We’ve seen a recent surge of interest in trail building here on Singletracks and we just started a new forum for discussions about building mountain bike trails. But building the trail is only half of the equation; maintaining the trails is a long-term task that will never completely go away.

I’ve been dedicating more of my time lately to volunteering during trail work parties at my local trails. This blog post tells the story of our most recent work party, but also explains the why and the how behind basic trail maintenance.

De-berming and Nicking

We spent four hours on a Saturday morning (1/7/12) working on de-berming and nicking the Jake-to-Bull connector trail out at Bull Mountain which runs from the lower Jake Mountain parking lot to the upper Bull Mountain lot. Our main focus was the first section, which drops down from the Jake Mountain lot to USFS road 28-1. In my opinion, the entire Jake-to-Bull connector is (or was) one of the worst-draining sections of trail in the entire trail system, so our focus here was well-deserved, and really, long overdue!

The basic design premise behind a bench-cut singletrack trail is that you want the water to flow off the trail/across the trail instead of following the trail down the mountain. There are various techniques you can use to make this happen, but the most important is to make sure that the trail is out-sloped.

Due to heavy use (or a haphazard initial build), the center of this trail tends to pack down more than the outside, creating an outer berm that holds the water on the trail. Our job was to de-berm the worst sections of the trail and to “nick” the low points by building drainage channels off of the side so that the lowest spots at the bottom and tops of the hills can drain properly.

De-bermed section of trail.

The tools of choice for this work are a pulaski and a McLeod. The pulaski is used for the main grunt work of chipping down the hardened outer berm and digging the nick in. But a pulaski isn’t capable of finishing the job. After the main digging is done, the McLeod comes out and is used to pull all the loosened dirt and other debris downhill, away from the trail. Generally, after pulling the loosened dirt away we’ll notice that the outer berm is still somewhat present, and then it’s back to the pulaski.

Pulaski, foreground. McLeod, background.

It can take a lot of switching back and forth between tools or people and a lot of time to satisfactorily de-berm and nick a low spot in the trail. Of course, you can do a quick once over… but if you don’t put in adequate time to do the job properly, it will either not make any difference at all, or the small drainages that you’ve made will fill right up in a few months. The best plan: do it right the first time so you won’t have to be back for another decade or so!

De-berming of a low spot, before and after:

Note: the low spot pictured above was rather minor compared to some of the muck holes we tackled that day!

The final test to determine whether or not the de-berming or nick will succeed at diverting the water off the trail requires a very specialized tool: a soccer ball.

Yes, a soccer ball. The ball is rolled down the trail and supposedly simulates the action of water with relative accuracy. If the ball rolls off the trail at your newly constructed nick or newly removed berm, then good: mission accomplished! If not, it’s back to the pulaski until it does.

Dave Muse testing the trail with the soccer ball.

Get Involved

With these trail design philosophies, tools, and techniques at your disposal, you are ready to start giving your trails the TLC they deserve! Before you head out and start moving dirt, though, make sure you have permission to perform the maintenance, and make sure you are working in line with the general philosophy of the trail system. For instance, out here in the National Forest we aren’t allowed to just go out and put tools to trail old day we please. We have to arrange pre-scheduled work days, document all the hours we work, sign waivers, and follow quirky safety procedures such as wearing helmets while we dig.

If you are interested in helping maintain your local trails, one of the best things you can do is become a member of your local trail advocacy group (check out this list of mountain bike clubs and organizations). They will probably have tools you can use, instruction and guidance on where and how to maintain the trails, and it’s a great way to meet like-minded riders, too! And if you aren’t convinced that you should help out yet, here are 7 Reasons to Start Doing Trail Work.

Get Digging!

Your turn: Are you involved in maintaining your local mountain bike trails?

Years ago, IMBA’s only designation for truly excellent singletrack was the term “Epic.” Over the last several years that has slowly been changing, with new designations including “Gateway Trails,” “Flow Trails,” and “Ride Centers” being added to the vocabulary.

