destinations

Trail Boss is a video series produced by Jeff Lenosky and documents his attempts to ride some of the most technical trails he can find. A veteran rider with a 20-year professional career and three Observed Trials U.S. National Championships to his name, Lenosky uses his skills to ride the unrideable. Check out all the ...

Words by Andreas Hestler, photos by Dave Silver Last time I went bikepacking it was with a 50-pound backpack while smashing my personal undercarriage to smithereens on the saddle! It was tough (maybe we were just tougher then), and it gave me reason to pause whenever considering a repeat. Fast-forward a few years, the equipment ...

By Maureen Gaffney  Clouds indistinguishable from 50’s-style UFOs marched past, a sleek and silent armada against a blue background. Red, pink and sand-hued rock formations towered, bulgy and swirling in the wavy heat. Any vegetation in this stern expanse looked ready for a fight, scrappy little dukes raised skyward, each fist or finger equipped with ...

Words and photos by Leslie Kehmeier Austin, Texas? For mountain biking? The capital of the Lone Star State isn’t usually on the radar when it comes to destinations worthy of riding. However, when you think about the food, the vibe and the Hill Country terrain, it totally makes sense. Here are five reasons that Austin ...

We asked friends, contributors, pros and industry insiders to give us the lowdown on their favorite trails and watering holes around the country. Selene Yeager – Writer “I’m a bit of a mountain bike stage racing nut, having completed (and occasionally done quite well) in Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic, BC Bike Race, Cape Epic, Brasil ...

Words by Anna Barensfeld, photos by Ursin Gabriel The burly bottom bracket of my bike was digging into my neck. I’d overhead-pressed my rented Yeti SB5 just one more time for the final hike-a-bike up and over this remote rocky pass in heavy wind and a soaking rain. With a chunky trail and steep incline, ...

Words by Kurt Gensheimer, photos by James Adamson  California is home to nearly 40 million people. With constant urban and suburban sprawl, it’s a state where change and “progress” is inevitable. But there is a corner of California called the Lost Sierra that hasn’t changed much since the 1849 Gold Rush. Plumas and Sierra counties ...

Words by Anthony Duncan, photos by Jesse Cheers I’ve always been vaguely aware of bear protocol when out in the wild. I say “vaguely” because my bear knowledge has never really been tested … until recently. Here’s the scenario: It’s roughly 3 a.m. and I’m wide awake in a hammock after a nearly 50-mile day ...

There was a hint of skepticism on my guides’ faces as we stood in the parking lot and they looked all 5’3″ of me up and down, no doubt trying to decide if it was going to be a mistake taking me on this ride. “What’s your overall skill level? What’s the longest ride on ...

Trail Boss is a video series produced by Jeff Lenosky and documents his attempts to ride some of the most technical trails he can find. A veteran rider with a 20-year professional career and three Observed Trials U.S. National Championships to his name, Lenosky uses his skills to ride the unrideable. This latest Trail Boss ...

Words and photos by Leslie Kehmeier. Originally published in Dirt Rag 193.  Road trips have become a regular part of my work routine as I seek out mountain bike stories across the country. Over the last few years I’ve crisscrossed many states north and south, coast to coast, visiting both the renowned as well as ...

Words and photos by Brian Leddy  High in the pines of northeastern Arizona lie 200-plus miles of sweet singletrack. Traversing the rocky, volcanic slopes of the White Mountains, the trails flow through ponderosa pine forests and high mountain meadows. If you’re looking for a place to get away from it all, this is a great ...

The “Tutti Frutti Epic” MTB Tour is a one-day bucket list ride that includes most of the new and existing trails at the Carosello 3000 Mountain Park in the resort town of Livigno in the Italian Alps. The 45km tour feels like an endless rollercoaster. It includes only a few hundred meters of uphill pedaling, since ...

We know the bike and the rider aren’t the only components for an exhilarating ride – it takes some great trails, too – and that’s why the work of trail builders is so important. The spectacular and rugged trails in Northwest Arkansas are among the best in the world because of the skilled riders who ...

Trail Boss is a video series produced by Jeff Lenosky and documents his attempts to ride some of the most technical trails he can find. A veteran rider with a 20-year professional career and three Observed Trials U.S. National Championships to his name, Lenosky uses his skills to ride the unrideable. In Jeff’s latest episode ...

Words by Mike Cushionbury. Photos by Sterling Lorence. As I trudged up a 45-minute hike-a-bike, less than 1 mile into the “ride” I looked back at Giant Factory racer Adam Craig and sarcastically said, “This is awesome.” Shortly after that I pulled to the left and let him pass. We were less than an hour ...

Trail Boss is a video series produced by Jeff Lenosky and documents his attempts to ride some of the most technical trails he can find. A veteran rider with a 20-year professional career and three Observed Trials U.S. National Championships to his name, Lenosky uses his skills to ride the unrideable. In his latest episode, ...

Words by William O’Connor, photos by Michal Dzikowski This story begins at my house, in a small village in the west of Ireland where bank holiday weekend biking plans are being made. My usual plan involves packing a van, a motorway dash, service station food and a late night drive home. Our rule of thumb ...

Words by Eric Porter. Photos by Scott Markewitz. This story originally appeared in Dirt Rag #186. “Pull over! It’s burrito time!” snarled Scott as he reached his breaking point. Throughout our entire time in Ecuador, he had been carrying a bag of tortillas and a can of refried beans that he brought from the U.S. ...

Words and photos by Jeffrey Stern. The concept was simple really – traverse three mountain ranges, tip-toe around two wilderness areas all while crossing the entire southern portion of Los Padres National Forest, a nearly 2 million-acre section of seldom-visited forest in northern Santa Barbara county. Logistics were the ultimate challenge in completing such an ...

Words by Jeffrey Stern. Photos courtesy of Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. Nearly smack dab middle in the country and flanked by states more known for their barbeque and blues music, Arkansas is actually the only state in the nation with a statewide trail maintenance crew. Home to former president Bill Clinton as well ...

Since we’re in the holiday spirit, we chose a trail that is as close as we can get to the North Pole, and still be in the United States. Alaska, it is! This is our last Featured Ride with MTBProject, and we would like to extend them a HUGE thanks for being partners with us ...

