Peninsula State Park (WI) Mountain Bike Trail Design RFP

Mar 17

Project Description: Proposal must be submitted by:
Date: March 31, 2023
Time: 2:00PM
Addressed to: Friends of Peninsula State Park
Brian Fitzgerald
Email: brianfitzgerald67@gmail.com
Contact Brian at for any questions regarding the RFP at 920-421-1518
Note: A virtual meeting will be scheduled to review proposals with Peninsula State Park representatives and Submitting firms.

Please confirm by March 22, 2023 if you will be submitting a proposal.

Location and Property Description
Peninsula State Park is in Door County, WI along the shores of the Bay of Green Bay between Fish Creek and the Village of Ephraim. At almost 3,800 acres, Peninsula is one of the largest state parks and one of the busiest with over 1.3 million visitors per year. The park consists of varying ecosystems and terrain, including the prominent limestone bluffs of the Niagara Escarpment.

There are over 40 miles of trails including 18 miles of off-road bicycle trails. Only about 3-4 miles of the off-road trails resemble desirable mountain bike trails. The park also offers many other recreational opportunities with 468 campsites, beach, boat launch, golf course, theater, observation tower, lighthouse, ect.

Description of Project
The Department of Natural Resources adopted the Northern Lake Michigan Coastal Regional Master Plan in 2018. One of the objectives in this plan for Peninsula State Park reads as follow;

“The existing trails for Peninsula State Park will be redesigned to create a more efficient and sustainable trail system. The department will enter into an agreement with a consultant to produce the trail system design and design standards for each trail use. The allowed uses for the trail system will be hiking, mountain biking, bike touring, horseback riding, cross-country skiing (both classic and skate), snowmobiling, snowshoeing and fat tire biking. Parking lots and trail head support facilities will also be improved as needed to serve the new trail system.”

Park staff worked with partners and users to execute this objective and identify action items that meet this objective. The team identified the need for a mountain bike trail system with 15-25 miles of purpose built flow and single track trails. This action item has been reviewed and approved by planning and leadership to proceed with design and construction. Existing off-road bicycle trails should be assessed, and desired segments can be kept and utilized within this new design. However, there is no mileage requirement of how much of the existing trail should be utilized in the new plan as a quality system, not quantity, is the desired deliverable.

Peninsula State Park is composed of different land management zones with differing levels of allowable usage and management prescriptions. In the attached maps you’ll see the different management areas and areas that are designated as State Natural Areas (there are three state natural areas in the park). The entire park except the state natural areas can potentially be utilized for mountain bike trails. There are other considerations and processes that will need to be addressed in the design phase such as proximity to other trails and use areas, endangered resources, and cultural resources.

Peninsula State Park Comprehensive Trails. Plan Mountain Biking
Peninsula State Park is requesting proposals from qualified Mountain Bike Trail Designers capable of providing site condition assessments, complete conceptual design and cost estimates, design development documents and cost estimates, and construction documents for the new mountain biking network. You are invited to submit proposals in accordance with this RFP.

MTB Considerations at the proposed MTB system at Peninsula should focus on varied technical skills while also attempting to include areas for learning and practice. Flow trails and single track trails should be prioritized for development. All existing MTB trails can be considered for inclusion in a new system and either further developed or utilized as connectors to different areas with more technical skills. MBT shall compliment the natural attributes of Peninsula State Park.