Ride, hike, run on Lehigh Trails

When South Street Digital owner Lydia Chaney walked into Tehachapi City Hall with two cardboard boxes on March 15, the city's Economic Development Coordinator Michelle Vance whooped and ran to open one of the boxes. She triumphantly held up a newly printed colorful tri-fold brochure.

"It's the trail map! The mountain bike trails!

The Tehachapi Mountain Trail Association (TMTA) brochure is a guide map of winding, sometimes angular loops of pathway that mountain bikers and other volunteers painstakingly have created on land that belongs to Lehigh Southwest Cement plant in the mountains northeast of the city. Lehigh set aside the property for the enjoyment of the public, hence the name, Lehigh Trails.

In addition to Lehigh's donations of money and land and the leadership of the TMTA, the Tehachapi Warriors Mountain Bike Team, the Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Park District and the city of Tehachapi support the construction and maintenance of the trail system.

For his Eagle Scout project, Boy Scout Nigel Rosenberg erected kiosks (signs) with maps along the trails to help keep riders and hikers from getting lost. Wandering cattle love to scratch on the wood signs. Vance said that when Rosenberg came to the city to ask if there were a project he could carry out for his Eagle Scout badge, she knew exactly what to suggest – the trail signs.

The Lehigh Trail system currently is 13 miles long and offers a 1,700-foot gain in elevation. The map is designed like a ski resort guide. Green indicates gentle climbs, blue more difficult trails that may be narrow or present poor traction, and the infamous black diamond designation is for sections that present long steep climbs, loose trail surfaces, objects to avoid or jump over, drop-off and steep corners.

Some sections, the brochure admits, "are easier to walk."

The Lehigh Trail system is proving to be a powerful draw for mountain bikers and hikers, attracting more users by the day.

The public is welcome to use the trails to hike and run as well as to ride bikes on the trails. A $5 day-use fee covers the cost of insurance from USA Cycling, without which the trails could not be open to all.

Membership in the TMTA is $35 for individuals or families.

The TMTA has begun intermediate-level Tuesday night rides and is planning Thursday night family rides at the Golden Hills nature park.

For information, please see the TMTA Facebook page, drop by the Visitor Center on Tehachapi Boulevard or call 661-829-3333.