About

Elevated Trail Design is all about building trail that fits into the natural landscape while maintaining high standards of safety and sustainability.

Whether building a trail system or a bike park, we always strive to make trails fun and safe for the intended user.  Our specialties include the planning, design, and construction of multi-use trail systems. This includes mountain bike trails, hiking trails, equestrian trails, lift-accessed bike parks, public bike parks, and pump tracks.

Elevated Trail Design is located in the blue ridge mountains, just outside of Asheville, NC. ETD was established by Peter Mills in the spring of 2011 in North Carolina.  Although our roots are in NC, we have built trails and bike parks in Colorado, New Mexico, West Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, New York, Virginia, and South Carolina. ETD has worked on a broad range of projects and we pride ourselves in adapting to each unique environment. We can help you at any phase of your trail project, from vision and design to construction and maintenance.  We recognize that every trail project is unique, and we are eager to cater to your specific needs and utilize our experience and expertise to elevate your project to its full potential.


 
Peter Mills | Elevated Trail Design

Peter Mills

Owner / Founder

Peter’s love for trails began at an early age through mountain biking, riding dirt jumps, and racing downhill. After graduating from UNC Asheville, Peter founded Elevated Trail Design in 2011. Since then, it has been a non-stop adventure designing and building trail systems and bike parks throughout the US. Peter serves on the Connect Buncombe Board to advocate for greenway accessibility in his community. When Peter is not bouncing between job sites, you can find him at home, building and riding his backyard trails. He enjoys life in the country with his wife, Sara Mills, and their trail dog Lucy. 

 

 
Alan Brown | Elevated Trail Design

Alan J. Brown

Project Manager / Lead Builder

Growing up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Hickory, NC, AJ spent a lot of time outdoors and on two wheels. He later studied agronomy at NC State University. His passion for the outdoors and desire to get more folks outside has led him to a career of trail building. With a background in carpentry and construction, AJ has a wide range of skills that enhance his trail building talent. When he is not on the road managing projects for ETD you can catch him on his bike deep in the woods of western nc or exploring on his motocycles.

 

 
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Josh Moore

Project Manager/Lead Builder

Josh was raised in Cary, North Carolina, where he spent most of his free time on his bike or on the sports field. Josh’s favorite places to ride in his hometown were the local dirt jumps, skatepark, and college campus. After high school, Josh moved to the Asheville area. His career path has touched many aspects of the cycling world, including teaching cycling merit badges for boy scouts, manufacturing high-end mountain bike wheels, and providing guided tours and skills coaching. Now, he builds hiking and mountain biking trails. When Josh isn’t on the trail, he enjoys canoeing, riding motorcycles, and eating burritos. Josh hopes you enjoy his trails!

 

 

Alex Dawson

Trail Builder

Alex grew up in Cary, North Carolina, shredding bikes with Josh as young groms. For the last decade, Alex worked in the cycling industry for Fox and Cane Creek Cycling Components. Looking for a change, he began trail building and joined the ETD crew. Also known as “Dirty Dawson”, Alex knows how to kick up some dirt on two wheels; whether it be trail riding, dirt jumping, or ripping on dirt bikes.


 

Sara Mills

Office Manager

Sara is the wife of Peter Mills and the one who helps keep ETD organized behind the scenes of trail building. After meeting in college at UNC Asheville, Sara & Peter moved to Colorado, where Sara got her master's degree in Chinese medicine. Sara is a Licensed Acupuncturist & Herbalist and owner of the Acupuncture Center of Asheville and Nourishing Roots Apothecary. Sara believes that movement is a key pillar to a healthy lifestyle, and she loves seeing people in their community have access to more trails. When she’s not seeing patients or helping ETD, she loves to play outside with their dog, Lucy. Sara enjoys running, biking, hiking, stand-up paddleboarding, and gardening.