Trailforks Trail of the Month: Ken Burton Trail
Ken Burton Trail, Brown Mountain, Los Angeles County, California
Photo by Shanti Colangelo-Curran
For almost 7 years, the Ken Burton trail was closed due to damage sustained by the 2009 Station Fire which devastated the Angeles National Forest in Southern California. The Mount Wilson Bicycle Association (MWBA), the Concerned Off Road Bicyclists Association (CORBA), and the United States Forest Service (USFS) are proud to announce the recent grand reopening of the Ken Burton Trail, May’s Trailforks Trail of the Month.
In 1985, Ken Burton was struck and killed by a drunk driver while on duty as a Battalion Chief for the USFS Fire Department. Will Shaw, a USFS Ranger and good friend of Ken’s, along with the Mount Wilson Bicycle Association (MWBA) proposed a plan to build a multi-use trail in his honor. The proposed route would follow part of a rough trail that Ken and Will frequented on horseback years earlier. In 1991, the USFS granted MWBA permission to build a trail that would connect Brown Mountain Rd to the existing Gabrielino Trail in the Arroyo Seco canyon below.
Ken Burton, Battalion Chief with the USFS Fire Department.
Over the next 3 years, MWBA volunteers spent countless hours constructing the 2.7 mile trail. The work was not easy, the terrain was rugged and at times the conditions extreme. Areas of strong granite had to be chipped away to build a trail bed. In other places, long stretches of retaining walls were built to create a sustainable path. Original volunteers remember wearing long sleeves and full pants in the heat of the summer so they could cut through poison oak that in places was over their heads. In April of 1995, all of their hard work paid off. The USFS and MWBA officially opened the trail to the public at a ceremony honoring the late Ken Burton.
 | We had to wear long sleeves and pants to protect us from the poison oak and it was about 102 degrees out. It was especially brutal when we had to climb back out. When we came back about a month later to put the baskets in, even though all the bushes were cut away, there was still poison oak in the dirt and we ending up getting hit by it again.- Hans Keifer MWBA member and original Ken Burton Trail Builder |
Alan Armstrong, Chuck Devore, Sam Juncal, Alan Seims, and Reece Vogel installing the Ken Burton under construction sign.
The Ken Burton Monument on the dedication day.
The original Ken Burton trail build represents a huge success within a time period generally known for trail closures to mountain bikes in California. MWBA volunteers in the 1990s fostered a positive relationship with local USFS land management built upon cooperation, open minds, and hard work. The countless hours spent on trail work and teaching “trail courtesy” laid the foundation for the widespread trail access enjoyed today by mountain bikers in the Angeles National Forest.
2009 Station Fire Photo by Bill Westphal
On August 26, 2009 disaster struck in the Angeles National Forest and no one could predict the devastation that followed. Los Angeles County witnessed the worst wildfire on record, the Station Fire. By the time firefighters extinguished the last of the now famous Station Fire, it had killed 2 firefighters and consumed 160,557 acres (649.75 km2) of land, including a large portion of the Angeles National Forest and home to the Ken Burton Trail. The USFS closed all trails in the burn area until further notice due to safety concerns and to let the forest recover. With all vegetation virtually stripped off the landscape, trails were completely exposed to the forces of nature and the ensuing sediment flows that followed. Little did anyone know the closure of Ken Burton trail would last almost 7 years.
Trail completely overtaken by the overgrowth. Photo by Marc Reusser
BEFORE: working on a very narrow trail area. Photo by Matt Lay, MWBA Trail Boss
AFTER: Wider and better supported with a reinforced wall. Photo by Matt Lay, MWBA Trail Boss
Build days start with a 6-mile grind up Brown Mountain Rd hauling 50lbs of tooling in the BOB Trailers. Photo by Erik Hillard
Fast forward to late 2015. Members of MWBA and CORBA approached the USFS, asking for permission to start the task of resurrecting Ken Burton Trail. A generous grant from REI enabled the connecting portion of the Gabrielino Trail from the bottom of Ken Burton to be restored. Both organizations knew the task ahead of them was not going to be an easy feat. Unlike the original crew that built the trail, the ability to get vehicles with tools close to the work area was out of the question. The once wide fire road had since become an overgrown singletrack. The volunteer crews would have to haul 50 lb. BOB trailers full of tools 6 miles up Brown Mountain Rd. Crews from both associations held bi-weekly trail days and many volunteers showed up for every work day. Their first task was to clear the years of overgrown brush that had completely engulfed the trail. The original trail route was flagged from an old GPS track by Steve Messer, President of CORBA. In some places, Steve literally crawled on his stomach through the heavy brush to mark the trail. A few steep switchbacks on the lower section of Ken Burton were basically non-existent; the landslides that followed the fire literally wiped the trail from the landscape. Crews spent days cutting in the new trail, some sections had to be rerouted as it was just not possible to follow the original route. Surprisingly, the upper section of trail handled the years of closure very well and needed little tread work to get it back into shape. Current members attribute this to the well-designed drainage by the original MWBA builders back in the 90’s.
A very happy day for Steve Messer, President of CORBA and all the crew. After almost 7 years of being closed, USFS gave Steve and the crew permission to remove the trail closed sign from the entrance to Ken Burton trail. Photo by Isaac West
Ken's brother Tim cuts the ceremonial ribbon to official reopen Ken Burton trail. Photo by Mark Skovorodko
The Burton family at the reopening ceremony. Photo by Erik Hillard
The restoration project would take over 6 months to complete. A task that would have never been possible without the help and dedication of the individuals that showed up for each trail day. The final build day was held on April 17th of this year. Crews had a long list of items to complete, but everyone knew that this day was going to be special. When the day was complete the crew was finally able to remove the closed trail sign and ride the complete loop. On May 1st, MWBA held a reopening ceremony and celebration as part of their Pancake Breakfast at Gould Mesa campground. Ken’s brother Tim and the Burton family were on hand, along with hundreds of members of the public to officially reopen the Ken Burton Memorial Trail.
Photo by Shanti Colangelo-Curran
Photo by Shanti Colangelo-Curran
Photo by John Watson of The Radavist
While doing research for Trail of the Month articles, I continually find myself amazed and inspired by the stories I read of the dedicated men and women who give their free time to the sport we all love. For me, the story behind the Ken Burton trail is one of these stories. I encourage you to support the work these clubs are doing by making a donation through the Trailforks Trail Karma Program. With your help both MWBA and CORBA can continue to repair trails within the Angeles National Forest damaged by the Station Fire.
MENTIONS: @Mount Wilson Bicycle Association / @Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association / @Mark Skovorodko / @The Radavist / @Shanti Photography @shantiphotography / @erikhillard / @markholloway
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theradavist.com/2016/04/ken-burton-trail-is-officially-opening-may-1st
pinkbike.com/u/shantiphotography/album/MWBA--Ken-Burton-Trail
dfishdesign.wordpress.com/2013/11/13/ride-report-ken-burton-trail
Photo credit to Marc reusser @ www.instagram.com/loosescrew_dulltool
Thanks to Erik and they guys mwba for all the work!
I have update the article to give photo credit to Marc Reusser
At the same time, I think it's downright sad that the federal govt cannot do this work themselves (with our tax dollars), AND that it took them 7 years just to give a volunteer group the permission to take this big project on for them.
At the end of the day, we have a trail Re-opened and a good PR story for all involved. It shouldn't have taken 7 years though.
I really like to shuttle the Front Side and the Dark Side around here, but it is a fun option other then going back down Brown Mountain to El Prieto (the local favorite).
Love the work CORBA and MWBA.
Couldn't be be better time to ride in L.A.