The 14.7-mile Hart Prairie Loop lacks any technical challenges, but 40% of the route is singletrack, and it also features long and consistent uphill grades (at high elevation) make for a good workout. The reward is an ending that includes miles of fast flowing downhill on some of Arizona’s finest singletrack. This ride can be ...

Photos and information from MTBProject.com. At Elm Creek, you’ll ride through a variety of terrain from mature wooded tracks to open prairie areas. Flowing trails with small bumps and rises designed to keep water off the trail make sections of this trail feel like a pump track. Many opportunities are available to bump up the ...

Photos and information from MTBProject.com. O’Bannon Woods State Park, located in southern Indiana, is approximately 45 minutes west of downtown Louisville, Kentucky, or seven miles west of Corydon, Indiana, on State Road 62. The 3,000 acre park is surrounded by the 26,000 acre Harrison-Crawford State Forest and borders the Ohio and Blue Rivers. Unique features ...

Photos and information from MTBProject.com. The Tour de Patapsco is a 53.7 mile ride for experienced intermediate and advanced riders that will challenge the technical skills and endurance of even the most accomplished mountain bikers. Although at all times you’ll be within minutes of suburban Baltimore/DC, you’ll feel like you’re on a remote backcountry adventure. ...

Photos and information from MTBProject.com. This 12.5 mile loop offers a choice selection of the 30-plus miles of trails in Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness Loop trail network. All trails are only 2-4 miles from downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. The trails offer something for everyone: rock gardens, buff singletrack, paved greenways and gravel doubletrack. There are several trailheads ...

Photos and information from MTBProject.com. The Rattling Creek IMBA Epic offers a mix of rocky singletrack, woods roads, punchy climbs and flowy singletrack. The 22 mile route is fun in both directions. Riding the system in a counter-clockwise direction will give you a chance to see the general order in which the trails were built. ...

Trail information and photos courtesy of MTB Project. Overview Being one of the least rocky trails in the Phoenix area makes this a great place for the cross-country rider. The trails wind through scenic Sonoran desert that provide picturesque views of Red (McDowell) Mountain. The last of half of the Saguaro Trail (aka Mine Trail) ...

Photos and information from MTBProject.com  Skyline is a 15-mile (one-way) singletrack trail in southern California’s Big Bear and San Bernadino National Forest—a cross country ride on a high mountain ridge with few sustained up or downhill grades. The trail is relatively flat but hangs out between 7,500 and 8,000 feet, so bring your lungs! The ...

Photos and information from MTBProject.com In southeastern Ohio, there are quite a few rides to be had in the Wayne National Forest. This challenging, 16-mile ride is just one option in an area full of technical trails. In this area alone, there are about 40 additional miles of riding you could tack on to this ...

Photos by Caleb Smith and the author. Let me start this out with some honesty. The last time I was on a downhill hike was almost two years ago, and even then I was nursing a torn rotator cuff. While I’ve always enjoyed true DH riding, it doesn’t happen very often, so keep that in ...

Information and photos from MTBProject.com.  It’s not winter just yet, nor do we want to rush it, but Oil Well Flats near Canon City, Colorado, has become a go-to winter riding destination when most of the state’s most populated area’s are covered in snow. This 13-mile ride offers a sampling of the system trails. Located in ...

Trail information courtesy of MTB Project. Photos by Dirt Rag and courtesy of MTB Project. The Catskill Forest Preserve is home to over 40 miles of mountain bike trails. The Elm Ridge Loop, located just outside of Windham, New York, features over 14 miles of the Castskills’ finest singletrack. Elm Ridge Loop starts on the ...

Photos and information from MTB Project. Rocky Knob Park (RKP) is a 185-acre county park located just east of the town of Boone, North Carolina. With over nine miles of singletrack trail (including four skills areas), Rocky Knob contains some of the most beautiful, unique, destination-quality mountain biking terrain in the area. RKP lives up to ...

Information and photos from MTB Project. There are some longer, more well-known river trails in neighboring Oregon, namely the McKenzie River Trail and the epic North Umpqua. But this all-singletrack trail along the clear waters of the Lewis River in southwest Washington holds its own and is a great, all-around ride, especially if you want to ...

Trail information and photos courtesy of MTB Project. Autumn colors are beginning to show in the Colorado high country. The Doctor Park trail is beloved by locals, especially in the fall when the aspens are turning and the landscape is covered in bright yellows and oranges. The Doctor Park singletrack trail is just under 7 miles ...

This ride and accompany photos come to us from MTB Project. Many people out west were left scratching their heads when the International Mountain Bicycling Association bestowed “Epic” status on Brown County State Park in southern Indiana. But folks who ride these trails on a regular basis had their own question: “What took so long?” This ...

Annadel State Park This 16-mile “big loop” hits the highlights of Annadel State Park just east of Santa Rosa, California. The big loop features technical singletrack up the black diamond-rated Cobblestone trail and a fast, fun descent—with opportunities to catch air—along the swooping North and South Burma Trail. Side loops provide options for lengthening or ...

Those who live in the western Rockies (like our web editor) often hear whispers about Boise, Idaho, about how awesome it actually is despite not that many people thinking of it. Well, sorry for outing you, Boise, but take one look at MTB Project and it’s clear there are tons of trails in and near ...

The Maah Daah Hey is one of the jewels of North Dakota open space and a designated IMBA Epic. This ride is a serious adventure and a serious commitment. It is 93 miles of singletrack through painted buttes and tall grass prairies that will both test and awe you. As it follows the Little Missouri River, ...

The Millstone Hill trail system near Barre, Vermont, is not long but it is unique. The trails wind above water-filled abandoned quarries, through northern hardwood and coniferous forests and along exposed granite spines. The ride featured here is located on the west side and totals about 7 miles that is 75-percent singletrack and includes a couple of ...

A fast, intermediate ride through beautiful hardwood forests, Chicopee Woods links together almost all of the trails and loops in this system adjacent the city of Gainesville (northeast of Atlanta) for an 18-mile zig-zagging, roller-coaster ride. Expect flow, berms, bridges, a few climbs up a gravel road and a somewhat technical descent down White Tail ...

