Trail closure construction updates at bottom of page.
(As of September 25, the entire system is open. The improvement work has finished!)
The Fairbanks Cycle Club and Goldstream Sports plan to make big improvements to the Ester Dome Singletrack Trail System in August 2025 and we need your help!
The FCC, working with Goldstream Sports, won a $143,000 Recreational Trails Program grant for the work, but we need to provide about $16,000 in match funding. Any donation, large or small, will help. (See how to donate below.)
The work will consist of two parts:
- Refurbishing the existing trail tread, including corners.
- Adding mountain biking features to make the trails more interesting.
Refurbishing the Existing Trail Tread
The original trails were built between 2009 and 2011, in a joint project with Goldstream Sports and Alaska Trails, along with other partners, including the FCC. Since then, volunteers have kept the trails in good shape, but use and erosion have made some parts of the trails rough, including some corners. Also, tree roots have intruded into the trail in other areas. There's only so much that volunteers with hand tools can do.
With this grant we will hire a professional company -- Happy Trails, owned by Fairbanksan Jon Underwood -- to get the trails back in shape. Work will include mitigating encroaching tree roots and adding or improving drainage features to reduce water pooling and erosion.
Mountain Biking Features
Happy Trails will also be installing features for bikers who like technical challenges. (All features will have go-arounds so they can be avoided by people who don't like such challenges.) Features will include:
- Drops up to three feet high
- Rocky technical portions
- Low log rides (three feet or less off the ground)
- Table top jumps
Donate
If you support this project, please donate. You can donate several ways:
- Pay online via PayPal or credit card HERE.
- Pay online via the FCC Wild Apricot membership page HERE. (Handy for FCC members.)
- Send a check to:
Fairbanks Cycle Club
P.O. Box 82136
Fairbanks, AK 99708
Unfortunately, donations to the FCC are not tax deductible because of our particular nonprofit status. If you would like to have your donation be tax deductible, please donate through the Interior Alaska Trails and Parks Foundation. (The group does not have an online donation option, but you can send checks. Please include a note such as: "For 2025 Ester Dome Singletrack Trails Improvements.")
Interior Alaska Trails and Parks Foundation
P.O. Box 81147
Fairbanks, Alaska 99708
FREE FRIDAY SHUTTLE RIDES
You can also join in on one of the Friday shuttle rides hosted by Goldstream Sports. Donations are accepted at the rides, which include a free BBQ and treats. The shuttles start at 6 pm and will continue until it gets too dark. Call the shop for more information: (907) 455-6520. (Note: Rides are sometimes canceled if rain has made the trails too muddy and soft. See the Goldstream Sports Facebook page for updates or call the shop.)
A Benefit for Many
While much of this work is aimed at improving the Ester Dome Singletrack experience for mountain bikers, the refurbishment work will benefit more than just bikers. Others who will benefit include:
- Hikers: Many hikers, including dog walkers, enjoy the trails. All Trails, a top hiking app, lists the Inner and Outer loop trails of the Ester Dome Singletrack System in the top 10 Fairbanks trails.
- Runners: Strava, a popular athlete app, lists the the Ester Dome Singletrack Trails as one of the top trail running routes in Alaska. (A portion of the Equinox Marathon route uses a portion of the Ester Dome Singletrack Trails.)
- Winter users: Over the years the trails have become popular with a variety of winter trail users, including fatbikers, walkers, runners, and snowshoers. Goldstream Sports has started grooming the trails, asking only for donations.
A Benefit to the Community
In addition to benefiting individual users, the Ester Dome Singletrack Trail System, as part of the greater Fairbanks trail network, benefits the entire Fairbanks area community in several ways:
- Community health: Getting outdoors and exercising helps improve our physical and mental health. A healthier and happier population reduces community health care costs and makes a community a more enjoyable place to live.
- Social cohesion: Trails give people a place to gather for healthy, outdoor activities. The Fairbanks area has many groups who get together regularly for outdoor activities on trails.
- Retail sales: Outdoor enthusiasts need to keep themselves supplied with equipment, parts, and supplies.
- Visitor industry: Trails help draw visitors to the Fairbanks area and give them that special Alaska outdoors experience. The longer visitors stay, the more they will partake of our amenities, such as lodging, restaurants, supplies, and services.
High Benefit, Low Cost
Trails have so many economic, health, and social benefits. And our trails are free to use for the public, making them available to almost everyone. Compared to other facilities, trails are cheap to maintain. But they do require some investment. We have to keep them in shape in order for people to use them. By working together, we can keep the Ester Dome Singletrack Trails System one of the top trail systems in Alaska, providing many benefits at a low cost and with almost no barriers.
