Find the top rated mountain biking trails in California, whether you're looking for an easy short mountain biking trail or a long mountain biking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a mountain biking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
We are new to biking and still finding our way. We started at the Livermore end and don’t recommend it. There is a lot of Urban riding on streets and lights to cross, we had to turn around a few times as the trail seemed a bit disjointed. So…. Start in San Ramon. We went on a Saturday morning about 8:30. The bushes are trimmed back to allow for bike riding. People were nice a courteous. I didn’t see any urban living that would have made me feel unsafe. We will definitely try this one again, but start farther north. Once we hit San Ramon, everything was great! We stopped at a Starbucks, had breakfast and used the bathroom.
This trail has been extended and is now 13 miles long. It begins at Jones Fork Campground and wanders along the lake and through several campgrounds with over 100 campsites and numerous bathrooms all the way to West Point Campground. We started 1 mile in at the Sunset Peninsula Campground which is an excellent trailhead at the boat launch and rode all the way to West Point (24.5 miles round trip). There is also an excellent trailhead at West Point Campground. Both have plenty of parking. Half of the trail is newly paved and many new bridges. There are several sandy beaches along the trail. Only saw a handful of other riders. We were lucky to see 2 beautiful Red Tail Hawks along the way. We will return.
Easy walk to do with a stroller & have family bathrooms along the way.
Got on at trail head in Bonita. Mostly smooth some patches were raised… skateable I biked to the San Diego Bay loop . Went left south to Imperial Beach and back … Any homeless were behind the trail fencing and no threat at all.
This trail is “extending” the southern bike access to the American River boundary. The “current” maintenance on the I80 and railroad bridge(s) that cross the American River are ongoing for many years, restricting access to the trail. Still not complete (as of 8-11-25). Once this one mile-long stretch under both vehicle and train bridges is complete for pathed biking, this will be an excellent trail from Sutter’s Landing to Watt Avenue bridge. It will provide excellent biking possibilities for “loops” around stretches of the American River, accessing both sides of the river via the excellent Jedediah Smith/Twin Rivers trails. There are bridges currently for bikes to cross the American River at various locations. Apparently in the plans is a dedicated bike pathway over the I80 vehicle bridge. This will allow more opportunities to cross the river. Can’t wait for this opportunity to be complete!!!¿¿¿
Awesome place for skating, Ocean views, people watching… Great place for possible local beach regulars sightings encounters… Slomo , Boxingmo, FastMo SwingBikeMo, Mikie(artist)…. Great places to grab some food/drinks or ride the coaster at Belmont Park… come and play yourself¿
Cracks over 3" wide bumps over 4" high on average about every 50 to 100 ft. Hasn't been repaired or maintained in over 5 years.
Rolling reflections ¿¿¿¿¿ For the past few weeks, I had the joy of riding an electric bike~compliments of the City of Elk Grove. On my final day, I rode the full length of Laguna Creek and let the ride speak for itself. Looking forward to it connecting to the American River one day. Can’t wait to get back on an e-bike again. A few snapshots from the journey…
As of 7/9/25, the Humboldt bay trail has been extended to connect to the Eureka waterfront trail. We started at the Larson Park parking lot and headed south. It took about 10 minutes to get through the city part of Arcata with many street crossings. After that, it was clear sailing all the way to Eureka. We turned back at 10 miles but I believe the trail connects to the waterfront trail. Great ride.
My wife and I rode this path from Meeks Bay to Tahoe City and back. It's a decent trail, often just off the busy road that encircles Lake Tahoe. While it most definitely has some sections that are quite beautiful, a good part of the trail is more utilitarian: good for getting from point A to Point B, but not particularly scenic. The paved bike path does deviate onto some streets (watch the signage, which is adequate, carefully), but these streets are low traffic and relatively brief in length. The route is moderately hilly in parts, enough to test one's cardio capacity at times, and also enough to make it unsuitable in parts for young children. We're in our 70's, and though the ride got our heart rates up from time to time, we enjoyed the ride. Be aware that the weather can change suddenly. We rode the path one week after a somewhat freakish storm came up over the lake, creating 8 foot waves and resulting in some boating fatalities, as well as converting a summer (June) afternoon into a snowstorm (yes, really).
This trail is gorgeous, but in the Eaton Fire Closure Area. Penalties for unauthorized access.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r05/angeles/publication/alerts/05-01-25-09%20Eaton%20Fire%20Closure%20Map.pdf
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