If you’ve been reading about mountain biking for a while, by now you know that excellent mountain bike trails can be found nearly everywhere. Geography and topography be damned, mountain bikers are a creative tribe and wherever there’s a desire for entertaining singletrack, it can and will be built.
For that reason, it would be cliché (and frankly a little disrespectful) to say there is surprisingly good singletrack to be found in the Midwest and Texas. With all the dedicated riders and advocacy groups working in cities throughout the region, it’s should come as no surprise to find so many great places to ride.
Over the next several pages, you’ll find mountain bike trail recommendations for some of the largest cities in the Midwest and Texas. Whether you’re traveling for business or just visiting family, don’t assume these big cities lack high quality trails that are worth exploring. Heck, many of these trails just might put your own local trails to shame.
For each city on our list, we consulted with local experts and Singletracks readers alike to find these must-ride trail systems. We also tapped into the wisdom of the crowd, wading through thousands of Singletracks bike trail ratings and reviews to find the best stuff. For each city, we’ve tried to include a few rides close to town, along with recommendations for day trips outside the metro areas as warranted.
Jump to one of the cities below, or use the link at the bottom of each page in the series to move down the list.
First up: the most populous metro area in the midwest, Chicago.
