Almaden Quicksilver Park

This ride will allow you to exhaust most of the biking options in this historic park in a single loop.

Angel Island

A ride easy enough for the entire family, with panoramic views of the bay.

Annadel (Suggestion 2)

A relatively short technical singletrack ride, though still a very fun one at this wonderful mountain biking "amusement park".

Berry Creek Falls

An easy out-and-back fire-road ride that reaches a pretty waterfall after an additional half-mile hike. Plus, you end up at the beach when you finish the ride. Not bad.

Black Diamond Mines

A ride that provides a heaping dose of mining history and a heaping dose of fire road riding, through admittedly interesting terrain (though not from a mountain-biking point of view).

Bolinas Ridge

A ride whose one half is over-tame and whose other half features a (short but) torturous climb. But, it still manages to include some of the most scenic stretches of what must be one of Marin's most fun fire roads.

Briones (Suggestion 2)

A strenuous ride through picturesque terrain with occasional views, but with trails that only fire road lovers could cherish.

Butano State Park

The only bike ride in this park is this fire-road loop, but the main climb is relatively gentle, the nature is gorgeous, and where else can you bike your way to a landing strip on a mountain top?

Cañada Road

An easy and nearly flat out-and-back road ride that would make a good candidate for a moderate workout ride if done quickly or a scenic casual ride if you take it slowly.

Cheese Factory Loop

Easily one of the prettiest, most scenic, and most secluded road rides you can do in Marin, and it doesn't even take extraordinary physical shape to pull it off.

Coyote Creek Trail

A long out-and-back ride on a flat-and-easy paved recreational trail. Friendly enough for the whole family and long enough to while away most of the day (at family-riding speeds).

Deer Park and Repack Roads

A ride for experiencing the famous Repack Road while getting there through a course following Fairfax fire roads.

Del Valle

A bit of a hidden gem in the amount of available singletrack with respect to other East Bay parks, though that's only true for this one route. A scenic, non-technical ride, for those who are okay with some steep climbs.

Demo Forest (Corral Trail)

The shortest "full" loop you can make at Demo Forest. It misses some of the best trails, but might fill a need for an easier ride or as a second loop.

El Sereno

This preserve does not provide any good loop options but, as long as you're okay with climbing on fire roads, this is a good and scenic workout option for this vicinity.

Foothill Expressway

A flat, safe, and easy (if a little busy) road ride that is an option that's obvious to all locals, and whose main appeal is as a starting point for longer rides rather than as this brief out-and-back.

Fort Ord (2007 Sea Otter course)

A long and challenging trail ride along what used to be the course of the Sea Otter cross-country race.

Fremont Older

A small park that has some very nice ride possibilities for locals, but does not offer enough to be considered a riding destination.

Grant Ranch

A challenging fire-road ride in typical East Bay scenery and not too much else.

Harvey Bear Ranch

As nice as a fire-road loop can get in the East Bay or South Bay. An easy and short ride with good views.

Henry Coe (Grizzly Gulch)

This short loop mixes some scenery, fire road climbing, fun singletrack, and plenty of creek crossings, to add up to easy fun at this remote park.

Joaquin Miller

A small city park with trails for all skills levels, most of them singletrack.

Lagoon Valley

Not a lot of trails in this park, but it fulfills the need for decent singletrack surprisingly well in an area that has little of it.

Las Trampas

A ride of extremely steep climbs, partially redeemed by good views and pretty nature, but with little else to offer overall.

The Loop (Stanford)

A locally well-known short road loop that's unchallenging and almost flat, but is a good quickie workout option for those who live nearby.

Los Gatos Creek Trail

An easy, paved, family-grade ride that is well located to be useful to many people and that manages to be peaceful and pretty (though crowded) despite cutting through fairly dense portions of the South Bay.

Marin Headlands (Miwok, Dias Ridge, Middle Green Gulch Trails)

This mainly-fire-road ride across two valleys and ridges in Marin provides a good sampling of the trail environments and trailside attractions in the headlands.

Marshall - Chileno Valley Loop

A long road loop through idyllic pastureland, scenic coastal roads, and through rustic settlements on various Marin County backroads.

Monte Bello Open Space

This short ride will take you to the peak of Black Mountain while getting you to sample most of the singletrack in the park in a single ride.

Montebello Road - Stevens Canyon Loop

A mixed ride that's both challenging and fun. As mixed rides go, this is one of the better ones that I know of, and could make it into many riders' favorites lists.

Mount Diablo (Mitchell Canyon to the peak)

A killer climb that takes you to a killer mountain peak with killer views. While the ride is mostly on fire roads, you'll still get to flex some technical singletrack riding and tricky loose descent muscles as well.

Mount Diablo (Mothers, Diablo Ranch, Buckeye Trails)

A tough ride for those who are okay with plenty of steep climbs that samples several of the precious few bike-legal singletrack trails on Mount Diablo. The panoramic views and some appeal for those who like creek crossings are bonuses.

