Mountain Bikers Of Santa Cruz

What Mountain Bikers Of Santa Cruz does

Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship (SCMTS), legally doing business as Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship and formerly known as Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1997 and headquartered in Santa Cruz, California. The organization designs, builds, and maintains multi-use trails, pump tracks, and associated recreational infrastructure across Santa Cruz, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties for hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians, and runners. SCMTS is a licensed California contractor and operates with a hybrid labor model combining professional staff, a certified Trail Crew Leader volunteer pipeline, and a 1,000+ unique volunteer base that reduces construction costs by up to 45%. Core physical assets include five pump tracks (Harvey West, Westside, Chanticleer, Ramsay Park, and Felton under construction) and ongoing projects such as the 19-mile Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument public access build and the Miller Property County Park trail restoration.

Revenue is generated through a diversified nonprofit model: tiered individual memberships ($5-$50+/month), a $300/year Business Leader corporate membership, a $1,000+/year Stewardship Circle for major donors, the Adopt-a-Trail sponsorship program, private corporate trail work events (minimum $1,500 donation for groups of 10-15), fee-based professional trail design and construction services for government land managers, and alternative giving (stock, cryptocurrency via The Giving Block, planned giving, and equipment donations). The organization maintains strategic partnerships with the Bureau of Land Management, California State Parks, CAL FIRE, Land Trust Santa Cruz County, and the cities of Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, and Saratoga, which provide a recurring project pipeline.

Programs include Dig Days volunteer work events (50-100+ volunteers per event), Trail Academy educational courses (12+ classes/year), the Summer Youth Trail Crew (8-week paid program for 5 high school students since 2017), Teens on Trails, Pump Track Keepers, Hike & Help, and Big Basin fire relief rebuilding. Marketing and community engagement are driven through a 16,000-subscriber newsletter (31.6% open rate), 49,000+ social media followers, 5,800 monthly website visitors, regular regional press coverage, and a dedicated community engagement team.

Name

Mountain Bikers Of Santa Cruz

Legal name

Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship

Website

https://mbosc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that designs, builds, and maintains multi-use trails and pump tracks across California's Santa Cruz, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties, serving hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians, and outdoor recreationists through a hybrid staff-and-volunteer model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trail Stewardship and Outdoor Recreation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Outdoor Guiding Services (Hiking, Trekking, Mountaineering) (THAAALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hiking, Trekking & Backpacking Tour Operators (THAAADAA), Via Ferrata & Adventure Climbing Parks (THAAACAE)

Keywords

• Trail construction services
• Trail maintenance programs
• Conservation stewardship
• Pump track facilities
• Outdoor recreation nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Cruz

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and Memberships: Individual donations through a general fund, membership programs with multiple tiers (Trail Guardian $5-10/mo, Trail Boss $10-24/mo, Trail Hero $25-49/mo, Trail Angel $50+/mo, Business Leader at $300/yr), and the Stewardship Circle for major donors ($1,000+/yr). Accepts one-time and monthly recurring donations.
2. Professional Trail Services: SCMTS offers fee-based professional trail design, build, and maintenance services for landowners and land managers. Private trail work events for corporate groups require minimum donation of $1,500 for groups of 10-15 participants.
3. Corporate Sponsorships and Business Memberships: Annual corporate sponsorships and business memberships at $300/year that include promotional benefits such as window decals, newsletter mentions, logo placement on website and marketing materials.
4. Alternative Giving: Accepts stock donations, cryptocurrency (via The Giving Block), tools and equipment donations, land donations, and planned giving/bequests. Partners with Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County for stock transfers.
5. Cryptocurrency Donations: Accepts over 40 types of cryptocurrency including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and various altcoins as tax-efficient donation methods.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship (formerly Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that designs, builds, and maintains multi-use trails and pump tracks across Santa Cruz, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties in California. It delivers fee-based professional trail services for government land managers and private landowners, organizes volunteer trail stewardship events, runs the Trail Academy education program, and sustains operations through individual donations, memberships, corporate sponsorships, and grants.

