Ken Wells

Ken grew up in Calaveras County in the Sierra foothills where he used trails to go backpacking, fishing, and ride bikes. After getting his first mountain bike in 1982 he became concerned at the loss of access for this healthy activity, becoming a trails and bicycle advocate, serving as the President of Responsible Organized Mountain Pedalers in Santa Clara County, CA, the first mountain bike advocacy organization in the US. Representing ROMP, he was one of the original groups that started the International Mountain Bicycling Association in 1988. His professional career led to Washington State where he spent two years on the Board of the Backcountry Bicycle Trails Club, now the Evergreen MTB Alliance, and in 1992 he moved to Sonoma County and onto the Board of the Sonoma County Trails Council. He served as SCTC’s President for many years, taking on the role of Executive Director in 2010. His long-term advocacy is matched on the ground with over 35 years of trail work experience with training from California State Parks, Tahoe Rim Trail Association, Pacific Crest Trail Association and the International Mountain Bicycling Association, supported with a civil engineering background. As the Trails Director for Redwood Trails Alliance, he provides trail construction training to park staff, volunteers, and trail builders, earning multiple awards including California State Parks and the California Trails and Greenways Conference’ Lifetime Achievement Award.