great-trails

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Words: Brice Shirbach Photos: Abram Eric Landes Originally published in Issue #189 Growing up, I’d often sit and stare at it. My obsession began the moment my family moved to Emmitsburg, Maryland. I was 7 years old and we piled into a single-story rancher a mile and a half down the road from town square. ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

“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, ...