Window Rock Mountain Bike Festival unites community and advocates for trail access

By Robert Bettis
Navajo Times

WINDOW ROCK – The first ever annual Window Rock Mountain Bike Festival brought together riders of all ages and abilities last weekend, celebrating the growing passion for cycling within the Navajo Nation while advocating for greater trail access across Diné Bikéyah.

Against the backdrop of the Window Rock Monument, hundreds of participants enjoyed group rides, adaptive biking demonstrations, and a shared passion for outdoor recreation opportunities.

For festival founder MT Garcia, the event represented years of planning and a personal journey into mountain biking. “My partner, Terrence Yazzie, and I created this vision over the past three years after attending festivals in Sedona,” Garcia said. “We wanted to centralize our Navajo riding community and show decision-makers that we need more trail systems on our homelands.”

Courtesy | Ryan Martinez
Navajo community Mountain Bikers from across Diné Bikéyah gather for a one-of-a-kind group ride on the Code Talkers Trail near the Navajo Nation Museum in Widow Rock.

Garcia, who co-owns the trail-building company Yage Trails, chose Window Rock’s existing routes deliberately because they’re among the few public mountain bike trails not confined to parks in Navajo territory.

The festival’s inclusive spirit shone through its partnerships. Flagstaff-based High Country Adaptive Sports brought specialized bikes and wheelchairs, allowing riders with disabilities to experience the trails.

“We want folks on the reservation to know recreation is possible no matter your limitations,” said Truman Shoaff, the programs director. While few adaptive riders participated this year, Shoaff noted the importance of visibility: “Just letting able-bodied people try our bikes helps them understand how someone with disabilities can get outdoors.”

Silver Stallion Bicycle & Coffee Works provided free rentals, ensuring no one missed the chance to ride. Volunteer Bryan Yazzie helped coordinate the effort while still finding time to join the “Batman” group ride up the mesa behind the tribal museum.

“That was my first time on that trail. It was wild and beautiful,” Yazzie said. “As a dad, I don’t usually get to do things like that but riding with everyone felt special.” His 14-year-old son, Kaiden, who has been mountain biking for six years, spent the weekend teaching younger kids. “Seeing how many children came to ride was my favorite part,” Kaiden said. “It keeps you healthy, and it’s all about having fun.”
The festival’s success highlights both the enthusiasm for mountain biking on Navajo land and the challenges ahead. Unlike neighboring states with extensive trail networks, the reservation lacks designated biking infrastructure for trail riders. Garcia hopes events like this will change that.

“It’s a new conversation for our departments and communities,” she explained, noting the need to work with grazing permit holders and tribal leaders. “We’re showing them what’s possible.”

For fathers like Bryan Yazzie, more trails would mean healthier families and stronger connections. “It gets kids off screens and outside together,” he said. “That’s what we need to see more of.” His son Kaiden already dreams bigger for the future of his sport: “Maybe one day we’ll have jumps and drops like in Durango or Cortez.”

With this year’s festival a success, organizers plan to make the gathering an annual event while possibly adding more rides and clinics throughout the year.