“Ride Centers” are areas that are truly mountain biking destinations in every sense of the word. The best ride centers have trails of all difficulties ranging from beginner to expert. They also include trails for all disciplines of mountain biking, from cross country to downhill and everything in between. Not only do they have great trails, but these areas provide great lodging, great restaurants, and great places to buy a drink.

IMBA has currently designated only seven locations as true “Ride Centers,” and even those are broken down into three categories: Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Here they are in descending order:

Park City, Utah (Gold)

Round Valley Trail. Photo: pdw02.

As IMBA’s only Gold-level ride center, Park City embodies every single one of the factors that I mentioned above. It has miles and miles of pristine singletrack with gorgeous Rocky Mountain views, trails ranging in difficulty from easy to hard, trails for all different types of riders, and plenty of facilities to support the droves of people that travel from out of town.

Trailside Loop and Skills Park. Photo: gab26.

According to IMBA Regional Director Ryan Schutz, “what’s really important is that [the trails] function as a cohesive network, with signage and trail connections that create a model riding area.”

Round Valley Trail. Photo: pdw02.

Oakridge Area, Oregon (Silver)

Alpine Trail. Photo: tumbleweed14.

The communities of Oakridge and Westfir have poured considerable resources into transforming their economies from ones driven by timber to economies driven by tourism–and mountain biking plays a big part of it. With everything from close-to-town loops to all-day epics, Oakridge is sure to please both the beginners and the veteran rippers with 500+ miles of singletrack.

Middle Fork Trail. Photo: AK_Dan.

Copper Harbor, Michigan (Bronze)

Photo: ukraine.

Located at the tip of the Keweenaw peninsula above the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Copper Harbor is about as remote as you can get, making this a true “destination” trip. Copper Harbor is home to an ever-expanding network of trails ranging in difficulty from beginner to expert. Surprisingly, many of the trails are designed as gravity-fueled freeride trails with plenty of berms, jumps, and gnar to keep most any freerider grinning from ear to ear! Shuttles run during peak times, but if you have the legs and the bike for it, you can earn your turns as well.

Cuyuna Lakes, Minnesota (Bronze)

Photo: RoadWarrior.

Cuyuna Lakes just held their grand opening this summer, but the brand-new purpose-built trail system is already a “Midwest Mecca.” Mountain bike legend Hans Rey, after sampling the trails on opening day, said, “They’re among the best I have ridden — super flowy and fun.” Coming from Rey, that’s a real compliment! The trails currently include fast, flowy sections, challenging slow-speed technical sections, and everything in between. Cuyuna Lakes is also exploring the possibilities for challenging downhill-esque descents. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for this new destination!

Harrisonburg, Virginia (Bronze)

Photo: RoadWarrior.

Harrisonburg, located in the beautiful Shenandoah valley, has a wealth of characteristically gnarly East Coast singletrack, with a few sections of beginner-friendly trail thrown in here and there. The community features excellent in-town singletrack, with several certified Epics just outside of town. The racing scene is alive and well in Harrisonburg, with local races of various distances all the way up to the Shenandoah 100, part of the NUE series.

Santos, Florida (Bronze)

Photo: trek7k.

The fact that a trail system in Florida has made it onto such a short list of world-wide ride centers speaks volumes of the quality of the riding at Santos. Santos features everything from groomed to rowdy cross country singletrack and from technical stunts to a progressive freeride/jump area, as well as the opportunity to get some serious air in the Vortex! Factor in nearby camping, bike shops, several popular festivals and races, and a thriving year-round mountain bike scene, and you have a true mountain biking destination… in Florida!

