allmountaindinger's mountain bike meccas
Exploring the world's best MTB-trails
Viva Las Vegas! The Sin City is not only good for gambling and partying. Vegas is as well a mountain biking spot.
The best trails are located southwest of LV in the Blue Diamond/Spring Valley area. I took “Good Call” to climb uphill. At the top of the mesa it connects to “Ike’s Peek” with gorgeous views on downtown LV. “Legalize It” runs mildly exposed alongside the cliff and connects to “Menny Thanks”, a fast downhill trail with jumps over ledges – somehow like Rock’n’Roll.
The Moab ride on top of my must-ride list had been the HyMasa/Captain Ahab. For good reason as I know by now. This ride is truly outstanding. Mostly on slickrock, it is technically challenging with lots of drops and climbs up and down ledges, yet, it has great flow (if you can master the challenging spots). Moreover, the scenery you ride in and you look upon is already breathtaking – and the climb will let you gasp for air even more. Much alike The Whole Enchilada, Captain Ahab is one of the greatest rides anywhere. Already, I am longing to do this ride again…
Still there are many more fun trails in Moab. I enjoyed again some evening rides on Slickrock Trail and the Mag7 Trails that are in fact magnificent. Bartlett Wash served again as great slickrock-playground and I am already looking forward to my next trip to Moab…
Fruita isn’t that big, but in terms of trails it has a lot to offer. I love the 18 Road trails. They are very smooth and easy – even for beginners – but they are a lot of fun. Zippity Do Da is simply outstanding. Riding down the ridge you sometimes feel like on a different planet. And the PBR-Trail (Pumps, Berms and Rollers) is even easier and faster. 
The Kokopelli-Trails are located further west and on the other side of the interstate are little more technical with steps and drops and more rocks. The scenery overlooking the Colorado River is magnificent. My favorite trail is the Horsethief Bench Loop. The challenge is right at the beginning when you drop down from Mary’s. Well, and I didn’t dare the lower part. Instead I got a lesson from another biker, who showed me how to drop down a rock wall.
This time we took advantage of Park City’s skiing infrastructure and invested in a lift ticket with bike haul. We tried the different downhill options and concluded that the Mojave-Trail definitely was our favorite run with several berms and rollers. The biggest challenge however, brought an unmarked, rather vertical trail running right under the chairlift. Somehow, our visit to Park City felt like a skiing trip…
“Around the Mountain” is the name of Idaho’s arguably best MTB-ride. Located in the Bogus Basin Recreation Area near Boise this trail – guess what – runs around the mountain and it takes 16.4 km/10.2 miles and 375 m/1230 ft of ascent/descent to complete the loop. The trail is nicely maintained and there are several options for the final downhill. The “Morning Star” seems to be the most fun-track downhill with a couple of jumps and berms. On MTB-Project.com “Around the Mountain” was even temporarily rated among the top ten rides in the US. So, if you come to Boise, ID, it certainly is a must-ride.
Bend in Central Oregon has grown rapidly during the last decade and I guess the great trails in the area contribute significantly to this development (together with decent climate, fascinating nature and good micro breweries) . Most of the trail system has been created by the local MTB-community and is really hard to beat in terms of flow and fun. So, I was delighted to be back in Bend to rip the finest trails together with my son. Of course, Tiddlywinks and Lower Whoops were our favorites. However, there are so many miles of outstanding trails, that I should spend simply more time when I am back in Bend.
What about a trail ride in dramatic scenery in the midnight sun? The Lofoten archipelago lies within the Arctic Circle, so you could enjoy 24 hours of sunshine during the summer months in good weather conditions. Yet, your body’s need for sleep remains the same at 68° north.
The Lofoten Islands combine dramatic mountains and peaks with open sea, sheltered bays, beaches and steep fjords to one of the most spectacular landscapes. There are a handful of trails that are as well good for mountain biking, however, hiking your bike is sometimes inevitable. The biggest challenge though, is to find a decent bike to rent. It is a good idea to bring your own rig.
One of the best Lofoten rides starts just south of Leknes in Bergsdalen and winds up to Smordalskammen (437 meters elevation). It is an out-and-back ride on a ridge with a fun way back downhill.