Product overview

Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship (SCMTS) operates as a nonprofit organization (formerly Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz) that offers a portfolio of physical infrastructure and community programs rather than a traditional software product. The core offerings center on professional trail design, construction, and maintenance services, complemented by volunteer-based programs including Dig Days trail work events, Trail Academy educational courses, and Trail Crew Leader certification training. The organization also builds and maintains pump track facilities including Harvey West, Westside, Chanticleer, Ramsay Park, and the under-construction Felton Pump Track. Additional programs include youth development (Summer Youth Trail Crew, Teens on Trails), corporate team-building events, membership tiers, Adopt-a-Trail sponsorship, and the Stewardship Circle major donor program. The organization does not offer software products, APIs, or digital platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Trail Building Services Professional trail design, construction, and maintenance services for public and private land owners, including trail assessments, sustainable trail design, volunteer coordination, and pump track construction. Delivered by a licensed California contractor team for federal, state, municipal, and private clients.
• Dig Days Premier volunteer trail work events that bring together 50 or more volunteers for a day of supported trail maintenance and construction, with breakfast, lunch, refreshments, and raffle prizes. Open to community members of all skill levels.
• Trail Academy Free educational class series teaching trail stewardship skills, with online courses and in-person field trainings covering trail design, construction, maintenance, and volunteer management. Offered 12+ times per year to between 15 and 300 students per class.
• Trail Crew Leader Training Certification program that trains volunteers to lead trail work events, including online classes, field training, and mentored volunteer experience leading up to Trail Crew Leader qualification.
• Ramsay Park Pump Track Pump track facility built in 2021 in partnership with the City of Watsonville featuring nearly 20,000 sq ft of rollers, berms, and jumps; the largest paved pump track in Santa Cruz County. Free public recreational facility for cyclists, skateboarders, and scooter riders.
• Westside Pump Track Pump track on Santa Cruz's west side originally built in 2013 and fully redesigned and rebuilt in 2021 with 28 new obstacles including pavement, rollers, banked turns, and jumps. Free public facility that recorded 34,000+ trips in its first six months after the rebuild.
• Harvey West Pump Track World-class pump track built in 2016 at Harvey West Park in Santa Cruz in partnership with the City of Santa Cruz, featuring rollers, berms, and jumps in the heart of the city. Free public facility.
• Chanticleer Pump Track Pump track rebuilt in 2020 with new rollers, berms, jumps, and advanced drainage, located in Chanticleer Park. Free public pump track facility.
• Summer Youth Trail Crew Eight-week paid summer job program for high school students ages 16 and older providing hands-on trail building and maintenance experience across Santa Cruz parks. Five students are accepted each summer in partnership with the City of Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department.
• Hike & Help Weekday morning volunteer events that combine social hiking with light trail maintenance tasks, allowing participants to scout trails and perform upkeep while exploring local parks.
• Pump Track Keepers Monthly volunteer maintenance sessions at local pump tracks including Harvey West, Chanticleer, Scotts Valley, Westside, and Ramsay Park locations. Open to community volunteers for ongoing facility stewardship.
• Private Trail Work Events Private corporate and group trail work events where SCMTS staff guides teams through sustainable trail work, requiring a minimum donation of $1,500 for groups of 10-15 participants. Nonprofit groups may qualify for pro bono events.
• Teens on Trails Youth-oriented trail work events introducing middle and high school students to outdoor stewardship and potential careers in the outdoor industry.
• Membership Programs Tiered individual and business membership programs providing recurring support for trail stewardship, with benefits scaled to monthly or annual contribution levels including newsletters, merchandise, event access, and donor recognition.
• Adopt-a-Trail Program Sponsorship program allowing individuals and businesses to fund annual maintenance costs for specific trails and pump tracks, with adopters receiving trailhead signage recognition, optional volunteer trail days, website listing, and multi-year contribution options.
• Stewardship Circle Major donor program for supporters contributing a minimum of $1,000 per year, with benefits including a welcome kit with a framed trail print, exclusive Stewardship Circle events, early access to event sign-ups, and direct access to SCMTS staff.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45% cost reduction in trail construction through volunteer use
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Bureau of Land ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner for trail projects including Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument. BLM works with SCMTS on public access trail development across federal lands.
• California State ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor partner for trails at Wilder Ranch State Park and Soquel Demonstration State Forest. SCMTS builds and maintains trails on state park lands.
• Land Trust Santa Cruz CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on land conservation and trail access projects throughout Santa Cruz County.
• CAL FIREcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on fire relief and fuels management projects integrated with trail work across local parks.
• City of Santa CruzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey municipal partner for Harvey West Pump Track, Westside Pump Track, and other city trail projects. Cost-share program for pump track development.
• City of WatsonvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Ramsay Park Pump Track, bringing new outdoor recreation to south Santa Cruz County.
• City of Scotts ValleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on Scotts Valley Pump Track and Glenwood Open Space Preserve trail projects.
• City of SaratogacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on Saratoga-to-the-Sea Trail development including the Saratoga to Sanborn section.
• Santa Cruz County ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor partner for Felton Pump Track at Covered Bridge County Park and Miller Property County Park trail restoration.
• Santa Cruz CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty government partner for various trail and parks projects across unincorporated areas.
• Community Foundation of Santa Cruz CountysupportingOthersPartners with SCMTS to facilitate stock donations through their platform.
• The Giving BlocksupportingOthersCryptocurrency donation processor enabling SCMTS to accept crypto donations via their platform.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Friends of Santa Cruz County Parks: Local nonprofit supporting Santa Cruz County Parks. Comparable as a Santa Cruz-based outdoor recreation nonprofit partnering with land managers, though focused on park advocacy rather than trail construction.
• Land Trust Santa Cruz County: Santa Cruz County land conservation nonprofit. Strongly comparable as a partner organization working on land conservation and trail access; shares donors and beneficiaries but is a conservation/land trust rather than a trail builder.