Words and photos: James Murren Originally published in Issue #191 Shakedown in the Storm The evening light wanes, but we ride on into it. Carlos’ German shepherds weave and dart between our bikes, never dragging tail. I am on a shake-down ride in preparation for the big one coming up two days from now. Singletrack ...

This week’s featured ride from MTB Project is southwest of Olympia and is called the Capitol State Forest’s “signature ride,” linking intermediate and advanced trails. This particular 16-mile ride covers everything from steep, loose climbs to fast, flowy downhill and everything in between. Greenline #6, the black-diamond trail, features sections known as The Luge, Roots of Fury and ...

Words and photos: Montana Miller Originally published in Issue #191 My back just went numb, right between the shoulder blades. Which actually feels a lot better than the shooting pain I had a few minutes ago. I hike slowly next to my bike; hopefully I can make the top of this pass before sunset. I’m ...

Cheat Mountain is a relatively unknown riding area in West Virginia. This 13.8-mile ride is fairly remote, even for West Virginia standards. While the trails are well-signed, you’re definitely out there. Self-sufficiency is mandatory. This technical, backcountry-style ride is characterized by things you might find in the pages of a Tolkien book: dense mixed forest covered ...

The Narrowback Mountain Loop ride is located near Harrisonburg, Virginia, in the North River District of George Washington National Forest. There is a bit of everything on this 12.5-mile sample loop including ridgeline riding, rocky sections with alternate lines and one memorable descent off the mountain. The ride ascends and descends a total of 1,500 ...

We’re in Park City, Utah, this week for Bike Press Camp, and one of the trails we get to ride is Mid Mountain. It’s part of the local IMBA Epic and just one of many options that can be accessed either by brute uphill pedaling or ski lift. The trail starts at 7,800 feet and ...

Curt Gowdy State Park, located between Wyoming’s capital city (Cheyenne) and primary college town (Laramie), is two hours north of Denver and is slowly being discovered as a worthy weekend destination, even for Colorado’s trail-spoiled mountain bikers. Wyoming State Parks has embraced mountain biking at Curt Gowdy, and its trails were specifically built to accomodate ...

This loop ride near Fraser, Colorado, offers a 13-mile tour of the edge of the Arapahoe National Forest and is easily accessible off the main highway if you want to stop and stretch your legs during a road trip, or want to sample some singletrack in addition to a downhilling trip at nearby Winter Park. There are plenty ...

Words and photos: Zach White Originally published in Issue #190 When I was a kid, my great-grandmother’s humble backyard was my favorite place in the world. It couldn’t have been more than 1,000 square feet, yet within that confinement was a separate little area behind the broadside of a detached garage with a massive wall ...

Offering some of the best riding in Texas, Reveille Peak Ranch is unique with its technical singletrack, gravity runs and granite outcrops, topped off with some of the best views in the Hill Country. This 13- to 20-mile ride, ranked number one in Texas on MTB Project, offers a taste of the ranch’s diverse, unique trails ...

Words: Matt Kasprzyk Photos: John Shafer Originally published in Issue #190 There’s a lot in Park City for the cosmopolitan, just as there is for the adventurer. We know that not everyone rolling up to its opulent resort in a Porsche is a millennial wearing sweatpants and an Affliction T-shirt—some have a roof rack on ...

The Trout Creek Canyon to Beartrap Gulch loop is an excellent opportunity to experience Montana backcountry riding in the Helena National Forest. The 13.6-mile ride features two scenic and fun trails connected by a moderate doubletrack climb. You’ll want to climb Trout Creek and descent Beartrap. The grade is steady with a few, short punchy ...

It’s Dirt Rag Dirt Fest week! So, of course, our featured ride is all of the rad rippin’ Allegrippis Trails of Raystown Lake in central Pennsylvania, which play host every year to our wild and crazy mountain bike festival. The Allegrippis Trails are mountain bike-optimized, so expect routes that contour and roll with bermed turns and lots of ...

Words: Hailey Elise Photos: Mark Mackay Originally featured in Issue #190 She’s elusive. Cheeky, only showing glimpses of her true nature the farther in you find yourself. And by farther in think of an hour climb. Whistler’s trail systems are easily accessed by those who are looking for them, but outside of the bike park ...

“Everything But Ninja Beaver” is a ride linking several trails in the Mission Creek area near Superior, Wisconsin, and Duluth, Minnesota. This 12.6-mile ride is 85 percent flowing, rolling singletrack with about 1,000 feet each of climbing and descending. It’s a great one for newer riders and kids to get out and enjoy mountain biking ...

If you like endless singletrack through old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest, then the 72-mile North Umpqua IMBA Epic is for you. The route is a long-distance adventure best ridden in sections or over the course of multiple days with a support vehicle. For the hearty and fit, the route can be done in ...

From the MTB Project description: “‘The Knob’ is considered the most unusual technical singletrack in northeastern Ohio. Small painted signs give indication about what to expect around the next turn, with names like Rock Tunnel, Fern Gully, Oh Sh#!, the Cradle, Friar Bryan’s Forest, Ant City … well, you get the idea.” The trail system, offering ...

There are many reasons why Fruita, Colorado, is a famed mountain biking destination, and the Ridgeline Tour of Kokopelli Loops is one of them. This is a difficult, expert-level ride with rewarding views of the Kokopelli Loops, Colorado River and McGinnis Canyons. Accept that hiking your bike is a foregone conclusion, then set out to enjoy ...

The next time you find yourself road tripping across the American southwest, pull off Interstate 40 just west of Gallup, New Mexico, to ride the High Desert Trail System. The singletrack snakes up and down past unique stone features and plays host to a 12-hour mountain bike race. The system is well-maintained and well-signed. The ...

“Welcome to Wilkesbermo.” Kerr Scott gets its nickname from the hundreds of bermed and banked terns, and has been compared to a 30-mile roller coaster ride. Kerr Scott, located in central North Carolina, has three main trail systems: Dark Mountain, Overmountain Victory Trail and Warrior Creek, plus shorter trails either looping or connecting to those ...

This 13-mile ride is highly ranked in Virginia on MTB Project. It will give you a flavor of both the 25-mile Oak Mountain Trail and the 44-mile Virginia Endurance Series showcase ride. This ride has a bit of everything including easy climbing, fast descents and technical rocky areas. Don’t miss the intersection for an overlook that ...

