Situated west of Redding, California, near the town of Weaverville, a snaking strip of singletrack descends through ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and sugar pine.

In one section, the sight of a towering Pacific madrone tree had me squeezing my brakes to admire it. The trail, called Sweepstakes, is a new, purpose-built downhill trail created by the Redding Trail Alliance (RTA) and several partners.

It’s a marvel of perfectly built switchbacks that weave through optional jump lines. When connected to trails below it, Sweepstakes creates a 10-mile route with 3,000 feet of total descending.

“A local bike mechanic who is a very talented rider told me recently that he likes Sweepstakes better than Downieville,” said Nathan Knudsen, RTA’s executive director, over a beer at Trinity Brewing Company. “Now I’m not saying it’s better, more fun, or even that it compares to the epic Downieville Classic downhill, but him saying that has allowed me to recognize that the trail is truly something special.”

Together with his wife, Camille, who works as RTA’s communications director, Knudsen has expanded Redding’s trail scene by strengthening partnerships and looking at what was missing in the area’s current systems. Collaborative efforts with the U.S. Forest Service, the Watershed Center in Hayfork, the Trinity Trail Alliance, and donors ranging from The McConnell Foundation to philanthropist, Craig Muir, have come together to create a recent surge in Redding’s mountain bike community.