Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space — North
(includes El Corte Madera and Purisima Creek)
Great riding in redwood forests easily accessible from San Francisco and San Mateo County.
Best For: Intermediates and Advanced riders
Suitable for: Intermediates and better
Ground Cover: Dense Redwood Forest
Season: Good year round.

Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space — Central
Great riding for athletic beginners in mixed terrain.
Best For: Beginners
Suitable For: Beginners and Intermediates
Ground Cover: Open, grassy hilltops, wooded hillsides and canyons
Seasons: Good year round. Exceptional in spring (wildflowers) Some trails closed in winter.

Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space — South
Great intermediate level riding. Scenic grasslands and forests. Lots of wildlife.
Best for: Intermediates
Suitable for: All levels except extreme
Ground cover: Open, grassy hilltops, wooded hillsides and canyons
Seasons: Good year round. Exceptional in spring (wildflowers). Some trails closed in winter.

Wilder Ranch
A state park just north of Santa Cruz Wilder Ranch features ocean vistas, rolling grasslands, redwood forests and gobs of singletrack. Includes over 30 miles of trails ideal for intermediates or advanced riders out for a cruise.
Best for: Intermediates
Suitable for: All levels except extreme
Ground Cover: Mostly open grasslands and wooded canyons
Seasons: Good year round. Exceptional in spring (wildflowers) Some trails closed intermittently in winter

Forest of the Nisene Marks/Soquel Demonstration Forest
Contiguous areas just east of Santa Cruz, both feature rides through dense evergreen forests. Nisene Marks features one long fire-road, while Soquel Forest features a number of technical singletrack options.
Best for: Intermediates to Advanced
Suitable for: Nisene Marks – all levels, Soquel Forest – Intermediates to advanced
Ground Cover: Evergreen forest
Seasons: Good year round. Cool riding in summer

Marin County back to top

Marin Headlands
Scenic rides featuring ocean and city views just a few miles north of San Francisco.
Best for: Intermediates
Suitable for: All levels except extreme
Ground Cover: Mostly open grasslands and scrub
Seasons: Good year round. Dress in layers - can be foggy and cold even in summer

Mount Tamalpais
The birthplace of mountain biking, Mount Tam offers a vast network of fireroads conveniently located in southern Marin.
Best for: Intermediate to Advanced
Suitable for: All levels
Ground Cover: Sagebrush, grasslands and evergreen forest
Seasons: Good year round.

China Camp
A great place for beginners. Moderate loop trails combined with an easy out and back single-track. Lots of open single-track though not particularly challenging.
Best for: Beginners/Intermediates
Suitable for: All levels except extreme
Ground Cover: Mostly oak and laurel forest
Seasons: Good year round.

Pine Mountain/Camp Tamarancho
Challenging rides in a remote section of central Marin. The Pine Mountain loop is a classic fire-road ride, while Camp Tamarancho offers a great loop on legal single-track built by mountain bikers
Best for: Intermediate to Advanced
Suitable for: All levels except beginner
Ground Cover: Grasslands, oak and evergreen forest
Seasons: Exceptional in spring. Can be muddy in winter, hot in summer

Tilden & Wildcat Canyon
Regional Park
Typical East Bay terrain presides, with oak-studded hillsides and cool, shady canyons dominating the landscape. Tilden and Wildcat often benefit from bay breezes (and sometimes fog), making them good alternatives to the usually oven-like summer temps at Briones and Mt. Diablo.
Best For: Beginners and Intermediates
Suitable for: All levels except extreme
Ground Cover: Open grasslands and forested canyons
Season: Good year round

Redwood & Anthony Chabot
Regional Open Space
Anthony Chabot and Redwood Parks, contiguous segments of the East Bay Regional Park system, are convenient getaways with ample recreational opportunities for residents of the greater Oakland area. For mountain bikers, both areas provide beautiful settings, numerous fire road loops and riding suitable for all levels, though technical riding is in short supply.
Best For: Intermediates
Suitable For: All levels except extreme
Ground Cover: Open grasslands and shaded redwood canyons
Seasons: Good year round

Briones Regional Park
Like all areas in the East Bay park system, Briones lacks open single-track trails, but makes up for it with a vast network of fun and scenic fire roads. The number of loop rides you can create is almost endless. The scenery is classic California, with wide open grasslands punctuated by stands of oak trees.
Best for: Strong Intermediates
Suitable for: Intermediate and advanced riders
Ground cover: Open grasslands and oak woodlands
Seasons: Best from late fall through mid-spring. Usually hot in summer. Can be muddy with heavy rain.

Mt. Diablo State Park
While rides of all levels can be fashioned, Diablo definitely caters to strong intermediates and better. Though only a few sections of single-track are open, the fire roads tend to be steep and rugged. Be prepared to walk on some trails and use extra caution (seat down, weight back!) descending.
Best for: Strong Intermediates
Suitable for: All levels
Ground Cover: Open grasslands, chapparal, oak woodlands
Seasons: Best in fall and spring. Summers often extremely hot. Call (925) 837-2525 for conditions.

Henry Coe State Park
If you like remote, strenuous riding with lots of technical single-track and you're willing to drive a ways to find it, Henry Coe is just the place. California's second largest state park, Henry Coe sports decidedly rugged terrain in a semi-open, mixed woodlands setting. Beginners should steer clear, but if you're up for the challenge, Coe offers some of the most thrilling riding in the wildest setting of anyplace in the Bay Area.
Best for: Advanced riders
Suitable for: Strong intermediates and better
Ground Cover: Mixed oak woodlands
Seasons: Fall through spring. Often extremely hot in summer. Trails closed briefly after heavy rains. Call (408) 779-2728 for conditions.