Simply utter the word “Moab” to many a mountain biker and you can watch their eyes glaze over joyfully as they’re spirited away on their daydreams to slick rocks, red dirt and technical ledges. One of those daydream-inducing rides is Captain Ahab. This featured ride, which is just one combination of trails in this location, ...

The Sandy Ridge Trail System provides directional singletrack opportunities specifically designed for mountain bikers in the foothills of the Cascade Range. Located on a ridge just west of Mount Hood and above the Sandy River, the trail system winds through a typical Western Oregon forest of Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western red cedar, and various hardwood ...

Paris Mountain State Park near Greenville, South Carolina, is a popular trail system that offers an 11.5-mile loop with a few short side options. This ride will give you a taste of the terrain and trail types available in the state. Expect extended climbs and descents over 95 percent singletrack with an average grade of ...

While not particularly technical, the White Ridge Trail System stands out in the Albuquerque area for vertical exposure and stunning views. It is ranked the number 2 ride in New Mexico on MTB Project. The main loop is 8.4 miles, mostly singletrack and hovers around 6,000 feet of elevation without a tremendous amount of climbing. ...

In the foothills of the Appalachians, Double Oak Mountain lies at the core of the nearly 10,000-acre Oak Mountain State Park, located just 20 minutes south of Birmingham in Pelham, Alabama. The slopes and valleys of the parallel ridgelines serve up miles of blissful singletrack and technical diversity. This 21-mile ride has been lauded as ...

The famed, 35.5-mile Womble sits just west of historic Hot Springs, Arkansas. This IMBA Epic ride gains just a touch over 4,000 feet of elevation across its 95-percent singletrack route. If you’d like to ride the entire length of the Womble, or even a shorter point-to-point section, you’ll need to self-shuttle as no commercial options ...

While there are plenty of places to ride a fat bike on groomed trails in Colorado, most of them are cross-country ski trails and snowmobile trails. Grooming snow trails specifically for bikes has been slower to catch on out West than it has in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes states. One place where that ...

Hawaii is a bucket-list destination for travelers, but how is the riding? The 16-mile Skyline downhill run, beginning at 9,900 feet atop a dormant volcano, is the highlight of the Poli Poli Springs ride area on Maui. Our web editor described this ride in Issue #177 after enjoying it, herself:  On a good day, you can ...

For this week’s Featured Ride, we’re taking you to Peru in the southern hemisphere. Though this might seem like a great winter destination, this ride is actually available during the local winter season, May to November. This 33-mile shuttle ride descends from an elevation of 11,191 feet all the way down to the Pacific Ocean, gaining just ...

With apologies to Bill Bryson.  I come from San Antonio. Somebody had to. There are generally two types of people born in San Antonio: those who can’t imagine leaving, and those who can’t wait to. Raised by two Midwesterners who often seem bewildered as to how they ended up as residents of the Lone Star State in ...

This mountain-bike-specific trail system in the Paradise Ridge area of the King Range National Conservation Area is the result of a partnership between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA), along with the Redwood Coast Mountain Bike Association. The 11.6-mile Paradise Royale Loop is a great introduction to the ...

Ringing in the New Year in Las Vegas? If so, you might want to bring or rent a bike to ride off your hangover on New Year’s day. Believe it or not, the Las Vegas region offers a lot of great riding, from the Boulder Canyon trails to the Cowboy Trails just south of Red ...

The Black Canyon Trail (BCT) is truly epic, stretching from Highway 69 south to the Carefree Highway, just north of Phoenix. This MTB Project ride lists total mileage at 67.5 miles of 100% singletrack, but I’ve also read reports of 78 miles of total rideable trail. Either way, you’ll want to break this ride into ...

Not all great rides have to be epic death marches. Fort Clinch State Park, just north of Jacksonville, Florida, offers a fun and flowing loop that offers a mere 80 feet of elevation gain in 5.4 miles. Take a look at the elevation chart and you’ll see a low elevation of just three feet above sea level, ...

As we discovered during our spring break trip to Mulberry Gap just outside of Ellijay, Georgia, the mountains of Northern Georgia are an underappreciated hot bed of incredible mountain biking. This region’s combination of significant tracts of public land in the Chattahoochee National Forest, ample elevation change, old logging infrastructure, CCC-era legacy trails and a thriving mountain bike culture ...

Alabama might not be the first state to come to mind as a mountain bike destination, but Coldwater Mountain near Anniston, Alabama, is positioned to change that notion. Coldwater Mountain has earned Bronze-level status as an IMBA Ride Center with 25 miles of newly constructed trails already on the ground. Plans are in place to increase ...

Just an hour and a half drive northeast of San Diego you’ll find the gold rush town of Julian, and just a few miles south of that former boom town, you’ll find the trailhead for the Cuyamaca to Noble Canyon IMBA Epic. This 29-mile ride descends and ascends 3,800 feet of elevation as it traverses as ...

As fall and winter continue to march south, so too will our featured rides. This week we’re highlighting Big Bend Ranch State Park, which sits just north and west of Big Bend National Park in the southwest corner of Texas. It’s extremely remote, extremely beautiful and highly likely to provide you with a big does of ...

Words: Hans Rey Photos: Stefan Voitl A young man, 18-year-old Kevin, stood on a dusty street corner on the outskirts of Antigua, Guatemala, waiting for us. Two years ago he received a bicycle from Wheels 4 Life through his school, “Escuela Proyecto La Esperanza,” which was founded and is run by a UK-based charity. When we found ...

Gooseberry Mesa, located in Utah’s southwest corner, is simply one of the most magical places I’ve camped and ridden in the American west. Granted, there’s a lot of territory I haven’t visited, but there’s no denying the worthiness of this destination. Having been constructed over 20 years ago by the Harris brothers, the Gooseberry Mesa ...

Words and photos by Dan Milner This story originally appeared in Issue #183  “It’s the most shitty looking, crappiest trail I have ever seen,” says Hans Rey, not mincing his words. We’re tired, hungry and cold and have found ourselves passing the night in the one-horse Argentinean border town of La Quiaca—a town that seems ...

