Kids on training-wheel-free bikes and grown riders chasing air time packed the dirt at Calabazas Park on Wednesday as San Jose’s newly renovated BMX course reopened after weeks of city-funded repairs. The free public track in West San Jose emerged from the overhaul with fresh berms, a beginner-friendly pump track and an intermediate zone built for riders working their way up.
The reopening caps a stretch of work that took roughly seven weeks to complete, according to The Mercury News, with Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship, San Jose Parks and Recreation staff and volunteers all pitching in on the rebuild. The improvements included resurfacing, drainage upgrades, new berms meant to clarify riding lanes, and a new intermediate section with rollers and berms for riders graduating past the basics.
Matt Stuck, who is affiliated with Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship, personally rebuilt part of the course himself, the paper reported. The nonprofit behind the physical work has deep roots in the region’s mountain biking scene, having formed in 1997 as Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz before rebranding in 2021 to broaden its mission into regional trail building and land management, according to Singletracks.
A Track Built By Riders, For Riders
Calabazas BMX Park traces back to 2007, when it opened after encouragement from local BMX rider and Calabaza Cyclery owner Robert Carnahan, per the Mercury News report. Carnahan, who died from cancer in November 2025, once described the track’s origin plainly: “This place was always unique, built by the riders for the riders.”…