ history I mean like so many people are going to be out here it will be crazy. The whole Texas scene is going to be here so if you don't show up, you're missing out; but there will be lines so don’t complain about that!

DD: What's your favorite trail?

RJ: Favorite trail? Uh… your mom. Yeah.

DD: Do you think everybody's going to want to ride your mom?

RJ: (laughs) Not everyone! It's like a black tech trail with some ruts in there. Some people that don't like the flow, it's not going to be your jam. It's just a single black trail that's pretty chunky in there. It’s quite tricky, yeah.

DD: Awesome. Thanks, Rhett!

RJ: Thank you!

The park will operate every Friday - Sunday from 9:30am - 4pm with three shuttles that can carry 24 riders along with their bikes. From the very top of the mountain you are treated to far horizon vistas across the hill country and all the way to the lake. The geology and flora is exactly what you would expect in this region, similar to Spider Mountain and RPR. It’s beautiful out there.

Beyond the bike park, there are plans to build a stage/performance venue, a Surron track, BMX trails, and an air bag. There will be both tent and RV camping available as well as an AirBNB, a food truck and refreshments. Dialed Bike Co will also be offering service on site. Daily shuttle passes are $49. Season passes will be sold for the 2024 season and will cost $399.

The opening weekend schedule is below. I am super stoked to see what Rhett and his friends have accomplished with Station Mountain. We are spoiled. I will see y’all out there for opening weekend!