A local bike camp teaches neighborhood kids to ride, then takes them onto trails many have never visited, even though the park is steps from home.
Josiah, 10, lives within walking distance of Tacony Creek Park, but he had never ventured onto its nature trails. This July, that changed in a single day. Through the Bikes & Trails Camp, presented by YJR (Yo! Just Ride) Outdoors and the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, he learned to ride a bike and rode the park trail for the first time.
“I learned to ride a bike at Bike Camp in just one day!” he said. “Going on the trail was really fun, and even though it was bumpy, I really enjoyed seeing and exploring the park.”
All throughout Philadelphia, kids are learning to ride on park trails through YJR Outdoors, and the programs provide everything needed: bicycles, helmets, and instructors. Temple undergraduate Emelin Tomax-Cinto assisted at some of the Tacony Creek Park camps this summer, and watching kids gain confidence while discovering parts of the park, like the bird murals along the creek, changed how she saw their relationship to the place.
“They could see that this nature around them is a resource they have, that they could even go there with their families and friends,” she said. “This space is for them.”
YJR Outdoors was founded in 2023 by Philadelphia native John Raisch, who grew up riding bikes and exploring Pennypack, Lorimer Park, and the Wissahickon. Inspired by his daughter, he started a youth cycling program 12 years ago after seeing demand from parents who wanted someone to teach their kids to ride or help build trails.
“There was a tremendous demand for people asking me to teach their kids to ride a bike or who wanted help creating trails,” Raisch said. “I saw an opportunity to introduce people to bike-centric and trail-centric adventure activities, and to lower the barriers and be their guide.”
That philosophy matters in Tacony Creek Park, where Raisch frequently meets kids who live across the street but have never been inside. He believes Philadelphia’s parks should be equally accessible to children in every neighborhood, and his motto sums up the method: “Adventure, advocacy, action.” Teaching kids to ride in parks introduces them to stewardship, he said, and then they want to become advocates.
The results show up fast. On the first day of camp with the Ferko Recreation Center, only one kid knew how to ride a bike, and many others were hesitant. By the second day, they had it. “They were riding their bikes like they’d been doing it for years!” Tomax-Cinto said. “Seeing their peers riding bikes helped them be more confident.”
Raisch sees the work as part of a larger effort to build a stronger outdoor and cycling culture in Philadelphia. The city has an expanding trail network, including the Circuit Trails, and the Tacony Creek Trail itself runs 3.2 miles paved. What is missing, he said, is the cultural infrastructure that makes traditional youth sports accessible: coaches, programs, and opportunities for kids to learn.
For kids who live near Tacony Creek Park, YJR Outdoors is building that infrastructure one mountain bike at a time, and welcoming them into their neighborhood’s green space.