The massive 125,000-acre Big South Fork (BSF) National River and Recreation Area, which sits roughly 80 miles northwest of Knoxville, Tennessee, was one of the first National Park Service units to embrace mountain biking back in the early 1990s. Though just one trail was initially open to mountain biking, additional trails have steadily been opened to ...

Words and photos by James Murren Feature story from Issue #182 The Cuyamacas My bike leans against a tree as I walk in cleated shoes through the green spring grasses in the direction of granite slabs slightly visible from the trail. Remembering a group of picnicking students that had piqued my interest during a previous ...

Douthat State Park sits in the Appalachian Mountains just a little over an hour’s drive north of Roanoke, Virginia. This 4,500 acre park provides a mix of newly-constructed trails as well as many miles of Civilian Conservation Corps legacy trails. This 18-mile IMBA Epic loop is the highlight reel of the 40+ miles of trails ...

The Phil’s World trail system, near Cortez, Colorado, is a worthy destination for a multitude of reasons. First, the riding is absolutely amazing. Second, this riding area illustrates what can be achieved when local advocacy groups are able to form strong partnerships with land managers like the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Phil’s World exists on BLM ...

Ohio might not be the first state that jumps to your mind when you’re looking for a mountain bike destination. But, the 22.2-mile loop around Mohican State Park is well worth the trip. I’ve only ridden the approximately 8-mile short loop and have been itching to get back for the long loop ever since. Still ...

Kingdom Trails is one of the premier mountain bike destinations on the east coast, if not the entire United States. Sure, it doesn’t have the epic scenery of Sedona or Moab, but the riding is world class and the quaint little town of Burke, Vermont is very welcoming to cyclists. Much of the area’s economic growth ...

As summer begins to show the first signs of the approaching fall, we’ll continue to feature some high-country rides while they remain accessible. This week’s Featured Ride loops up into the mountains between Aspen and Snowmass, offering breathtaking views of 14,000-foot peaks in the neighboring Elk Mountain range. This 18.3-mile route features 2,175 feet of climbing ...

Park City, Utah is simply loaded with great trails, over 350 miles in fact. With that many miles of trails, it’s hard to pick a favorite. However, riders have ranked this IMBA Epic the best ride in the Park City area. Stretching 25.5 miles, this Epic climbs 3,500 feet throughout the ride. Maximum elevation tops out ...

This 69.5-mile trail segment certainly lives up to it’s status as an IMBA Epic. Don’t let that mileage turn you off though, as the North Umpqua Trail (NUT) can be ridden in segments or in its entirety as supported adventure. Ridden west to east the NUT climbs along the North Umpqua River, gaining 9,000 feet ...

MTB Project encourages users to rank rides and trails in order to help other riders prioritize ride options when exploring new trails. Rider’s who have been lucky enough to ride this high-country route have rated it favorably enough to capture the number one rating in the region surrounding Grand Teton National Park and number two in the entire state ...

This week’s Featured Ride takes us way up north to Alaska, near the town of Seward on the southeastern side of the Kenai Peninsula. Seward is roughly a two hour and thirty minute drive south from Anchorage. In the current issue of Dirt Rag, #186, we featured a story about riding in Alaska. Here’s an except ...

This week’s Featured Ride continues our high-country theme as we roll into the heart of summer. Tahoe’s iconic Rim trail sits at maximum elevation of nearly 9,000 feet, so now is the time to ride! First, a couple of things you need to know. Only a portion of the 168-mile Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT) is open to bikes. ...

Whistler Bike Park’s Top of the World trail is a bucket-list experience for any gravity-loving mountain biker. This week’s featured ride adds some epic backcountry riding to the legendary Top of the World alpine experience. This high-altitude experience is open from July through late September. You’ll need to procure both a Whistler Bike Park pass and a ...

This post marks the beginning of a partnership between us here at Dirt Rag and MTB Project, the nation’s leading digital trail database. Each week we’ll be featuring one MTB Project’s best rides when it’s most seasonally relevant. Of course, we’d love to hear your suggestions, email your favorites to [email protected] or comment below. Since we’re rolling ...

Editor’s note: We love hearing stories from our readers, so if you have an experience you’d like to share, send it to [email protected] with “Readers Write” as the subject line.  Words and photos by Rob Whelan This is a story about three dudes from the flat city of Kingston, Ontario. A story about riding bikes with ...

To get to the north we decided to go by train rather than automobile or plane, relying on our previous travel experience to “wing it.” How hard could it be anyway? Most of the time it can be as simple as getting on the train, buying a ticket and figuring the rest out as you ...

Mountain bikers may be forgiven for overlooking Seattle’s smaller east-side sibling; the second most populous city in Washington and the largest city between Seattle and Minneapolis, Spokane (pronounced Spo-CAN) has managed to stay off the radar of ride destinations. But over the last two decades, the riding community has quietly built an enviable trail network, ...

With nearly 200 miles of pedaling in our legs, we were happy to start the second week in Portugal with a day of shuttling trails. With eucalyptus smells blasting our faces, we had traded frame bags for fanny packs, well on our way up to a fun week of trail riding.   Based just north of ...

From Setúbal, we took days two and three to get our legs under us and our systems dialed. A simple as bikepacking looks, it takes a bit of organizing, re-organizing, and long hours pedaling to feel balanced and in order. Still, on the pavement, we used the predictable surface to our advantage. It was great ...

My friend and her husband were planning a trip to visit his mama in Russia, and they were considering a stop in Switzerland for a five-day mountain biking tour to break up the trip. “Would you all want to go, too?” she asked her girl posse on a ride. “Um, let me think about it. ...

One of my riding companions has a shit-eating grin—quite literally. We’re descending Mill Creek, just outside Grand Targhee Bike Park on the west side of the Tetons. This is very much cattle country; reports on Trail Forks reference dung rather than dust (“no cow shit today”). But when the riding is this good—the flipbook-fast flash ...

“Just don’t look them in the eyes.” This was the most memorable moment from my last trip to Portugal in 2008. My husband Chris was staring at a plate of sardines that had just landed in front of him. His vision redirected quickly to anything else on the table once the waitperson gave his advice. ...

Road-Trip Objective: Explore the northern Canadian territory known as Yukon. See, bike and experience its rarely spoken-of bike culture. Hosting more trails than the total population of riders, this remote location supports a thriving bike world thanks to an abundantly passionate community and a supportive history. We were positive that the people and the trails ...

