Building trails, Trust, and Community.
Spring has arrived, and with it comes some of the best—and most challenging—trail conditions of the year. As we head into Q2, CAMBr continues to build on the strong foundation set earlier this year, and we’re excited to share what’s ahead. Although most trail days had come to a close for the winter season, CAMBr has remained busy throughout, and has exciting updates in the first months of the year for 2026.
- New website Along with a style and branding refresh, the move to a new website platform will allow improved communications, members only exclusives, an improved workday and events calendar, and even an online CAMBr store. More to come in 2026, so keep an eye out on CAMBr.org and Facebook groups for new feature launches and announcements.
- Expanding partnerships with local businesses, NICA, and SRAM, with an eye on additional membership perks in the future.
- New Trail Systems:
- Hickory Creek: almost 40 volunteers showed up for a workday in November 2025, and pushing to become rideable this year. Aiming to add signage by Summer of 2026.
- Freedom Park: Agreement with Alsip Park District signed, and trail work has begun! In March of this year, shovels hit dirt, with 40 volunteers strong starting work on up to 7 miles of new singletrack.
Wet Trail Conditions & Spring Riding Etiquette
All winter, water in the soil freezes into ice crystals that push soil particles apart. When temps rise in spring, the ice melts from the surface down — but the deeper soil stays frozen longer, trapping meltwater with nowhere to go. The soil loses almost all its structural integrity. It stops behaving like dirt and starts behaving like a thick slurry. A tire or boot doesn’t compress it and spring back — it displaces it, shoving soil sideways and carving ruts that harden permanently once things dry out. One day of riding a wet trail in April can undo years of maintenance work. If it feels soft underfoot, come back tomorrow.
Help protect our trails by checking the offical CAMBr trail conditions at Trailbot, and NOT riding when trails are closed (or labeled red) by land managers at respective trail systems.
How to use Trailbot
- Download from the app store listed above
- Go to the region tab
- Click on the trail systems you ride
- Click the 3 dots in the top right corner, then ‘Add to Home Screen Widget’
- Check conditions before you leave to ride
Calendar of Upcoming Events
5/21/26 thru 5/25/26: CAMBr Members only Brown County Safari; Registration link will be sent to members via email soon.
4/8/26: Spring Raffle tickets available for purchase
5/16/26: Spring Raffle Drawing
Weekday Group Rides (*conditions depentant)
Monday – Saw Wee Kee – Meet at 2nd lot, 6 p.m
Tuesday – Raceway Woods – Meet at the silo, 6 p.m
Wednesday – Palos – Meet at Maple Lake East, 5:30 p.m
Thursday – Paul Douglas Woods – Meet at Crank Revolution, 6 p.m
Trail Volunteer Spotlight: Mike Nordeen
“Just find what makes you happy girl and do it ’til you’re gone” – Jason Isbell
Background
My first mountain bike rides were on a borrowed, oversized, rigid GT Avalanche back in college in the late 90s. In 2007 I re-entered the game on a Cannondale hardtail and the rest as they say is history. I did a smattering of workdays with CAMBr, from The Garden to Plainfield Bike Park to Palos in the early 2010s and really settled into working at Palos with good frequency a few years back.
Favorite Trail
Resurrection for sure. It was a ton of work but to see what was basically untamed woods be turned into almost two miles of trail over the course of the year was amazing.
Why I volunteer
It is a rare opportunity to be engaged in the process of creating and maintaining the thing that facilitates your favorite thing to do. I started volunteering because I felt like I owed the trail and trail crews my time, for all the time I spent on the bike using what they built. Now it has become almost as enjoyable as riding itself. What you can learn about bikes and trail building, friendship, and ultimately yourself is priceless.
Advice
If you are thinking about coming to a workday, just do it. They are a ton of fun, you will meet a whole bunch of good people, and gain a new appreciation for the woods. The same goes for group rides. It really is a community.
Important Links:
Closing and Call to Action
CAMBr’s success isn’t accidental—it’s the result of dedicated volunteers, thoughtful stewardship, and members who believe sustainable trail access is earned, not given. Thank you for being part of this community. We’ll see you on the trails.
Ride on,
Your CAMBr Board