Singltrek pod Smrkem, Czech Republic/Poland (Bronze)

Photo credit: http://www.singltrekpodsmrkem.cz

According to IMBA, this “is the first purpose-built mountain bicycle trail system in continental Europe.” Translated as “Singletrack Under the Spruce,” this trail system follows the border of the Czech Republic and Poland and features 40 miles of pristine singletrack. In a place where people are accustomed to riding fire roads and old hiking trails, Singletrack Under the Spruce is a radical departure from the norm, and a breath of fresh air. Taking after popular facilities in the United Kingdom, the trailhead “boasts a comprehensive. . .facility that includes a bike shop, rentals, café, bike wash, showers and changing rooms — all situated above a gorgeous lake.”

More information about Singletrack Under the Spurce is available on their website.

Your turn: Which factors do you think are most important in a mountain bike destination? Is it just about having miles and miles of trails, or does a real mecca need to have more?

Do you ever feel like you’re just riding in circles on your local singletrack? If so, a guided mountain bike tour in a far away place is just what you need in 2012. Aside from getting to shred new dirt, most multi-day guided trips allow you to focus on riding while leaving boring details like eating and sleeping to someone else.

There are dozens upon dozens of guided mountain bikes trips and tours available all across the planet! If you want to do a little research to find the trip that is right for you, spend some time with The Google, or just go to our mountain bike trips page.

But to whet your whistle for adventure and give you a small taste of what sort of guided mountain biking opportunities are out there, here are six dream-worthy expeditions that you could take this year.

Inca Trail: Sacred Rides

Photo: Sacred Rides.

One of the keys to Incan domination was their extensive network of roads and trails they built throughout the Andes. According to some estimates, the Incas left behind over 10,000 km of trails and roads. Thousands of those kilometers still remain, making Peru possibly “the world’s best undiscovered mountain bike destination,” according to Sacred Rides.

That claim doesn’t seem to be much of a stretch, either. The Olleros trail, for instance, is hailed as the world’s longest downhill, dropping 11,000 vertical feet from the tops of the mountains all the way down to sea level! This trip incorporates many other epic trails, as well as some historical exposure including a visit to the famous city of Machu Picchu (not included in trip price).

For more information on this trip, check out the Sacred Rides website and a ride report that was previously posted here on the Singletracks blog. Also, there’s a version of this same trip that’s much more freeride-oriented that you can learn more about here.

Cost for this 10-day adventure: $2,495 CAD.

Durango to Moab: Hermosa Tours

Photo: trek7k.

Durango and Moab are two very well-known mountain bike destinations–you’ve all definitely heard of them. What you may not know is that between Durango and Moab lies some of the best singletrack that the famous Colorado Trail and La Sal mountains have to offer!

Hermosa Tours offers a 6-day guided trip from Durango to Moab that includes more pristine singletrack than you can shake a pedal wrench at!

In addition to its remoteness, one of the most appealing aspects of the trip is the numerous climate zones that you will travel through: everything from high-alpine to desert.

Cost for 6 days: $1,295

Trek7k did a similar trip a couple of years ago with a group of friends, except they did it without guides by using the San Juan hut-to-hut system. Cost for a 7 day hut-to-hut journey with San Juan is $850.

You can read about trek7k’s journey here:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

The Ultimate BC Adventure: Sacred Rides

Photo: Sacred Rides.

Who hasn’t dreamt of riding in British Columbia? BC is basically the best place on earth to ride a mountain bike, and over the course of this 13-day trip, Sacred Rides will guide you on some of the best singletrack BC has to offer.

You may have not heard, or at least not paid much attention to, some of these towns before: Fernie, Rossland, Revelstoke, New Denver, and Golden. As Sacred Rides puts it: “Leave Whistler and the North Shore to the tourist hordes – interior BC has all the goods, with a tiny fraction of the crowds. On many of the trails we’ll ride on this trip, we’ll be the only ones out there. . .”

From shuttle run repeats to all-day epics, this trip will deliver up the BC goods to you on a silver platter!

Cost for 13 days: $2,995 CAD.