Thank you for your support!
Future Possibilities
The FCC and Goldstream Sports are working on a concept to bring technical, one-way downhill trails to the Ester Dome Singletrack Trail System. These would be separate from the existing trails, though they would intersect at times (with good signage). The idea would be to create trails for people seeking bigger challenges while leaving the original trails for the beginner-intermediate riders that they were designed for.
Trail Construction Closure Updates
Construction of this project began on Monday, 11 August 2025. During this process portions of the trail, including the entrances from St. Patrick and Henderson roads, will be closed to protect trail users and trail workers. Updates on closed sections will be posted here, on the Ester Dome Singletrack Facebook page, and at the trailhead kiosk just down the trail from the parking lot on Ester Dome Road.
Closure updates will refer to the following map:
09/26/2025
All segments of the Singletrack are OPEN... its a wrap!!!
Huge thanks to our contractor, Happy Trails (Jon, Kevin, Abbie, Ryan, Ethan), Goldstream Sports ( Joel & his crew), and the Fairbanks Cycle Club, and Goldstream Sports!
And all those who have given donations to meet the match and the extensions.
Funded by FHWA/RTP funds!
09/25/2025
All segments, except 9, will be open Thursday! We're wrapping it up folks, have patience. This is a different trail... PreRide-ReRide-FreeRide!
09/11/2025
Segment 6 is now open but there is one berm/climbing turn that is still hardening up… it's marked w/ pin flags… take it easy! The northern section of Segment 7, between the kiosk and the Equinox Trail, is now closed because of active work, but the southern section of Segment 7 is open and 'good to go' to St. Patricks! The Equinox Trail is open and will not be closed or worked on. All other segments of the Singletrack are OPEN and also good to go!
09/09/2025
Segment 6 is now open but there is one berm/climbing turn that the contractor is still working on... its marked w/ pin flags The southern section of Segment 7, between the Inner-Outer Cutoff and St. Patricks, is still closed because of active work, but the northern section of Segment 7 is open and 'good to go' to St. Patricks!
All other segments of the the Singletrack are OPEN and also good to go!
09/05/2025
Segment 6 and the southern section of Segment 7, between the Inner-Outer Cutoff and St. Patricks, are closed because of the recent rains (let's let those new features harden!), but the northern section of Segment 7 is open and 'good to go' to St. Patricks!
All other segments of the Singletrack are OPEN and good to go!
Remember... Preride, Reride, Freeride!
09/02/2025
Work continues on the Singletrack and Segment 6 will be closed for the next few days. All other segments are open.
08/28/2025
All segments are open Friday - Monday. Work, and rolling segment closures, will resume on Tuesday, after the holiday.
While all segments of the Singletrack are open through Tuesday, please be aware of the wet conditions! While the new features have been compacted, they have not fully settled and are susceptible to rutting.
Unworked Segments 6-10 are more hardened and resistant.
Pre-Ride, Re-Ride, FreeRide. One section in Segment 6 is a bit rough... caution. Signs for prominent features to be placed over the weekend
08/27/2025
Segment 4 remains closed as the features continue to dry and compact. Segment 5 is closed as the excavators are still working there. All other Segments of the trail system are OPEN! New features on Segments 1, 2, & 3… so ride conservatively until you know it!
08/25/2025
Segment 4 remains closed as the features dry out and finish work is completed. Segment 5 is now closed as the excavators begin work there.
Please be considerate of the new features when its wet... while we have compacted them with a plate compactor, they still need to settle in over time.
08/22/20256
Segment 4 remains closed Friday - Monday while work continues. Ride safely as new features have been constructed on Segments 1, 2 & 3!
08/21/2025
Segment 3 is open and ready to be ridden. Segment 4 is closed.
08-20-2025
Happy Trails is moving onto the next area. Today, both Segments 3 & 4 will be closed.
08-18-2025
Segment 3 will be closed Monday and remain closed till the next update. We will post and update as soon as we move on to the next segment.
08-15-2025
All trail segments will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Segment 3 will close for repairs on Monday. Recommended flow is to the right after the Drop-In from Henderson Rd. Be cautious… features have changed. See previous closed trail maps if you want to find the new features.
08/14/2025
Today the segment of trail closed is the Henderson Drop In and the turning to the right at the intersection at the bottom of it.
The plan is for trail to be fully open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Work will begin again Monday.
08/11/2025
Xs mark the closed trail portions being worked on.
