MTB Destinations

[socalgal]

Robin is attending a conference in Vegas in September and invited me to tag along. I'm not a big Vegas guy and have managed to avoid the place for the past 25 or so years. However, I am considering going and doing some mtb riding. Anyone been? Should I go? How freaking hot might it be mid September?

Early September or late? It makes a difference.

 

[Crank]

Early September or late? It makes a difference.

September 12-14. Mid Sept. I've been to Moab and Durango right around then and Both were at least in the 90's.

 

[cantunamunch]

September 12-14. Mid Sept. I've been to Moab and Durango right around then and Both were at least in the 90's.

Eh. I'm in the "Short rides in the am then go kayak Lake Mead or Black Canyon. (If there's water)" camp.

With side options for "french food at Paris LV" and "check out the indoor climbing gyms".

 

[coskigirl]

I hear there is some amzing riding in Arkansas in the lower Ozarks.

A friend of mine moved to Branson Missouri last year and has raved about the mountain biking in that area.

Alright Colorado MTBers… we had so much fun on our Kingdom Trails/Vermont family reunion MTB trip, we’re planning another.
This time under consideration is Colorado. We are looking for relatively easy access to the airport but the biking needs to be great.

a quick Trailforks search has me curious about Breckinridge. Seems close to the Denver airport and there seems ti be a high concentration of trails. Keystone looks pretty close for lift-served riding.

Where else should I consider? Not as interested in the high desert stuff around Fruita for a trip like this with all stakeholders.

Given altitude, I'd consider Steamboat as it's a bit lower depending on your dates. The resort is closed to mountain biking this summer due to construction and I'm not sure what next summer looks like. However, I think the real gem around Steamboat is Emerald Mountain. You can fly into Hayden so easy access. You could also do a day trip over to Breck or Keystone.

 

[splitter]

Did you guys make it over to Victory too?

We didn't. There is a lot to explore there and we only rode for two full days. We hit most things I wanted. Black Bear, Sidewinder, and Moose Deuce were my highlights. Kitchel wasn't bad, but you'd have to be awfully fast to clear those doubles. Upper J-Bar was cool. We had a great place. I want to be respectful of his privacy but he has a major role on the US Ski Team. Also, great access to the Moose Alley zone from the house. Maybe my favorite ride there was leaving the house, riding Butter Tubs and crossing over to Black Bear via those trails.













Got a few rides in with the kiddos. We rented bikes from Village Sport Shop at the skills park. I had a pretty nice Specialized Stumpy EVO Comp and my son had a Giant Trance 26. I enjoyed my bike but it was a little big. I ride a Large YT Jeffsy and my comp on a Stumpy would be an S3. They gave an S4. Got used to it pretty quick, could never corner as hard as I'd like. My Jeffsy felt little when I got back home.




Did the Mike's Tiki Bar bit one afternoon...




Even made the pilgrimage to Lahout's Ski Shop in NH.

Umm, seems to me that Breck is kinda high altitude for a mtb vacation unless you live at altitude or are planning lift served. IDK.

Given altitude, I'd consider Steamboat as it's a bit lower depending on your dates. The resort is closed to mountain biking this summer due to construction and I'm not sure what next summer looks like. However, I think the real gem around Steamboat is Emerald Mountain. You can fly into Hayden so easy access. You could also do a day trip over to Breck or Keystone.

Those are good points to consider. I'm not afraid of the altitude but my BIL's are flatlanders. We did like the Epic Discovery Zone for all the kiddos, especially the non-biker ones. The town is cute for my certain SIL and there are two lift-riding zones nearby.

And now that I've been researching, I've become kind of obsessed with the Miners Creek-Wheeler route.

Steamboat is worth a look though. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[cragginshred]

If you want Tahoe quality but Zero crowds come to the Dodge Ridge/Pinecrest peak area in Calif. Very chunky technical rock rolls. drop and long slabs ect Hint you will never find the dozens of 5 star trails apart from Pinecrest peak and ridge unless you know someone to guide you

 

[cragginshred]

Another vid of the Pinecrest area trails. Super technical and not for the faint of heart. Creek crossing at 2:41" is a class 5 river right now Top of trail is still under snow.

 

[Lauren]

I'm doing some research into MTB destinations worth travelling to around Northern New England (CT and RI recommendations need not apply...MA is in the grey zone). Curious if anyone as any trail systems that I haven't thought of to add to the list of possibilities. Or if any of these have been huge disappointments, and I should cross them off the list...