Sawtooth Singletrack: Western Spirit

Photo: Western Spirit.

This trip is your ticket to the sweet stash of singletrack in Idaho’s Sawtooth Range. Starting in Sun Valley and then heading deep into the mountains, you will be surrounded by hundreds of miles of singletrack trails… and you’ll have a chance to sample about as much as you can handle! Get ready for many miles of technical riding at elevations of 6,000-9,000 feet.

Cost for 5 days: $1,225

Treasures of the Himalaya: Sacred Rides

Photo: Sacred Rides.

The Himalayas.

Just the name of this mountain range conjures up mental images of the perpetually snow-covered peaks towering high in the sky, higher than any other mountains on the planet. This trip will take you near some of these massive peaks on historic trails that have been traveled for hundreds of years. You will see two valleys with astonishingly different ecology, one of which is the deepest valley in the world. In addition to the epic Himalayan riding, you’ll also get to experience the rich culture and history of the region.

Cost for 12 days: $2,895 CAD

Sedona: Hermosa Tours

Photo: Hermosa Tours.

By the time February, March, and April roll around, it has been a long winter in many parts of the country. What better way to spring back into the mountain biking season with an early-season trip to the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona? With miles upon miles of singletrack ranging from historic routes to purpose-built trails, Sedona is guaranteed to make the memories of those wet, snowy months fade from your mind.

Cost for 5 days: $1,795

Of course this is just a sampling of the multi-day mountain bike trips out there so tell us, what one mountain bike trip would you love to go on this year?

This is the final installment in my series of ride reports from my vacation to Colorado during the first week of August, 2011. By the time this blog post goes live, it will probably be December. Man, how time flies.

In case you’ve missed them, you can check out my other ride reports here:

• Foothills Trail, Fort Collins
• Lower Loop, Crested Butte
• Evolution Bike Park, Crested Butte Mountain Resort
• Dyke Trail, Crested Butte
• Trail 401, Crested Butte
• Upper Loop, Snodgrass, Lupine, and more, Crested Butte

Strand Hill

We walked into a local bike shop at the beginning of our stay in Crested Butte and Strand Hill was one of the trails that all of the locals recommended. Most of their other recommendos were already on my hit list, but Strand Hill was something of a surprise.

On a map, this trail doesn’t really look like much. By the numbers, compared to all of our other rides, it wasn’t much either: it ended up being about 8 miles round trip (2-3 of those being gravel road miles) with only 1 hour of total ride time. In reality, though, it was the best way to end an already stellar mountain biking vacation!

The lead up to the actual Strand Hill loop was about a mile of gravel road grinding from the trailhead. After scaling a rickety fence crossing, the climbing began in earnest: straight up a rocky, rutted gravel road. The road ran out in a field with the sunlight burning down through the thin atmosphere: we could almost feel our increased proximity to the sun.

Eventually, the road led into the trees, but it kept on climbing.

Climbing up the washed-out road.

While the climb was steep and anaerobic, it ended much sooner than some of the long alpine climbs we had already ridden that week. Still, it was a welcome relief to drop into some smooth singletrack!

Dropping in to the Strand Hill trail.

This trail was such a fitting end to our long week of fat-tired bliss as it was simply one of the best little downhills that we rode in Crested Butte… and consequently it’s one of the best little downhills I’ve ridden in my entire life!

The trail is swoopy up top with beautiful turns sculpted over the years by thousands of tires. The dirt is amazingly tacky, refusing to let your wheels drift out.

As the trail descends Strand Hill the grade steepens, and the trail gets rockier and rootier with a few small drops thrown in. The turns stay wonderfully swoopy, and the added gnar only heightens the brake-burning bliss!

At the bottom of the Strand Hill trail there is a junction providing a number of different options. We elected to jump on the Canal Trail, and it proved to be a good choice as the flowy descent just kept going! The Canal trail was noticeably flatter and smoother, but it was still a delightful ride back down to the gravel road. A little more gravel grinding, and we were back at the truck.

