Central Ohio is more known for rolling pastures and farming communities than radical riding terrain, but trailbuilders here are known for making the most of vertical relief. Perhaps nowhere is this truer than in Newark, a quaint town about 40 miles east of the state’s capital, Columbus. Mountain bikers here have been quietly scratching in trails for decades, but they’ve largely flown under the radar, and it wasn’t until recent years that Newark started gaining a reputation for gravity-fueled fun

The epicenter of this activity is Horns Hill Park, situated on a breezy hill that affords sweeping views of the town center to the south. With only 249 feet of vertical gain from the park entrance to the highest point, Horns Hill nonetheless stands out amid its mostly flat surroundings. What the hill lacks in grandeur, however, it more than makes up for in steepness—and creative trailbuilding is transforming it into one of the state’s top destinations for downhill and jump trails.

On weekends starting in early spring, the park buzzes with riders, and two dedicated shuttle trucks with trailers haul eager rippers to the top during specified hours. Riders are encouraged to “tip the drivers,” and most of those donations go into a fund dedicated for trail maintenance. On days when the official shuttles aren’t running, private vehicles are allowed to make drop-offs, and some locals prefer to simply pedal up the road to the top.

Though the Horns Hill network has grown in popularity in recent years, it was far from an overnight success, with a quarter-century’s worth of intermittent building laying the groundwork for what it is today.

It all started in a high school classroom almost 28 years ago when a student suggested to his teacher, Bob Bevard, now 72, that he try mountain biking. Having previously raced moto enduros and hare scrambles, Bevard initially brushed the bicycle off as being too slow. He eventually warmed to the idea and bought a Trek Y Series bike with three inches of travel and cantilever brakes and started mountain biking at the age of 44.