Settlers first moved into the northeastern reaches of New York’s Catskill Mountains in the 1780s, and the town of Windham was formed along the banks of the Batavia Kill in 1798. Tanneries, sawmills and gristmills eventually sprouted along the watercourse. By 1851, the original expanse of Windham was divided to create six additional towns: Ashland, ...

The United Kingdom’s mountains lie mostly on its western flank and bear the marks of the Ice Age several thousand years past. Our tallest peaks are modest when compared to even our continental neighbors and certainly to the likes of the Himalayas, Atlas Mountains, Andes and Rockies. Altitude sickness is something you cannot experience here, ...

Nestled in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains along Highway 50 sits the city of Gunnison, Colorado. The town received its name in honor of United States Army General John W. Gunnison, who was sent to survey the land for the railroad. In the late 1800s, miners, ranchers, and mountain men settled into Gunnison once ...

Editors Note: I have to be honest, I was digging through the back catalog of Dirt Rag’s searching for a ghost story, something Halloween related when I stumbled upon Watts’ “Vanzig” story from a few years back. While not a spooky story per se, it is a story I quite enjoyed. So while we are ...

Dirt Rag contributor Brice Shirbach not only writes words and shoots awesome photographs, he also does a fair share of videoing as well. His latest is an expose’ of the amazing trails in Beacon, New York. “Welcome to Beacon stands to showcase some of the amazing trails that descend from the summit of the town’s ...

Trail stats Average Singletracks.com rating: (4.68) 33 trail reviews Difficulty: Intermediate Length: 10 miles Description Start out with a nice warm up climb up a paved road, followed by nice sigletrack climb through some narrow switch-backs and some rock gardens. Levels out for some rolling singletrack. From here on, it is climb a little, enjoy ...

Photos by mtbgreg1. Trail stats Difficulty: Advanced Length: 9 miles Average Singletracks.com Rating: 4.71 out of 5 stars. Description El Prieto has been hailed by many as one of the best singletrack rides in Los Angeles. After hearing such accolades, I just had to check it out! And let me tell you: they are not ...

Photos by ositoking Trail stats Difficulty: Advanced Length: 14 miles Average Singletracks.com Rating: 4.67 out of 5 stars. Description The skinny: Alafia River State Park trails are IMBA Epic certified. The park offers a wide range of trail difficulties, from novice to intermediate to advanced to highly-advanced sections. Due to the park’s location on an abandoned ...

We were lucky enough to get a chance to ride the 2,000 Hours Trail on the western slope of Massanutten Resort during a recent trip to the Shenandoah Valley. It got its name from the number of all-volunteer man-hours it took to build. Those rocks don’t move themselves! The Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition put together ...

Photo by BobinConifer Trail stats Difficulty: Advanced Length: 35 miles Average Singletracks.com rating: 4.93 out of 5 stars Description This is one of the premier shuttle rides in the state and with good reason. With over 30 miles of mostly singletrack trails and all of the best scenery Colorado has to offer, this trail is ...

photo: bluejudad Trail Stats Length: 14 miles Difficulty: Advanced Average Singletracks.com Rating: 4.92 out of 5 stars. Description Gooseberry Mesa provides the fix that every mountain biker needs: fantastic views off the mesa of the surrounding desert and Zion National Park, challenging sections of folded, convoluted slickrock, and entertaining sections of good-ole-fashioned dirt singletrack connecting ...

The trails of Big Bear West Virginia hold a special place in the heart of Dirt Rag. Our annual mountain bike festival has taken place there during the month of July over the last three summers and we are already looking forward to the 2020 event. Besides being our partners in Dirt Fest, Big Bear ...

By Stephen Haynes When tasked with conjuring names of cities in Tennessee, one might be inclined to list Memphis and Nashville ahead of Knoxville. If this were a magazine about music, you could have an argument, but as far as mountain biking is concerned, Knoxville may just surprise you. A lot of manufacturing cities are ...

The Puppies & Rainbows Ladies Jump Jam at the San Francisco Bike Expo was a skills clinic and practice session that brought the joy of dirt to San Francisco’s Cow Palace. 

By Joh Rathbun. Photos by Shane Mckenzie.

The sun blasted its way through the large plate glass window of Java on Fourth and straight into my face. I shoveled an omelet down as quickly as I could between intervals of coffee and water. I searched for any excuse I could think of, “I haven’t packed my bags quite yet.” “I have to ...

A few years back a good friend and I took a trip down Highway 1. Our trip started in the Bay Area, and we beelined it for the coast on our first proper morning of the journey. With our backpacks and camping gear stuffed in the back of a cherry red Chevy Cruze (RIP) we ...

This story first appeared in December 2016. We are gearing up for Dirt Fest PA 2019 as we speak and it always nice to look back and remember how this all got started, Planning on attending Dirt Fest? Be sure to register here and we will see you at the Lake! The first edition of ...

The hills beyond the Laguna Seca Raceway are continually calling your attention during the Sea Otter Classic. On the drive in, the morning fog settles into the valleys allowing the lush green peaks to push through into the bright morning sun. The greens of the hills were deeper and greener than I have ever seen ...

Editor’s note: The next issue of Dirt Rag is all about ~The Future~ (said with a booming echo). Our Gear focus for the issue is on bike park gear, and the two fit rim-and-tire because bike parks and resorts are becoming more a part of the everyday mountain biker’s experience every year, with more parks ...

Words and Photos by Kristin Winet The front entrance to the welcome center is not entirely legible, because years of snow and harsh Idaho winters have rubbed the black paint into a faint gray. The tip-off that we’ve made it here is the parking lot, which is full of cars and trucks and tourists, many—but not ...

Some people like to envision tropical scenes when they feel cold in the winter. Here at Dirt Rag HQ, I’m trying something different, something a bit closer to schadenfreude: watching a video of someone train for, then compete in, a fat bike race. The training for the race takes place in New Jersey, and the ...

If I have learned any life lessons from visiting Florida over the last few years, it is that prejudgment is a terrible character flaw to have. Sure, Florida feels like a never-ending conveyer belt of strip malls and drivers that don’t understand the rules of the left lane. There is virtually no public land that ...