Mount Diablo (Oyster Point Trail)

An out-and-back ride for sampling a singletrack gem on Mount Diablo, which makes this a worthwhile ride option even though it doesn't provide you much else.

Mount Tam (Deer Park Road and Coastal Trail)

A short and relatively easy loop that still manages to hit a number of the highlights of riding on Mount Tam.

Mount Tam (Old Railroad and Eldridge Grades)

A climb up Mount Tam via the easiest route you can take by bike, followed by a fun descent on a rocky and technical fire road. The views are world-class!

Oat Hill Mine Road

A top-notch advanced ride for experienced riders who cherish technical trails. Postcard-like views are a bonus.

Pacheco State Park

There's enough singletrack to knock yourself out in this often overlooked, surprisingly fun, and surprisingly challenging park.

Pescadero - San Gregorio Loop

A very manageable road ride that can show you much of what the Peninsula coast has to offer, from tiny cute towns, to world class views, to cozy country roads, without taking up most of your day.

Pleasanton Ridge

A substantial ride in one of the more popular East Bay mountain biking locations. There's a ton of climbing and the singletrack amount is negligible, but it's still worth a try.

Rancho Cañada del Oro

This non-technical but challenging short ride exhausts the entire trail network of this small park, but it is one of the more fun and scenic ride options around this location.

Ridgecrest Boulevard

Ride possibly the most scenic road in the Bay Area and a calm lakeshore portion of Highway 1 on this short road ride.

Rockville (Suggestion 2)

A ton of very technical singletrack in this small park! It's a shame this particular ride includes so few of them.

Route 9

This is about as pure as a road climb gets. Nothing but 7 miles of climbing, followed by the descent of the same.

San Francisco Peaks

A surprisingly decent singletrack ride in a very unlikely urban setting, though you need to "connect the dots" via road ride segments. Postcard-worthy views of the city are a bonus.

Santa Teresa (Suggestion 1)

Easily the most mountain biking fun to be had around South San Jose. Two great technical singletrack trails connected via scenic fire roads with frequent steep climbs.

Santa Teresa (Suggestion 2)

A variant of a typical Santa Teresa ride route that manages to add more singletrack riding to the mix but doesn't reduce the amount of painful climbs by very much.

Sawyer Camp and San Andreas Trails

A paved recreational trail ride easy enough for all skill levels, yet still providing good lake views and a setting in beautiful nature.

Shell Ridge

A fire-road ride on the fringes of Mount Diablo that features some of the best rolling landscape during the green-grass season and includes a treat for creek crossing fans.

Skeggs Point (Suggestion 1)

I'm pretty sure there's no better mountain biking area in the Bay Area. This ride traverses three of its best technical singletracks, two of them uphill.

Skeggs Point (Suggestion 3)

This is essentially two different loops; you can cut it short by doing just one, or do them both.

Skeggs Point (Suggestion 5)

This is the "big loop" in this park, roughly tracing its boundaries. You get to sample El Corte de Madera Creek Trail downhill and also see North Leaf and South Leaf trails.

Skyline Loop

A reasonable road loop that provides a good mix of the pretty country and suburban roads as well as some excellent scenery of the East Bay without killing you of exhaustion.

Skyline Wilderness (Suggestion 1)

A very small trail network of highly technical singletrack. Not to be missed by any experienced rider, not recommended to any beginner.

St. Joseph's Hill

A good ride for the locals with a cluster of trails on a hill top with good views, even including a tiny sampling of tasty singletrack.

Stevens Creek Reservoir Loop

This easy road loop could be used either as an unchallenging beginner ride on its own, or made the basis of much longer road and trail ride options for experienced riders.

Sweeney Ridge

A ride that's short on total distance and on true mountain biking fun, but is worthwhile due to spectacular views and a couple of points of interest.

Tilden Park (southern trails)

A fire-road ride that weaves back and forth across most of the bike-legal trails available in the southern portion of this park. Plenty of climbing and good views, but true mountain biking appeal is slim.

Tiburon Loop

An easy and very scenic coastal road ride that could also present the possibility of post-ride treats in cute downtown Tiburon.

Water Dog (Suggestion 1)

A small city park with an out-of-proportion amount of fun technical singletrack. This ride takes you through a typical route that includes an ascending traversal of the Finch Trail switchbacks.

Whittemore Gulch (without Grabtown Gulch)

Start by descending nearly two miles of one of the most beautiful singletrack trails in the area, then pay your dues with a serious fire road climb.

Wilder Ranch (Enchanted Loop via Horseman's Trail)

A slight variation on my favorite loop in one of my favorite parks to ride in. The variation doesn't add much to the fun of the ride, but it's okay enough to try once for a change.

Wilder Ranch (Eucalyptus Loop and Long Meadow Trail)

This alternate route through this scenic park misses some of the park's highlights, but it's worth a try to see different parts of the park's trail network.

Willow Creek

A hidden gem that's a worthwhile option even for advanced riders if you live within a reasonable distance and can catch a reservation for the orientation session to get the required permit.