Broad incumbents

• Access Fund: National nonprofit focused on protecting climbing access and conservation. Comparable in being an outdoor recreation stewardship nonprofit funded by memberships/donations and partnering with land managers, but with a climbing rather than biking/hiking focus.
• International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA): National/industry-level mountain biking advocacy organization now operating as a division under PeopleForBikes. Broad incumbent comparable to SCMTS's stewardship mission, but operates at a national scale rather than a single region; sets industry standards and provides resources to local trail groups like SCMTS.
• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that creates parks and protects land for public use. Comparable as a conservation/outdoor recreation nonprofit working with land managers and raising private funds for public-facing infrastructure, but operating at a much larger national scale.
• East Bay Regional Park District: Large public park operator in the San Francisco Bay Area. Comparable as a regional land manager that SCMTS partners with or whose role SCMTS plays for other jurisdictions; provides a model of how to scale regional outdoor recreation infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Truckee Trails Foundation: Trail-building nonprofit in Truckee, California. Direct peer: same model of community-funded trail design, construction, and maintenance through volunteer events and donations; comparable in scale and governance type.
• Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA): Trail stewardship nonprofit serving the Lake Tahoe/Truckee region. Direct peer: same model of building and maintaining trails through volunteer Dig Days, memberships, corporate sponsorships, and municipal partnerships.
• Silicon Valley Mountain Bikers (SVMTB): Regional mountain biking advocacy and trail stewardship nonprofit serving the South Bay and Peninsula. Direct peer: nearly identical mission of building and maintaining multi-use trails via volunteer engagement and government partnerships; overlapping Santa Clara County service area.

Regional players

• Mountain Parks Foundation: Foundation supporting the Big Bear area mountain recreation region in Southern California. Comparable as a regional outdoor recreation nonprofit, but geographically separated from SCMTS's Bay Area focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/santacruztrails
• Facebookfacebook.com/santacruztrails
• Instagraminstagram.com/santacruztrails

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mountain Bikers Of Santa Cruz