CHESTNUT NATURE PARK
#DESIGN #CONSTRUCTION #MOUNTAINBIKING #HIKING #TRAILRUNNING #PUMPTRACK
REPURPOSING OLD VILLAGE PLOTS
In 2014, Dirtraction is contracted as the principal trail consultant to design a 5 km network of hiking trails, stream of life experiential hike, trail running loops and 7km of mountain biking trails and bike parks elements.
Our roles involved handling trail design, provided construction oversight and training to the civil engineering crew and at times assist in the construction process for the various technical build.
Built upon a plot of secondary forest, comprising old village foundations, Chestnut Nature Park offers a blank template on which our design inputs can be effectively realised.
The park targets increasing the beginner and intermediate rated trails distance, something that’s lacking within the area, allowing the park to complement the technical mountain biking at the neighbouring Bukit Timah Mountain Biking Trail.
THE NEW RECREATIONAL CENTRE
The project is fully launched by 2017, with two distinct sections, namely Chestnut South and Chestnut North.
Chestnut South includes one of the best beginner trail loop, where one get session in for multiple laps at a go. The 1.4km loop includes various elements and play option along the way, always forgiving and allows for skillls progression.
The surrounding trail running loop running pretty much parallel and exquicitly hidden from the biking trails, offers trail runners ways to clock the distance in a controlled manner. The effective segregation of user traffic were one of the first to be designed into a hybrid park in Singapore.
TAKING A RIDE
Chestnut North, offers the bulk of the trail distance with a variety of trails designed into a mesh like network.
Starting off from Chestnut Point, recreational support complex and carpark, one can sample ‘Tenderfoot’ before swinging out through ‘Blue Quail’ or ‘Little Wings’ northbound.
The various detour to ‘SideStep’ and ‘Grasshopper’ are encouraged. ‘Slider’ is one popular options with everyone who needed more distance while their riding mates take a rest at the Bangkit Shelter nearby.
‘On the rock’, with its rock gardens offers options for technical riding, while the southbound ‘Pango’ brings you back to Chestnut Point.
We recommend doing the ‘Black Crawler’ detour, the builder choice, and it’s by far the favourite trail among us, a unique trail within Chestnut Nature Park.
EXPERIENTIAL HIKE
Chestnut North ‘Stream of Life’ Nature Trail is a 1.5km hiking loop.
The hike brings family and nature lovers close to the various element of the secondary forest. The trail excites everyone beyond sight, where the smell sensory and ground texture keep everyone focus on the various flora around it.
The trail traversed various old farming plot where the distinct Pandan scent can be smelled from afar. Semi-wet rock crossing, suspension bridge, balancing logs were all part of the wet element along this trail.