During the first week of September, the dirt at School Road and Washington Avenue was being packed down with a roller donated by McKinleyville ACE Home & Garden Center. Billy Allen from USA BMX ran the shaping machine. Charlie Caldwell and the Humboldt Skatepark Collective helped out, and the Redwood Empire BMX Crew donated equipment. On Sept. 5, the local nonprofit McKinleyville BMX announced that the track was now officially sanctioned by USA BMX and "ready to get to what it was built for," according to the club statement reprinted by the Mad River Union.
That was two weeks after the ribbon cutting. The McKinleyville Community Services District held the track's grand opening on Aug. 22. The track's first seven weeks show how recreation actually gets finished in McKinleyville. The district builds the base, and then volunteers, donated equipment and the next grant cycle carry it the rest of the way. The skatepark at Pierson Park is at that same stage right now, and two public workshops this fall will help decide what it becomes.
What opening day handed off
The BMX track sits inside a 3-acre MCSD park at 1315 School Road. The park also has a playground, picnic tables, a pickleball court, a half-court basketball court and parking. District rules list the hours as sunrise to sunset and require pedal bikes and helmets on the track. Before opening day, MCSD's Parks and Recreation Committee was already talking about murals and a proposed bear sculpture for the park. The committee's July packet listed a rainbow-pollinator mural concept and a bear statue as works in progress.
The track that opened on Aug. 22 still needed the September reshaping before it could host sanctioned races. Here is how the club put it in its Facebook post, as reprinted by the Mad River Union:
"This track is more than dirt, jumps and berms. It's a place for kids, families and riders of all ages to come together, build skills, challenge themselves and have FUN."
The 5 p.m. gate, and who might hold the key
The track's first rule change also came from outside the district office. Within days of the opening, motorized bikes were being ridden on the track and damaging it. In an Aug. 26 Facebook post, MCSD announced it would start locking the track at 5 p.m. "until further notice," and repeated that only pedal bikes are allowed. That covers pedal mountain bikes, striders and BMX bikes. E-motos, e-bikes and RC cars are not allowed, the Mad River Union reported.
The MCSD board discussed the 5 p.m. lock on Sept. 2. Director Greg Orsini said a 5 p.m. closing cuts off a prime time for riding. District Manager Pat Kaspari said MCSD was talking with McKinleyville BMX about volunteers taking over the evening lock-up so the track could stay open later.
The most recent report on the gate dates from Sept. 17. At that point the volunteer plan was still under discussion, and no later public notice confirms whether the 5 p.m. lock has been lifted. If you're planning an after-school ride, check MCSD's posted notices first. The district's Oct. 7 board agenda had no BMX item. The Parks and Recreation Committee meets quarterly, and its next meeting is listed for Oct. 21.
Race Saturdays have started
Racing has gotten going quickly. Results from the first local race on Sept. 26 are posted on USA BMX. The race-tracking site BMX Insights counted 32 riders that day. It counted 11 at a second local race on Oct. 3, one week later. Ahead of the first race, the club's Chamber of Commerce listing advertised a $10 entry for riders already registered with USA BMX and a free one-day racing membership for newcomers.
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Local race | Registration 10 to 11 a.m., racing begins as soon as registration closes |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Local race | Registration 10 to 11 a.m., racing begins as soon as registration closes |
Both races appear on the USA BMX event pages for Oct. 17 and Nov. 14. Listings can change, so check the page the week of the race. No practice schedule has been published so far.
Pierson Park's skatepark is one-fifth built
A few minutes away, the Pierson Park skatepark has been in its own handoff period since 2023. Phase 1 covers 4,000 square feet. Construction started in early August 2023 and finished Aug. 30, and the grand-opening celebration followed on Oct. 7, Lost Coast Outpost reported. The full design runs to about 20,000 square feet, with two bowls, ledges, stairs and rails.
That means about a fifth of the planned skatepark exists today. Phase 2 would add about 6,400 square feet, including a bowl and the obstacles around it, according to MCSD's 2026 winter-spring newsletter. That would bring the park to roughly half its planned size. As of the committee's April 2026 report, about $75,000 had been raised toward a projected $250,000 Phase 2 cost. No public source defines Phase 3 yet beyond saying it's a goal in the district's 2025 master plan.
The skatepark already gets used for programming. MCSD's July committee report listed three weeks of skate camp that month. Staff also reported buying six concrete picnic tables for Pierson Park earlier in the year.
The 2025 survey already narrowed the choices
MCSD sent its 2025 Parks and Recreation Community Survey to more than 5,000 residents in June and July 2025. The most-requested additions were public live music and events, more pickleball courts and programs, outdoor basketball, more trails, a pool and leisure classes. When people suggested where future money should go, skatepark expansion came up alongside trails, courts and accessible playgrounds.
The sharpest Pierson-specific finding was about the bocce courts and horseshoe pits. In the 2025 survey, 89% of respondents said they didn't use them. Asked what should go in that space, 37% wanted to keep it as is, 27% chose outdoor basketball, 25% chose outdoor pickleball and 11% chose a small dog park. Keeping the space was the most popular single answer. Courts of one kind or another drew 52% when the two court options are added together. A conversion would probably need to settle the basketball-or-pickleball split, and in 2025 it was close.
Pickleball demand also shows up in the district's indoor schedule. In April 2026, adult drop-in pickleball ran Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at the Activity Center for $4, and a monthly youth session cost $5. For the summer, adult drop-in moved to Wednesday evenings.
Two workshops before a Dec. 17 deadline
MCSD is preparing an application for Round 5 of the Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program, run by California State Parks. The district is asking residents what should go into it. Ideas on the table include inclusive playground improvements, renovated restrooms, outdoor basketball and pickleball, trees and shade, EV charging, Phases 2 and 3 of the skatepark, and accessibility and climate-resilience work.
Round 5 has $188.5 million available from Proposition 4. Applications are due Dec. 17, 2026. Individual requests can range from $200,000 to $8.5 million, and no local match is required. At $250,000, skatepark Phase 2 alone sits just above the program's minimum request, so the final application could bundle several of the listed items. Winners are scheduled to be announced in summer 2027. The BMX track was paid for with Proposition 68 funds, a different state funding source.
Here's the fall calendar in order:
- Thursday, Oct. 15, 5:30 p.m. First Pierson Park workshop, at Azalea Hall.
- Saturday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m. Registration opens for the BMX race on School Road.
- Wednesday, Oct. 21. Quarterly Parks and Recreation Committee meeting.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. Second Pierson Park workshop, at the McKinleyville Teen & Community Center.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 10 a.m. Registration opens for the next BMX race.
- Thursday, Dec. 17. SPP Round 5 applications are due to California State Parks.
The workshops on Oct. 15 and Nov. 7 are the public's chance to shape what MCSD asks the state for, about a year before any award money could arrive. The district's workshop page links its request for input directly to the 2025 survey and says residents' feedback "will help shape the project being considered for the SPP grant application."
If your kids ride at School Road or skate at Pierson and you're wondering how these park projects fit into life in McKinleyville over the next few years, we're always glad to talk it through. Mike and Marci Pigg have watched this town add its trails, courts and parks one project at a time, and we're happy to share what we know. Let's Connect.
