What is a Pump Track?

Who's it for?

Pumping: Riders use their upper and lower body to "pump" the track, pushing down on the rollers and compressing their bodies to generate speed and momentum.
No pedaling: The goal is to ride the entire circuit without pedaling or putting their feet down, relying solely on the pumping action to maintain speed.
Features: The track's design includes features like rollers (mounds), berms (banked turns), and dips, which are essential for the rider to generate and control their speed.
All skill levels: From young children to experienced riders, everyone can use a pump track to improve their skills.
Variety of sports: It's designed for a wide range of wheeled devices, including BMX and mountain bikes, skateboards, scooters, inline skates, and even wheelchairs.
Skill development: Pump tracks are excellent for developing core strength, balance, coordination, reaction time, and essential bike-handling skills, like using terrain to gain speed, according to the American Ramp Company and YouTube videos.
Community and fun: They serve as a gathering place for local communities, offering a safe and engaging outdoor activity for people of all ages.
A workout: The physical effort required to "pump" the track makes it a challenging and effective workout.

A pump track is used for recreation, skill development, and community building by allowing users on bikes, skateboards, scooters, and skates to gain speed and momentum through a continuous "pumping" motion of their bodies, rather than pedaling or pushing. This looping circuit of rollers, berms (banked turns), and other features provides a fun, physically intense workout that develops coordination, balance, and fundamental riding skills that translate to other terrains.

Super Bad Idea

Skate Park in Disguise: Despite being promoted as a “bike-only pump track,” these facilities are openly marketed and used by skateboarders, scooter riders, and BMX users. Once built, it’s impossible to restrict use. It effectively becomes an unsupervised skate park, not a bike training area.

The Approval Process Was Shady and Exclusionary: Only a small fraction of residents were notified, while the wider Arch Beach Heights community — those who actually live beside and use the park — were left in the dark. This violates the spirit of fair public notice and undermines trust in city governance.

It Invites Regional Traffic, Not Neighborhood Use: Pump tracks attract riders from other cities and counties, turning a quiet neighborhood park into a regional destination. Expect increased traffic on narrow hillside roads, more parking congestion, and safety risks for pedestrians and children.

It Destroys the Natural Peace and Beauty of Moulton Meadows: Moulton Meadows is valued for its quiet, open-space atmosphere — a place for walking, picnicking, and enjoying the view. Introducing a concrete or asphalt pump track brings noise, crowds, and loss of tranquility that will permanently change the park’s character.

It Threatens Wildlife Habitat and the Natural Environment: It's The hillside and park area are part of a sensitive wildlife corridor supporting birds of prey, native pollinators, and small mammals. Asphalt surfaces, lighting, and heavy human activity will fragment habitats and disrupt migration and feeding patterns.

It Sets a Dangerous Precedent for More Development: Approving this “small recreation facility” paves the way for future encroachments into open space. Once hardscape recreation areas appear in protected parkland, it becomes easier for future councils to justify more intrusive projects.

It Conflicts with Laguna’s Environmental Values: Laguna Beach has a long-standing reputation for conservation and environmental stewardship. A pump track — especially one pushed through without full environmental review — directly contradicts the city’s core sustainability principles and public image.

It Was Driven by Outside Lobbying, Not Residents: The Orange County Mountain Bike Association (OCMTBA) bragged publicly about organizing the campaign and “sealing the deal.”
Their claim that “60% of immediate neighbors supported it” is false — more than 100 local residents living adjacent to the site are on record opposing the project. This is an outsider-driven agenda, not a community one.

It Creates Ongoing Noise and Safety Issues: Pump tracks draw unsupervised crowds — often at night. There’s no lighting control, noise management, or supervision plan. Once built, enforcement falls on residents and police, leading to constant disturbances and safety conflicts.

It Offers No Real Benefit to the Community It Disrupts: The majority of Arch Beach Heights residents don’t want or need this facility. It serves a small subset of hobbyists while negatively impacting everyone else — including families, dog walkers, seniors, and wildlife enthusiasts who rely on the park for peace and open space.

Plenty of other local cities within close proximity: Orange County currently has permanent pump tracks in San Clemente and a temporary one at Irvine's Great Park, while future plans include permanent pump tracks in Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach, along with a permanent track being designed for Irvine's Great Park. Several other cities, including Buena Park, Garden Grove, and Tustin, are also investigating the possibility of building pump tracks.

This "bike" pump track is a skateboard park in disguise. The proposal was that this would be a rubberized track to keep the noise down for the neighbors, but it turns out this type of surface is great for skaters and scooters and bikes.

Arch Beach Heights already successfully opposed a skatepark in Moulton Meadows Park years ago. This was overwhelmingly struck down by the neighborhood and the City Council vowed not to bring another dumb idea back to our neighborhood. Unfortunately, a new Council forgot that Arch Beach Heights has a voice, and we plan to fight it.

Shame on the City Council and Mayor for trying to shadily approve this without due process and misleading the public about local support from the neighborhood. We know this wouldn't fly in Emerald Bay, Irvine Cove or Three Arch Bay.

Anywhere in Laguna Beach, especially in a residential community surrounded by homes, is an unacceptable location for a Pump Track. Laguna Beach has limited space and limited parking, this isn't the right city for this.