Holman Family Bike Park Reopens With a New Paved Pump Track

The Robert & Robin Holman Family Bike Park reopened on August 31, and it's not the same park the kids left in June. After a summer behind construction fencing, Incline Village's free community bike park now has the one thing its original plans called for but never got: an advanced pump track. It's paved, it's fast, and early reviews from local riders are very good.

If you've driven past the Recreation Center this summer and wondered what was happening back in the trees, here's the full story.

What's new

A pump track is a loop of banked turns and rollers that you ride without pedaling. You keep your speed by pushing the bike down into each dip and pulling it up over each crest. It's one of the best ways to build bike handling, and it's the kind of thing a kid will happily lap for an hour.

The park has had a beginner pump track since it opened, but the larger, more advanced one in the original 2016 design was never built. Phase II built it. The new track is paved rather than dirt. Trailforks lists it as a "Large Pump Track" about 690 feet long, with a blue (intermediate) rating.

The summer work also went beyond the new track. IVGID's scope included rebuilding the jump lines on the original Phase I flow track. Local riders on Trailforks report that the park was fully rebuilt and now has permanent irrigation to keep the dust down. Anyone who has ridden Tahoe dirt in late August knows how welcome that is.

A long time coming

The park started with the Incline Bike Project, a group of local volunteers who began pushing for a community bike park in 2014. IVGID completed the design in 2016, and Phase I opened in 2017, with fundraising support through the nonprofit Incline Tahoe Foundation. The advanced pump track was always meant to come next.

It took a while. An earlier bidding round came in far above the district's own estimate, and the project sat on the shelf for years. IVGID's board approved Phase II in December 2025. The district's bid documents estimated the base bid at roughly $297,000, and American Ramp Company, a builder known for pump tracks across the country, is listed as the contractor. Construction closed the park in mid-June, and it reopened right on schedule at the end of August.

Know before you go

• Where: Between the Tennis Center and Incline Way. Park and use the restrooms at the Incline Village Recreation Center, 980 Incline Way.

• When: Daylight hours. The park is weather dependent and closes for rain, snow, and maintenance.

• Cost: Free, for all ages and skill levels.

• Helmets are required. No exceptions, including on the pump track.

• No e-bikes. IVGID specifically prohibits e-bikes at the park, including Sur-Ron and Super73-style models.

• Watch for short closures this fall. IVGID says to expect intermittent closures later in the season while crews finish landscaping. Check the park page before you load up the car.

Pump track manners, briefly

A crowded pump track works because everyone takes turns. Wait at the start until the rider ahead is well into the loop, and ride in the posted direction. If you fall, get yourself and your bike off the track quickly. Parents of little riders: the beginner track is still there, so start them there before moving to the new big loop.

It's still riding season. Here's where to go next

Early fall is some of the best riding of the year around the lake: cooler temperatures, thinner crowds, and golden aspens coming soon. If the pump track gets your family itching to ride further, these are the resources locals use.

• Tahoe Bike Map from the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition. It's the most complete map of paved paths and bike routes around the lake, including the Tahoe East Shore Trail from Incline Village to Sand Harbor. It's a good starting point for families who aren't ready for dirt.

• Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition bike safety tips. A quick refresher on riding with traffic, hand signals, and lights. Both Nevada and California law require lights and reflectors if you ride after dark, and the sun sets earlier every week this time of year.

• TAMBA trail conditions. The Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association posts trail updates and maintenance closures, drawing on rider reports from Trailforks. Check it before you drive to a trailhead.

• Tahoe Rim Trail Association mountain biking guide. It covers which sections of the Rim Trail are open to bikes. One rule matters most in Incline: land managers ask bikers to ride between Tahoe Meadows and Tunnel Creek Road only on even-numbered calendar days. E-bikes aren't allowed on most of the Rim Trail.

• IMBA Ride Vibes. The International Mountain Bicycling Association's trail etiquette guide. In short: yield to hikers and horses, stay in control around blind corners, skip muddy trails, and leave the earbuds at home.

And don't forget to shop local, while Village Ski Loft may be thinking about the upcoming ski season, they are in the middle of shoulder season stoke with a full supply of gear, repair services, and both electric and non-electric bikes for rent. Try out the pump track on a rented mountain bike to see if you get hooked. 

See you at the park

The pump track is open and the weather is holding, so this is a good month to go ride it. If you're thinking about a move to Incline Village and want a town where free, well-built amenities like this are part of everyday life, Inside Incline can help you find the right fit.

Casa Tua, “your home,” is Incline Village’s boutique luxury real estate brokerage. Curated by Founder Sabrina Belleci, formerly of RE/MAX North Lake, Casa Tua brings the same trusted team our clients know under a brand built specifically for how they live: intentional, design driven, and deeply connected to place. We don’t just sell homes. We help our clients build legacies at Lake Tahoe.