Yeah, Strand Hill wasn’t a very serious ride: it wasn’t very long, and the descent was not exceedingly challenging or extended. But the upshot is, even if you’re a relative beginner and are willing to brave the initial climb, this ride is guaranteed to put a smile on your face! And even if you’re a grizzled master of the singletrack, the beautiful flow of Strand Hill will make this little out-of-the-way trail so worth your while. Strand Hill is a classic!

Your turn: Have you ever ridden a trail that truly shines despite its short length? What is it?

Trail 401 is one of the most renowned mountain bike trails in the nation and for good reason: it has all of the qualities that you could ever want in a classic singletrack ride:

• Delightfully narrow singletrack
• A long, tough climb with some serious elevation gain
• A long, fast descent!
• Beautiful views of the surrounding mountains
• Remoteness
• Tacky dirt
• Smooth sections of trail
• Rough, challenging sections (including rocks and roots)
• Stream crossings
• Serious exposure
• Switchbacks
• Berms
• Camping nearby
• A great mountain town with a mountain-bike friendly culture
• A place to get some beers and pizza afterwards
• The possibility of getting rained or snowed on at any time

I’ve been nervous about writing this ride report – how does one actually go about accurately describing one of the best trails in the nation in mere words? All of the standard metaphors, many of which now seem to border on the cliche, just don’t measure up to the grandeur of 401.

So instead of employing 5,000 words to describe this slender line of dirt, I’ll try to let the photographs do most of the talking.

Our Ride

We began our ride as most people do with the long climb up Gothic Road.

Rider: Andrew.

Despite the fact that we were slowly grinding up mile after mile of steep gravel roads, I was thoroughly enjoying myself because of the incredible views of the mountains all around us!

We spotted a mountain lake down below the road: it is one of the clearest blue lakes I have ever seen!

The most entertaining part of our entire climb up to the singletrack was crossing the snow. Yes, that’s right: snow. In the middle of August.

This mini-glacier lies at the very bottom of a steep-sided valley, protected from the warmth of the sun by the mountains and the elevation. I have no idea how deep that snow is, and I doubt anyone alive actually knows what the bottom of that ravine looks like.

Loving the mid-summer snow! Rider: Greg (me).

After much painful pedaling, we finally made Schofield pass!

The climbing wasn’t done, though: we still had at least a mile of ascending on the singletrack before we reached the summit of our ride. After already having climbed about 6 miles of gravel road at high elevation, the last steep push to the summit was a challenge, both mentally and physically.

After climbing a ways through the woods, the trail broke out into a high alpine meadow:

Looking back down through the meadow.

Finally, all of our hard work paid off, and we gained the high point:

Andrew and Greg at the Summit.

While all of the trails in Crested Butte are at high elevation, Trail 401 stands out as one of the highest with the summit of the route resting at about 11,400 feet above see level! For two Georgia boys, the oxygen molecules are way too few and far between up there!

The high point of the route afforded incredible views in almost every direction. We enjoyed the especially stunning view to the north, looking into the Maroon Bells Wilderness:

Everything up to this point had been the prelude to the main event, just the opening act: now it was really time to ride… it was time to descend! And descend we did: fast and furiously as we shredded the snot out of that singletrack, dropping as quickly as possible back down into the valley below.

Andrew descending Trail 401.

We were treated to incredible views all along the way. Riding through these high alpine meadows is so different from the deep forests of North Georgia… I found it hard to keep my eyes on the trail!

In the bottom of the valley you can see Gothic Road, which we rode up.

I hope all of these photos help portray how immense an experience riding Trail 401 is, because words just cannot do it justice. But still I must try…

Downhill

“So what about the downhill? What was it like, how did you enjoy it?”