Cheeseboro Canyon
For a change of pace from the chaparral-covered slopes of the Santa Monicas as well as some of the best riding in Southern California head over to Cheeseboro Canyon in Agoura Hills. The varied terrain is suitable for riders of all abilities.
Location: Agoura Hills
Best For: Intermediates
Suitable For: All levels
Ground Cover: Grasslands, chaparral, woodlands
Seasons: Fall through spring. Hot in summer.

Malibu Creek State Park
Malibu Creek State Park lies in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains and encompasses a full range of Southern California terrain. Beginners and intermediates will find great rides here while advanced riders can tackle the Backbone single-track just south of Malibu Creek
Location: Malibu/Calabasas
Best For: Advanced riders
Suitable For: All levels
Ground Cover: Brush-covered hillsides and riparian woodlands.
Seasons: Good year round.

Point Mugu State Park
A beautiful 45-minute drive up the coast from Santa Monica lies Sycamore Canyon, the main biking trail through Point Mugu State Park. As the crowds on the weekends demonstrate, the drive is well worth it.Sycamore Canyon gives beginners an ideal introduction to mountain biking with its gentle grade flowing through lush woodlands. More advanced riders will appreciate the fun, though never too difficult, loops that can be fashioned using the trails running off Sycamore Canyon..
Location: Thirty-one miles west of Santa Monica off of Pacific Coast Highway.
Best For: Beginners and Intermediates
Suitable For: All levels except extreme
Ground Cover: Brush-covered hillsides and lush riparian canyons.
Seasons: Good year round. Best from late fall through mid spring (great wildflowers). Can be muddy after heavy rain.

Topanga State Park and Vicinity
The Topanga State Park and the surrounding open space lies smack between the major population areas of Los Angeles' west side and the San Fernando Valley, offering millions of area residents great recreation opportunities including miles of open fire roads and even single-track for mountain bikers.
Location: West Los Angeles and Topanga State Park
Best For: Intermediates
Suitable For: All levels except extreme
Ground Cover: Brush-covered hillsides and streamside woodlands.
Seasons: Good year round.

Zuma Canyon Area
If you're looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of L.A. and leave crowded trails behind even on weekends, the Zuma Canyon area might be just the ticket. Encompassing open space between Kanan Dume and Decker roads, this region seems to get the smallest crowds of all the Santa Monica Mountains destinations. The terrain here is typical SoCal, with chaparral predominating, interspersed with smaller areas of riparian woodlands and open grasslands. The riding generally consists of steep fire roads, though a beautiful segment of the Backbone Trail as well as the beginner- oriented Charmlee Park add variety.
Location: Malibu
Best For: Strong intermediate riders
Suitable For: All levels
Ground Cover: Brush-covered hillsides and riparian woodlands
Seasons: Good year round.

Santa Ana Mountains
Central Region
Great possibilities for epic adventures await riders who head to the central section of the Santa Anas from Trabuco to Silverado Canyon. The terrain here is decidedly rugged with elevation ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 feet and vegetation consisting largely of chaparral and oak woodlands. The views are often awesome, particularly as you climb toward the Main Divide.
Location: Mission Viejo area
Best For: Advanced riders
Suitable For: Intermediates and better
Ground Cover: Chaparral - and grass-covered hillsides and riparian woodlands.
Seasons: Fall through spring. Hot in summer.

South Coast Area
Three beautiful open space areas surround Laguna Beach offering riders an incredibly diverse range of biking options. Crystal Cove State Park (a.k.a. Moro Canyon), Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park includes beautiful native grasslands and coastal scrub that give way to expansive views of the ocean. Mellow fire-roads are interspersed with sometimes technical single-track giving riders of all abilities a wide range of options.
Location: Laguna Beach area
Best For: Intermediate riders
Suitable For: All levels
Ground Cover: Brush-covered hillsides, native grasslands and riparian woodlands.
Seasons: Good year round.

Santa Ana Mountains
Southern Section
(including the San Juan Trail)
The southern section of the Santa Ana Mountains is not for the faint of heart. This area includes the San Juan Trail, an often technical single-track that features some nasty fall-offs, as well as the Caspers Wilderness area, which can spook visitors with its ominous mountain lion warnings. Set those thoughts aside and you'll be treated to some of the best single-track in Southern California.
Location: San Juan Capistrano/Ortega Highway
Best For: Advanced riders
Suitable For: All levels. San Juan Trail and vicinity - Strong intermediates and better.
Ground Cover: Brush-covered hillsides, meadows and riparian woodlands.
Seasons: Fall through spring. Hot in summer.

Chino Hills State Park
Chino Hills State Park is a vast expanse of open space adjacent to the huge population centers of northern Orange County and the Inland Empire. Hit on the right day and the grass-carpeted rolling hills and the great views of the San Bernardino Mountains make for a sublime biking experience. But beware; summer brings torrid temperatures and often smoggy conditions.

Most of the riding at Chino Hills tends toward the intermediate level, with rolling fire roads predominating. That said, the sheer size of the park, along with the few fun sections of single-track that it offers, can make for a great workout even for advanced riders.
Location: Northeast Orange County near Yorba Linda
Best For: Intermediate riders
Suitable For: All levels
Ground Cover: Open grasslands and chaparral
Seasons: Best in winter and early spring. Often hot and smoggy in summer.