AVIMOR, Idaho — Kevin Pavlis died in 2009 after he was hit by a car while cycling. Kevin was 39-years-old. More than 15-years later, the Southwest Mountain Biking Association (SWIMBA) has created a new accessible trail system in Kevin's name.
"This has been a project that has been a lot of years in the making. It started with a vision from family and friends of Kevin Pavlis," said Sam Blaine of SWIMBA. "Kevin was a local adaptive coach, cyclist, and an advocate for accessibility for adaptive athletes in the valley."
WATCH| Check out the video to see SWIMBA volunteers preparing the trail for opening day
The Kevin Pavlis trail system will officially open on May 9 when SWIMBA welcomes the public and adaptive athletes for group rides from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on this 5.5-mile trail system.
"Outdoor recreation should be available for all people to use," said Blaine. "Riders of every ability have the opportunity to come out here and learn, progress, and grow in their skills."
Kevin Pavlis Park has been designed to a certain standard of width, grade, and turning radius, making it the first adaptive trail system in southwest Idaho. The trail will also be available for Class I E-bikes to ride, as those are not allowed on many of the trails in the Boise foothills.
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SWIMBA has been working on the park since the spring of 2025, and Avimor provided an easement for the trails that will feature three different loops for beginners, intermediates, and expert riders with 800 feet of elevation for mountain bikers to climb.
"The beginner loops are called soft serve because Kevin had a love for ice cream," said Blaine. "The beginner loop is soft serve, the intermediate loop is milkshake meadow, and the advanced loop is called you scream ice cream. Kevin's favorite song was Stairway to Heaven, so we made the climbing trail Stairway to Kevin."
Support for this project also came from sponsors, including the Challenged Athletes Foundation, the J.A. & Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, Blue Cross of Idaho, REI, Titus Trails, and Avimor. Volunteers were out on Thursday evening giving their time to prepare the trails for the grand opening.
"It’s basically going to be a dedication to formally open the trail to the public," said Blaine. "We will be bringing out some Challenged Athletes Foundation riders to do a group ride, and we are just out here trying to tune up the trail after a wild winter."