Yeah, I only touched on it briefly above, but as I mentioned, it was just phenomenal! The descent featured several extended straightaways where you could just let ‘er rip, sections with swoopy turns, and even a section of fast, bermed switchbacks in the meadow. It was a glorious descent, and yet I wasn’t able to shred most of it as I would have liked to.

Negatives

In many of the reviews for Trail 401, people have mentioned the beautiful wildflowers right next to the trail that grow to head height. Sure, the flowers are pretty, but how does that affect the riding?

Personally, the wildflowers really harshed my flow. Not only was I getting whipped by the brush as I flew past, but the tall undergrowth made it absolutely impossible to see through the turns. As most of us are aware, the key to riding well is being able to look far down the trail so that you know what’s coming and can set up your line. This is especially important at high speed, which a descent like this is sure to offer. Instead of being able to truly revel in the speed of this mountain descent, I found myself either riding the brakes, or almost flying off of the many switchbacks hidden in the deep grasses. This tacky line of dirt will straight line through a meadow and then without warning feed straight into a series of switchbacks. I’m not complaining about the trail design in the least… it’s just that trail visibility in front of you is severely lacking.

On another negative note, the entire climb is on a gravel road. For many epic Rocky Mountain rides, that’s par for the course, but I can imagine how much more sublime this ride would have been if it was 100% singletrack instead of just about 60%.

Bottom Line

Small quibbles aside, this was probably my favorite ride from my recent trip to Colorado! The grandeur and remoteness of this route coupled with the excellent singletrack will make this a winner in almost anyone’s book!

Trail 401 is definitely on my “Top 10 Trails of All Time” list… though maybe not at the top of it.

Your Turn: Have you ridden Trail 401 before? What did you think?

In this blog post I am going to provide you with a step-by-step guide to creating your own custom guidebook for use out on the mountain bike trail using Singletracks.com.

Why create your own guidebook?

But first, why would you want to “create your own guidebook”?

There are at least 3 different reasons:

1. There isn’t a guidebook for the area you’re traveling to –  believe it or not, sometimes there just isn’t a guidebook for the exact area that you’re planning on visiting. And sometimes if there is, it really isn’t all that great. By doing your own work and creating a custom book via Singletracks, you can ensure that you will have great information when you need it.
2. The information in existing guidebooks is old – Many guidebooks out there today are honestly really outdated. Trails have been modified or closed, or more likely there are new and better trails that have been built since the guidebook was last updated. By using the Singletracks.com database, you are getting some of the most up-to-date information available.
3. Guidebooks cost money – Why shell out cash for a guidebook that might just be mediocre if you can create your own?

A step-by-step guide to creating your own guidebook:

1. Decide where you want to travel.

Sometimes this can be the hardest part. To get started, consult the list of the best mountain bike trails in the world.

Or, use the Google map and browse through different areas of the nation.

This process can be used for anywhere that Singletracks has trails listed. For the rest of this example, I am going to use Crested Butte, Colorado since that is where I am traveling next week now.

2. Hone in on the trails in your specific area.

Next, you want to limit the trails you are looking at to those in a specific region. If you’ve found one amazing trail and you want to explore nearby trails while you are in the area, click on the name of the city.

This will bring up a list of all the trails that have been marked as being in or near that same city.

Alternatively, if you know exactly what city you are wanting to visit, just type the city and state into the search box at the top of any page and it should pop up.

3. Broaden the area, if needed.

Are there not enough trails listed for that specific town? Hit the button that says “Trails Near _____” and the list will be enlarged to show trails in the surrounding area.

A few trails near Crested Butte:

You can further broaden or restrict the area using the drop down distance menu. [Note: these distances are given "as the crow flies" and may not reflect actual driving/riding distances.]

4. Read about the trails.

It’s a good idea even if you are using a published guidebook to research the trails before you visit so that you have an idea of exactly what you’d like to ride. When you do this on Singletracks, you can also decide which trails you’d like to include in your custom guidebook, and which you wouldn’t. Of course. you could just go ahead and include every trail in the region if you’d like!