Winter blues settling in? Case of the Mondays turned into a case of the Tuesdays? Check out this video of Brendan Howey and Quinn Hanley playing cat & mouse in Kootenay Bay, British Columbia. Dirt Rag Magazine will have a feature on riding in B.C. coming out in #209, at the start of the new year, ...

We’ll just put it out there: Iceland is really affordable to fly to from the United States at the moment, especially from the East Coast. Maybe it’s time to abandon the idea of a warm getaway and go headfirst into the wintry wonderland. Though, we gotta say, from the looks of this video, it looks like ...

As we enter into the soggy months of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s riding seasons, it’s time to daydream about where to spend the cold and rainy months. This video of the Catalonian Pyrenees is getting my blood pumping for some European terrain. Check it out for yourself! Where do your daydreams take you, what are your vacation dream ...

Editor’s note: In excitement for our upcoming issue on Making Do, in your mailboxes and select storefronts soon, here is a story from contributing writer Bryan Chambala on his quest to finish the Green Mountain Gravel Growler. For more stories like this, subscribe now to Dirt Rag by clicking this link, to ensure speedy delivery ...

Words and Photos by Andrea Wilson I hail originally from the hot, flat realm of Memphis, Tennessee. I moved to the Colorado Front Range almost three years ago, and I’ve been obsessed with finding all of the nooks and crannies of the mountains ever since. When I realized that the population density of the Denver ...

Editor’s note: This story originally ran in issue 206 of Dirt Rag Magazine. Like what you see? Issue 207 is out now on newsstands. Click here to subscribe today to ensure you never miss a story. Located just a mile southeast of the tripoint where Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania meet, Newark may be the best ...

Away from the lift lines and away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Park City lies the small town of Kamas, UT. Kamas, known as the gateway to the Unitas Mountains, sits in the rolling foothills. Kamas is home to cattle ranches, tumbleweeds and, much to our delight, the High Star Ranch Trail System. ...

Words and Photos by Andrea Wilson I hail originally from the hot, flat realm of Memphis, Tennessee. I moved to the Colorado Front Range almost three years ago, and I’ve been obsessed with finding all of the nooks and crannies of the mountains ever since. When I realized that the population density of the Denver ...

Words and photos by Erik Mathy It was Sunday morning and I was running late, as usual. We’d had a last minute change in plans and family had stayed at our place overnight, nixing my ability to figure out what bags would fit where on the new Rawland Ravn. My original plan had been to ...

Durango is the kind of town where all the bike racks are full. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any regular ole commuter bikes with ergonomic grips, rear racks, and 700 x 38cc tires. I found myself ogling like a bicycle fiend, checking out the antique Specialized Hard Rocks, Clark Kents, Kleins, and Rocky Mountains leaning ...

Words and Photos by Leslie Kehmeier “Time doesn’t really matter now – we just talk about lunch time, dinner time…” says Beth Roberts. Her tone is soothing. Beth is a guide for Rim Tours, a mountain bike outfitter based in Moab, Utah. She’s leading us on a section of the Arizona Trail on the north ...

Last weekend, I took a scenic drive up to Montpelier, Vermont to check out the unassuming state capitol and spend three days pedaling along dirt roads and single track with a group of Women, Transgender people, Femme-identifying individuals and non-binary folks (WTFs), coordinated by WTF Bikexplorers. I spent a night stealth camping in a bivy ...

Words and Photos by Andrea Wilson I hail originally from the hot, flat realm of Memphis, Tennessee. I moved to the Colorado Front Range almost three years ago, and I’ve been obsessed with finding all of the nooks and crannies of the mountains ever since. When I realized that the population density of the Denver ...

By Emma Walker If you’re coming from the Front Range, Del Norte is on the way to big-name destinations—Wolf Creek, Pagosa Springs, Durango—but blink, and you might miss it. It was hard to believe, as I circled my truck around the block to pull in at the historic Windsor Hotel, that this was the place ...

by Jen Rose Smith In Huaraz, Peru, local athletes don’t really have a place to swim—the town’s river is clogged with trash, and nearby mountain lakes are glacially cold—but they’ve got easy access to the Cordillera Blanca and the Cordillera Negra, a matched set of mountain ranges that rear up in the country’s northern Andes. ...

by Colleen O’Neil A recent Facebook ad read: “Ready for Adventure! 1978 Minnie Winnie Camper $4900” It was a real classy remodel: white with blue and brown stripes, a bright new coat of interior paint over the original particle board walls, some amateur woodworking, and a few tasteful decorative accents à la Target. “This Minnie ...

Interested in hanging out with us in West Virginia this month but not sure what to expect? Big Bear Lake Trail Center’s recreation land manager Jeff Simcoe shares his insider’s tips on the trails, amenities and points of interest at Big Bear Lake Camplands— the site of Dirt Rag Dirt Fest West Virginia presented by Pivot Cycles. ...

Words and Photos by Andrea Wilson I hail originally from the hot, flat realm of Memphis, Tennessee. I moved to the Colorado Front Range almost three years ago, and I’ve been obsessed with finding all of the nooks and crannies of the mountains ever since. When I realized that the population density of the Denver ...

by Cassidy Randall photos by Lisa Sumire Ankeny The early morning sun cut through the alpine chill as we assembled with our bikes at the remote backcountry trailhead. We double-checked our gear and sorted through food as the shadows retreated up Sol Mountain, preparing to head out on the heralded new Caribou Pass trail deep in ...

by Maureen Gaffney Riding the Kokopelli, the 150-mile trail between the esteemed mountain bike destinations of Fruita, Colorado and Moab, Utah for a second time is like childbirth. Your mind neatly erases the painful bits, assembles a sparkly highlight reel, and there you are, doing it all over again. But if you’re going to endure the labor involved in 30-mile ...

Whenever one has committed to a weekend road trip out of town, the motivation to maximize the time away from work and chores is at an all-time high. As we pointed ourselves eastward on the Pennsylvania Turnpike towards Philadelphia on a Friday morning, we started to wonder: Where could we ride instead of sitting eyeballs-deep ...

Words and Photos by Andrea Wilson I hail originally from the hot, flat realm of Memphis, Tennessee. I moved to the Colorado Front Range almost three years ago, and I’ve been obsessed with finding all of the nooks and crannies of the mountains ever since. When I realized that the population density of the Denver ...

