Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Up north in
Humboldt Redwoods State Park
,
take a gentle ride among the world's tallest
trees on the Avenue of the Giants.
In the Sierra Nevada, Yosemite Valley (
Click here
)
has paved recreational paths that pass
by meadows, waterfalls and granite spires.
Best Mountain-Biking Areas
Just north of San Francisco, the Marin Headlands (
Click here
) offer a bonanza of trails for
fat-tire fans, while Mt Tamalpais (
Click here
) lays claim to being the sport's birthplace.
Top-rated single-track rides near Lake Tahoe include Mr Toad's Wild Ride (
Click here
)
and
the Flume Trail. In the neighboring Gold Country, Downieville (
Click here
)
offers an enorm-
ous
downhill rush
.
Speed freaks sing the praises of the Eastern Sierra's Mammoth Mountain (
Click here
),
whose summer bike park beckons with more than 80 miles of single-track. More ski areas
that open trails and chairlifts to mountain-bikers in summer include Big Bear Lake (
Click
SoCal's Joshua Tree (
Click here
)
and Death Valley (
Click here
) national parks have miles of
backcountry roads for mountain-biking. So do Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (
Click here
)
outside San Diego and the Santa Monica Mountains north of LA.
State parks especially popular with mountain-bikers include NorCal's Prairie Creek Red-
woods (
Click here
), Montaña de Oro (
Click here
) on the Central Coast and Orange
County's Crystal Cove.
Inland from Monterey, Fort Ord National Monument (
Click here
) has more than 80 miles of
dirt single-track and fire roads for mountain bikers.
Maps & Online Resources
Local bike shops and some tourist offices can supply you with more cycling route ideas,
maps and advice.
California Bicycle Coalition
links to free online cycling maps, bike-sharing programs and
community bike shops.
Adventure Cycling Association
sells long-distance cycling route guides and touring maps,
including for the entire Pacific Coast.