Looking for a weekend trip (Friday-Sunday) for my weekly ride group...we're a group of 4 ladies, all competent riders. Don't need anything too gnarly but enjoy a good challenge. A good mix of tech and flow is ideal. For anyone familiar with NH riding, we generally ride Fort Rock in Exeter. We've done weekends in North Conway/Gorham, have done Kingdom Trails a couple times, and looking to explore something new.

Short List:
- Carrabassett Valley, ME
- Stowe, VT
- Killington, VT
- Ascutney, VT
- Barre, VT

 

[ilovepugs]

@Lauren it’s only a few miles down the road from Stowe but I bet you’d have an amazing time setting up in Waterbury as your base camp. Not much of a MTB’er so I can’t really tell you much about them, but Waterbury will get you easy access to Perry Hill, Little River State Park and all the trails managed by the Waterbury Area Trail Alliance as well as the Mad River Rider trails in Warren two towns over. There are also trails in Montpelier, Richmond and Hinesburg/Huntington (Sleepy Hollow Ski Area/Carse Hill/Hinesburg Town Forest). If you end up doing trails in Hinesburg/Huntington you’re welcome to stop by to pet dogs and drink beer… I might or might not be just off that pod of trails… (I really should get better at mountain biking.)

If you want to mix things up and do a day of lift served riding, Bolton Valley is like 15 minutes away from Waterbury Village.

Honestly this whole area of Vermont is an embarrassment of riches for mountain biking.

 

[Lauren]

@Lauren it’s only a few miles down the road from Stowe but I bet you’d have an amazing time setting up in Waterbury as your base camp. Not much of a MTB’er so I can’t really tell you much about them, but Waterbury will get you easy access to Perry Hill, Little River State Park and all the trails managed by the Waterbury Area Trail Alliance as well as the Mad River Rider trails in Warren two towns over. There are also trails in Montpelier, Richmond and Hinesburg/Huntington (Sleepy Hollow Ski Area/Carse Hill/Hinesburg Town Forest).

Thank you! I'll check out each of these areas/trail systems on TrailForks, and do some digging to see what they have to offer.

If you end up doing trails in Hinesburg/Huntington you’re welcome to stop by to pet dogs and drink beer…

How'd you know these are my favorite things to do?!?!

 

[crosscountry]

Not been there for over 10 years. So am not 100% confident of how it compares with today's standard of mtb trails...

I spent several days being guided around by some friendly locals in the Randolph area (VT). I thought the trails were amazing. Pretty big network of flowy trails. Good variety, you can get as technical as you like.

 

[ilovepugs]

Thank you! I'll check out each of these areas/trail systems on TrailForks, and do some digging to see what they have to offer.

echo_VT on ski diva rides a bunch of the trails around Waterbury, she’d be an amazing resource for trip planning around there I bet. I think she rides in Montpelier too but my impression generally is that the terrain there isn’t as much as a draw, more of a convenience thing for her. The Hinesburg/Huntington trails aren’t well known out of state because neither of those towns cater to tourists

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Short List:
- Carrabassett Valley, ME
- Stowe, VT
- Killington, VT
- Ascutney, VT
- Barre, VT

I think Perry Hill in Waterbury should be mandatory on your list. It’s sort of the crown jewel of VT riding IMHO. A hell of a climb to start out, but it does pay off.

I am biased, but I’m pretty partial to Stowe riding. As much as I love Perry Hill I have a hard time driving past Stowe to get there. The Cady Hill trails are the most popular and most accessible, I mostly ride Adam’s camp which is up closer to the mountain.

I haven’t ridden the Killington trails outside the bike park but I hear they are really coming along. They would pair nicely with Rochester which is just incredible if you want yo ride machine built flow that feels like it is in the backcountry.

 

[Tricia]

The Flume Trail out here in Tahoe is spectacular. I've ridden it three times but to be honest, the best way to get to it is from the Mount Rose Meadows side and that it a bit technical. Almost too technical for my capabilities, but @Philpug has no problem.

The Marlett Lake side is a bit boring for a few miles of gravel road but its easier for someone with less technical skills. That's how we did it the first time, with @bud heishman and his son Chad, 10/2010 when we moved out here.

Flume Trail Bikes » Trail Info

flumetrailtahoe.com

A few pics of us on the trail.
Views of Lake Tahoe are incredible.

This is Marlette Lake where we stopped for a break on the way up.(or down, can't remember)

Lake Tahoe view from Flume

 

[ilovepugs]

The Flume Trail out here in Tahoe is spectacular. I've ridden it three times but to be honest, the best way to get to it is from the Mount Rose Meadows side and that it a bit technical. Almost too technical for my capabilities, but @Philpug has no problem.