Words by Emma H. Rehm, photos by Mike Q. Roth On the Baja Divide (1,400 miles of dirt and sand down the Baja peninsula in Mexico), my crew was routinely teased by other riders for being so organized. Spreadsheets! Lists! Itineraries! But we love those parts. We love the skill building, the dry runs, the ...

Trail Boss is a video series produced by Jeff Lenosky and documents his attempts to ride some of the most technical trails he can find. A veteran rider with a 20-year professional career and three Observed Trials U.S. National Championships to his name, Lenosky uses his skills to ride the unrideable. Check out all the ...

In the Fall of 2016, mountain bike legend and mountain bike hall of famer Hans “No Way” Rey teamed up with internet action sports phenom Danny Macaskill and professional mountain bike guide Gerhard Czerner to raise awareness for Rey’s non-profit Wheels 4 Life. Macaskill famous for viral mountain bike videos Wee Day Out and Imaginate ...

West Virginia’s capital city, Charleston, springs up from the convergence of the I-64, I-77 and I-79 and spreads out along the banks of the Kanawha and Elk rivers. With a greater metropolitan population of around 220,000, Charleston definitely qualifies as a small city. What it lacks in census girth, however, the city makes up for ...

Pittstown State Forest is located northeast of Albany and Troy, New York and the I-87 corridor. While its 12 miles of trail hardly make it a destination-worthy mountain bike spot, it’s a great place to ride and camp if you’re passing through the area. The 12 miles of trail are located within Pittstown State Forest, which ...

While my home in Pennsylvania was experiencing a February heat wave (temps in the 60s!), I woke up just before dawn on the first morning of Frostbike and looked at my phone to see that the temperature was exactly zero degrees. Part of me said that staying in bed an extra hour was a fine ...

Words and photos by Colt Fetters The mild winter in the San Juan’s didn’t keep the fat bike freaks from swarming Silverton for the fourth annual Whiteout Festival. The winter fat bike course winds through the former silver mining camp that now is Silverton, nestled among Colorado’s San Juan Mountains below the infamous Red Mountain ...

Words by Kurt Gensheimer, photos by Abner Kingman  Towering more than 5,000 vertical feet above the Carson Valley, the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada isn’t as much a slope as it is a wall — a majestic, snow-capped wall that never fails to command the attention of anyone driving on Highway 395. In the ...

Words by Emma Rehm, photos by Mike Q Roth  Since I finished riding the Baja Divide — 1400 miles of dirt and sand from San Diego, CA to La Paz, Baja California Sur — I’ve been waiting for its lessons to reveal themselves to me. Some are obvious: Don’t be in a hurry. See what ...

I have a certain fascination with and interest in exploring abandoned manmade things. There’s a surrealness that comes with being in a place that is in between urban and wild, developed and natural. Rusty metal, crumbling concrete, smashed windows. The ruin, decay, and nature taking over, perhaps as it should have been all along. I love to wander ...

Words by Kurt Refsnider, photos by Kurt Refsnider and Kaitlyn Boyle I stood chatting with my friend and trail advocate Tom Riggenbach on the sidewalk in front of a plaza in the Navajo community of Cameron, Arizona. This town, built upon a treeless landscape of colorful rock between the Painted Desert and the Grand Canyon, ...

By Carmen Freeman-Rey Chances are that in the past, if you had heard of Tasmania, it was for one or maybe all of the following reasons: It’s a decent-sized island 150 miles off the big island of Australia; there is a tough little creature that lives only there called the Tasmanian devil, immortalized by the Looney ...

By Nick Legan When traveling to a big city there’s no reason to leave your mountain bike at home. If you find yourself near any of these places, know that your mountain bike tribe has laid the groundwork for some of the best riding you’ve never heard of. From full-blown bike parks to hidden singletrack, ...

By Nick Legan When traveling to a big city there’s no reason to leave your mountain bike at home. If you find yourself near any of these places, know that your mountain bike tribe has laid the groundwork for some of the best riding you’ve never heard of. From full-blown bike parks to hidden singletrack, ...

Trail Boss is a video series produced by Jeff Lenosky and documents his attempts to ride some of the most technical trails he can find. A veteran rider with a 20-year professional career and three Observed Trials U.S. National Championships to his name, Lenosky uses his skills to ride the unrideable. Check out all the ...

By Montana Miller “We’re going to San Felipe. On a bike tour,” I say to the Mexican border guard, nodding toward my dusty bike. We’re going a lot farther than that, but I’m hoping our first stop sounds more believable. “San Felipe? On bicycle? No.” He looks at me like I’d just told him I ...

By Nick Legan  When traveling to a big city there’s no reason to leave your mountain bike at home. If you find yourself near any of these places, know that your mountain bike tribe has laid the groundwork for some of the best riding you’ve never heard of. From full-blown bike parks to hidden singletrack, ...

One of my favorite parts of mountain bike road trips is discovering those “along the way” trail systems that aren’t your destination but are a nice break from sitting in the car. We all have backyard haunts, and by stopping at small, little-known trails on a trip, you get a glimpse into someone else’s. On ...

By Peth Puliti  It’s too early to be awake, but I’m too cold to sleep. I attempt the fetal position in the tight quarters of my sleeping bag, but wince in pain when my weight shifts to my hip bone. Last night was the second spent camped out in the shell of an outbuilding on ...

I have a certain fascination with and interest in exploring abandoned manmade things. There’s a surrealness that comes with being in a place that is in between urban and wild, developed and natural. Rusty metal, crumbling concrete, smashed windows. The ruin, decay, and nature taking over, perhaps as it should have been all along. I love to wander ...

As of today, the Tordrillo Mountain Lodge in Alaska is open for heli-biking, making it the first outfitter in the United States to offer this service. The Lodge specializes in helicopter-based adventures, including skiing, fishing and hiking, and owns and operates its own fleet of helicopters. With the addition of a helicopter bike rack to ...

My stomach dropped as I swooped down one berm and up another, steering my bike down the dirt roller coaster that was the aptly-named Sidewinder Trail at the Kingdom Trails in Vermont. It would have been way too easy get too much speed and go flying out of control, but I reminded myself to reign ...