A real classic trail is the Keiservarden near Digermulen. The last German emperor Wilhelm II enjoyed the view on the Raftsundet already in 1889. The ride at the top is partially on granite rock.
Kleppstadheia in the Kabelvag/Svolvaer region offers great views, but requires to hike your bike for a while.
Trailride.no is a very helpful app to locate MTB-rides in Norway.
Frankfurt is the best major city in Germany to live in when mountain biking is the key criteria – thanks to the nearby Taunus range. The U3-line takes you from the heart of the city directly to the Hohemark, the most popular starting point for MTB-tours to the higher Taunus elevations like the Große Feldberg (879 meters).
In the recent mild winters there hasn’t been much snow, which made it possible to enjoy all-year long riding. In addition to the countless official and unoffical trails, new purpose-built trails have been added during the last year.
There are now two “official” downhill lines starting at the Feldberg and a flow trail not far away in the opposite direction. If you connect all the fun trails just around the Feldberg – Altkönig – Sandplacken area you easily end up with tour over 50 kilometers and 1500 meters of elevation gain. Quite a MTB-playground bordering the city limits of “Mainhattan”.
Coolest unofficial Taunus trail
The Vinschgau bureau of tourism loves to rave about the 315 sunny days per year they allegedly have. So, when I was heading to the Val di Senales for a ski touring event end of November I just threw my bike into the trunk as well and took off a bit earlier. I read about the newly built Propain Trail and was keen to get it under my tire knobs.
The surrounding mountain ranges were all snow covered but the Vinschgau trails on both sides of the valley were in superb condition up to an elevation of 1800 meters. It was sunny and dry, but cold. The trails were covered with fine larch needles that added a soft golden shimmering finish.
The Propain Trail is a sweet purpose built trail to descend from the Sonnenberg down to Schlanders. In order to get up to the trail head at an elevation of about 1400 meters you either pedal up from Coldrano via Vezzano on paved roads or you cross over from St. Martin am Kofel. The 800 meters climb from Coldrano was all on paved roads and somehow relaxed due to the warming sun and nice views. The downhill on the Propain Trail is excellent: technical with tight turns, but full of flow.
The next morning I chose the Holy Hansen as morning ride. It was even colder, the climb up the Morterer Leger tougher and longer (1200 meters elevation gain). Yet, as well this fun trail was in very good condition to have a blast downhill with a big smile (on the half frozen) face. Looks like I will return for more sunny days in the Vinschgau sooner or later…
The Dolomites feature the most dramatic mountain range in the Alps. That’s why I’ve been there a couple of times for work attending photo shootings. The bizarre rock formations and the via ferratas – often a remainder from World War I – make the Dolomites the classic hiking and climbing destination on the Southern side of the Alps. Of course, this is as well a great area for mountain biking and you can even combine biking and climbing.
The legendary rides in the Dolomites tend to circumnavigate a mountain range. The Sella Ronda is perhaps the most popular tour as you can do it on a road bike, on a mountain bike and in winter on skis. I did the tour around the Latemar with an total elevation gain of about 2.900 meters and total distance of 56 km/35 miles. With the usage of 3 lifts, the ride wasn’t that tough, though.
The trails are a mix of single track, dual track, gravel roads and small portion of paved road. Some steep, root strewn, challenging sections, blended with easy trails and forest roads make the Latemar circumnavigation a great, scenic ride that can be varied for different skill levels.
On the Latemar Tour you would use the new Carezza cable car to avoid most of the gnarly climb up the Catinaccio (Rosegarden) Range to the Carezza Pass. However, going down the freshly built Carezza Flow Trail is so much fun that you want to use the Carezza lift multiple times.
What a blessing that our hotel in Welschnofen was directly located on the mountain and literally on the Carezza Flow Trail. So, all those berms, jumps and wall rides – that offer great downhill fun even for novices – became a sort of daily routine to me for one week.
According to the legend the rocky walls of the Rosegarden are King Laurin’s sunken kingdom. Noble trails, I’d like to say…
allmountaindinger's mountain bike meccas 