The Marlett Lake side is a bit boring for a few miles of gravel road but its easier for someone with less technical skills. That's how we did it the first time, with @bud heishman and his son Chad, 10/2010 when we moved out here.

Flume Trail Bikes » Trail Info

flumetrailtahoe.com

A few pics of us on the trail.
Views of Lake Tahoe are incredible.

View attachment 207142



View attachment 207143 View attachment 207144

This is Marlette Lake where we stopped for a break on the way up.(or down, can't remember)
View attachment 207145


Lake Tahoe view from Flume
View attachment 207146

Okay that is pretty damn spectacular. I rode at the mountain biking/cross country ski center in Williston, VT this weekend (@Lauren you can skip this center, it’s for mountain biking babies like me) and it was a nice view, but not quite the same:

One other note to add to my Waterbury/north-central VT write up, Cochran’s in Richmond has a very active mountain biking scene and a bunch of trails. The MTB stuff is a bit under the radar outside of the area but people are dedicated to it.

 

[charlier]

Red Mountain/Rossland, B.C. Super fun riding, friendly small town vibes, and it’s in the Kootenay’s.

Time to bust out the Mountain Bike! - RED Mountain Resort

Rossland, Canada’s true MTB Mecca, has trails that hit all the notes from Beginner to Expert, plus the New Millennial Trail Expansion.

www.redresort.com

Seven Summits - IMBA EPIC Mountain Bike Trail, Rossland, British Columbia

A spectacular point to point singletrack traverse of the Rossland Range. Near Rossland, British Columbia.

www.mtbproject.com

 

[Tricia]

Okay that is pretty damn spectacular.

When we moved out here, @Erik Timmerman told us we had to ride that trail.
At one time it was considered the most photographed mountain bike trail in the country.
I should have included this video of the description coming from the Marlette lake side.

Here is the description coming from the Mt Rose Meadows/Tahoe Rim Trail side. You actually come up behind a lift at Diamond Peak here

 

[Philpug]

@Doug Briggs might want to take it when he visits later this month.

 

[crosscountry]

Okay that is pretty damn spectacular. I rode at the mountain biking/cross country ski center in Williston, VT this weekend (@Lauren you can skip this center, it’s for mountain biking babies like me) and it was a nice view, but not quite the same

Having live both east and west coast, it's pretty obvious to me the view is better out west by a huge margin.

The only time the east beat the west is during fall color season. And even then, it needs good sunny days which is not guaranteed in the east.

The Flume trail I would considered a "must do once" for anyone who mountain bikes. But it's a bit on the crowded side for my taste (on weekends at least) as far as the biking part goes. I think of it more as a "wheel assisted sightseeing".

There're a lot of other mountain biking trails in California (where I used to live) that has just as spectacular view and similar trail characteristic. Plus many others with less or more technical challenges to choose from for those who have different preference. For just riding, I found Downeville more to my taste. Also in the Grass Valley area there're a lot of easy trail for families of mixed ability. Very good scenery too. (doesn't hurt for us from the SF bay area the drive is shorter).

The coastal range up and down the state of California has so many trails with amazing scenery to choose from, it's mind boggling! Despite the year round riding opportunity, I didn't feel like I scratched the surface during my short stay of 3-5 years (part time some of those years). As a destination for trips? How much vacation time do you have?

 

[Wilhelmson]

I'm doing some research into MTB destinations worth travelling to around Northern New England (CT and RI recommendations need not apply...MA is in the grey zone). Curious if anyone as any trail systems that I haven't thought of to add to the list of possibilities. Or if any of these have been huge disappointments, and I should cross them off the list...

Looking for a weekend trip (Friday-Sunday) for my weekly ride group...we're a group of 4 ladies, all competent riders. Don't need anything too gnarly but enjoy a good challenge. A good mix of tech and flow is ideal. For anyone familiar with NH riding, we generally ride Fort Rock in Exeter. We've done weekends in North Conway/Gorham, have done Kingdom Trails a couple times, and looking to explore something new.

Short List:
- Carrabassett Valley, ME
- Stowe, VT
- Killington, VT
- Ascutney, VT
- Barre, VT

Everyone loves Stowe villiage trails. I did Waterbury way back and it was good so should be even better now. Cape Cod has a few good spots and is a lot more hilly than than one would think. Foxboro and then towards Vietnam in Milford aren't really destinations but have lots of rock and stuff. Near Boston the Blue Hills are a big area but tough to differentiate between bikable or too steep to bike.

I asked and searched around about mtb in Bar Harbor but if there are good trails, and there must be, they are top secret. We hiked down the steep West side and it is bikable with lots of ledge with some spots where ot would safer to carry, but it would be cool to give a shot. Maybe hike it first.