 5. Print the trail.

To do so, click “More Actions,” then click “Print Trail.”

This will bring up a printable view of the trail.

Then just click “File” and then “Print,” or just press APPLE P or CTRL P to print the page.

6. Print the trail map.

To print the trail map (if available), you have to have a paid account. This is just one more reason to sign up! For only about $20 a year (the price of one decent guidebook), you get access to the thousands of trail maps available on Singletracks.com. It’s crazy cheap!

To do this, click on the “View Trail Map” link.

Then, click and drag the trail map to the tabs bar to open it by itself. (There are other ways to do this.)

Then just click “File” and then “Print,” or just press APPLE P or CTRL P to print the page.

7. Print the elevation profile, if desired.

Go back to the previous main trail map page.

Then, click and drag the elevation profile to the tabs bar to open it by itself. (There are other ways to do this.)

Then just click “File” and then “Print,” or just press APPLE P or CTRL P to print the page.

[Editor's note: each map page also has a "Printer-friendly" function that fits the map, elevation profile, and route notes on a single page.]

8. Repeat steps 5, 6, and 7 for as many trails as you want to include in your custom guidebook.

Use your printer at work or school to make quick work of all of these trails, and to save some money!

9. Staple.

The finished product:

10. Ride!

We’ve been pretty swamped here with new members and content this month but we’ve also found time to make a few updates:

1. Members can now edit trail information. If you added a trail to singletracks you can now update trail details yourself anytime – including mileage, configuration, directions, description, and more! Of course all registered members can continue to add trail reviews, closure information, photos, videos, and GPS data using the trail dashboard on the right side of the trail pages.

2. Trail tags version 1.0 is now live (again). Some members recently pointed out that our trail tagging system was broken and this week we finally got around to getting things straightened out. It’s simple to add descriptive tags to any trail using – you guessed it! – the trail dashboard. We’ve even posted a short blurb about how trail tags work and include some suggestions to get you started.

We plan on integrating trail tags even more in the future but for now you can view the most popular tags, find individual trail tags at the bottom of each trail page, and view your personal tags to help you organize your favorite places to ride. Here are a few cool tags to check out to see how this works: NC Triangle, fast, and technical.

3. Forum issues resolved? A few of you have reported having trouble posting to the forums with random cursor movements but now we’re hearing that things seem to be back to normal. This fall we’ll be making some big changes to the forums so look for continued improvements…

More singletracks news to come, including a post explaining how we organize and map trail information, new contest details, and much more. Summer rocks!

So apparently this story is getting picked up all over the place and at first I was pretty excited at the prospects: Google Street View is expanding to hiking and biking trails. For those who are not familiar with Google Street View, it basically allows you to view locations on a map as if you were standing right there on the street (or now, trail). Google collects millions of photos using a vehicle mounted camera and GPS and stitches the images together to create sort of an online virtual reality experience. Sure privacy advocates aren’t too fond of it since Google is snapping pics of innocent bystanders and private properties but that’s another debate…

Anyway, it turns out Google just mapped and posted its first bike trail – a path in Monterey, CA. The article that’s floating around doesn’t give the name of the trail but I assumed it would be somewhere awesome like Fort Ord. Fortunately this website has located the elusive Google “Bike View” trail: it’s the (wide, concrete) Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail that runs right through downtown. Ahhh, it’s that kind of bike “trail”…

The article mentions the rig that was used to get the trail shots is some sort of “trike” which I assume is necessary because the tech is so heavy (batteries, cameras, gps, etc.). Until the rig shrinks I don’t think we’ll be seeing any singletrack views anytime soon – though Google is said to be working on mapping “hiking and biking trails” in California, Italy, and the UK.

Ultimately this is a pretty cool development but I can’t see myself spending hours (or even more than 5 minutes) clicking through a “virtual trail.” I’d much rather be out there riding it!