The Best Mountain Bike Trail

So, after riding all these renowned, magnificent trails this year, which one was best?  Websites like singletracks.com or mtbproject.com rank the world’s best mountain bike trails based on the ratings of users, so I used these rankings as an orientation.  However, it is obvious that those highest ranked trails aren’t necessarily the best for everyone.  It pretty much depends on the criteria and actually on personal preferences.  Technical difficulty makes a trail challenging but not great.  And the beauty of nature is even more difficult to rate.  Anyway, here’s my take:

Whole Enchilada, UPS

Thunder Mountain Trail

Corviglia Flow Trail

McKenzie River Trail

Best trails with both breathtaking nature and trail fun are

1. Thunder Mountain Trail (near Bryce Canyon, CO)
2. McKenzie River Trail (Central Oregon, OR)
3. Tahoe Rim Trail & Flume Trail (Lake Tahoe, NV)

Best trails in terms of fun and flow are

1. Corviglia Flow Trail (St.Moritz, Switzerland)
2. Bend Trails, e.g. Tiddlywinks (Bend, OR)
3. Sandy Ridge Trail System (Portland, OR)

Best trails in terms of overall experience are

1. Whole Enchilada (Moab, UT)
2. Melogno Roller Coaster and  NATO Base (Finale Ligure, Italy)
3. MAG7 Trails (Moab, UT)
4. Phil’s World (Cortez, CO)
5. 18 Road Trails (Fruita, CO)

Although I am tempted to add more categories to list even more great trails I think it is better to stop here.  My bottom line is: The best trails are where mountain bikers are to make them great trails, by painting dots on rocks, by shaping berms or by just riding on…