this event has been cancelled
We’re sorry to announce that the Knik Scramble has been canceled.
Our team put a lot of effort into making this event happen, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to finalize everything with the Mat-Su Borough in time to host the event as we envisioned.
We know many of you had made plans to attend, so we want to be very clear:
There will be no organized event at Jim Creek.
That said, we expect a lot of riders will still be out there. We encourage you to connect with others, plan your own rides, and enjoy the day. Please remember: it’s absolutely essential to follow all borough rules, respect posted signs, and cooperate with and respect borough staff. Any organized event must be permitted and allowed in writing, and we do not have that permission.
We are not saying this as a *wink wink*, we mean it. The future of off-road events depends on our community showing we’re responsible, respectful, and good stewards of public land, and we ask that you respect that for all our sakes. You don’t want to be the one to ruin it for everyone, so please take that seriously.
Because we know many of you will be curious about what led to the cancellation, we wanted to share a little more context. If you’re just here for the quick update, no worries — you can stop reading here. But for those interested, here’s what happened:
When planning the event, we carefully reviewed Mat-Su Borough code and believed we met all of the requirements within the timeframe we had. Everything was moving forward as planned, and although we had far more sign-ups than expected, we were confident in our ability to manage it with our team of volunteers.
As part of the process, we reached out to the Borough to submit our trail use permit and notify them of the event — again, working within the guidelines provided by the Borough. However, due to the size and nature of the event, it quickly became clear that this was something new for them that they need more time to review. They have never handled this type of motorized race event in this area, and needed additional time to work with their legal team, assess liability and erosion concerns, and arrange for proper staffing and oversight to make sure the facility was managed properly for us.
While this wasn’t the outcome we hoped for, we fully understand and respect the Borough’s tough position. They’re doing their due diligence to ensure we aren't a bunch of hooligans who are going to wreck a public use area, and we appreciate that. We had a great meeting with their Community Development team and are excited to work together to make future events possible, not just at Jim Creek, but at other Mat-Su Borough locations as well.
We want to be clear: we have no hard feelings about this cancellation. We’re here for the long haul — this one event was just the beginning. Growth often comes with challenges, and we see this as a learning experience and communication building opportunity, not a setback. We now have great contacts at the borough, and are confident in moving forward.
On that note, we've also had a lot of people ask what was done to make this a safe and organized event, and we want to share what was done in preparation by our team. This really just scratches the surface, but we want you to know this was not intended to be a thrown-together event. We put a lot of time in thought into doing this the right way, and that is our intention with all events moving forward:
Logistics & Infrastructure
Porta-potties reserved for participants and spectators
Trash receptacles planned and reserved throughout the venue for waste management.
Endorsement from the Kurt Caselli Foundation
Nationally standardized supplies purchased for trail marking
Volunteer and youth racer vests provided by the foundation
Course clean-up was done by a great team over the past couple of weeks. Downed trees were removed, clear safety issues were resolved, and planning was done to reduce erosion
Safety & Emergency Services
Private EMS and ambulance services contracted for on-site for medical emergencies
Mat-Su EMS contacted to ensure they were aware of the event and were staffed accordingly in the case of an incident
Event liability insurance provided with support from Sutton Racing Lions (Special thanks to Shannon fo the help with that, liability insurance is a huge part of making these types of events happen!)
Race Operations
Timing system and registration system purchased to ensure accurate race tracking and results
Radios purchased for all support staff to ensure clear and consistent communication
20+ volunteers signed up for course marking and clean up, trail sweep, marshaling, and race control
Volunteer pins purchased as recognition for their contributions (don't worry, you guys will still get them!)
Registration stickers purchased to clearly identify all registered riders.
All of this was done with ZERO entry fees or cash sponsorship, but provided and funded purely by our team.
The outpouring of support has been incredible — from the number of people who signed up, to those who offered to volunteer, to everyone who’s reached out with encouragement. We truly believe this community has a bright future, and we’re grateful to everyone willing to work with us to build it.
Thanks for your understanding, your energy, and your belief in what we’re building. This has been a whirlwind of a couple weeks, and we’re so excited for the future!
The Ride Alaska Team
