Breathing Fire into Youth & Beginner Mountain Biking

On May 17, 2025 the City of Winston Salem Recreation and Parks held a grand opening to celebrate the completion of FORBA’s newest machine built trail system (Dragon’s Lair) at Salem Lake.  Lake personnel, FORBA volunteers, and board members were present to share information about the trail system as well as offer assistance to parents and their children as they explored Dragon’s Belly and Dragon’s Tooth donning brand new helmets provided by WS Recreation and Parks.  Young children on strider and pedal bikes enjoyed short loops of Dragon’s Belly (built by Tony McGee at Round Rock Trail Design) while others took on the more challenging loop of Dragon’s Tooth (built by Jake Easter at FORBA).  For many it was their very first adventure riding their bike in the woods on trails specifically designed with turns, berms and rollers!  Yet, some seemed like seasoned pros when each loop on Dragon’s Tooth was completed even faster than the loop before. As parents rode with their kids, the chatter and laughter heard through the woods seemed like the perfect backdrop for the day.  

FORBA’s vision for Dragon’s Lair in collaboration with the City of Winston Salem and Round Rock Trail Design began long before the mini excavator scooped the first bucket of dirt on Dragon’s Tooth (named after some large toothlike stones that were discovered on sight) in the summer of 2024. That vision was to build two sustainable loops, geared specifically to youth and beginner mountain bikers that could be easily accessed from the small gravel lot which is located on the right before reaching the main lot at Salem Lake. The build on Dragon’s Tooth and Dragon’s Belly took all of the summer/early fall of 2024 and is complete because of  numerous volunteer work days and thanks to funds provided by FORBA members and generous donors. With spiffy signage and a seating area allowing parents to watch their kids have a blast riding bikes, FORBA’s vision for this space became a reality in the spring of 2025!!