New Mexico: Angel Fire Resort
Angel Fire is renowned as one of the most hardcore DH resorts in the western US. Riders will find it all here: tech trails, jump lines, and wooden features.
“Great place! From what I’ve tried it’s the best lift-assisted trails so far. There are trails for everyone and one day isn’t enough to try it all.” -stumpyfsr
New York: Windham Mountain Bike Park
Windham Mountain Bike Park offers true lift-served DH riding on trails designed and built by Gravity Logic–the builders behind the world-renowned trails at Whistler. Riders will find both jump trails and technical descents at Windham.
North Carolina: Laurel Mountain
By any standard, Laurel Mountain is a challenging ride, but the true test comes when it’s time to descend Pilot Rocks’ seemingly-endless rock garden, dropping steeply into the valley below. Add in tight switchbacks, exposure, and frequent moisture from the temperate rain forest climate, and this is one of the very best technical mountain bike rides anywhere.
North Dakota: Maah Daah Hey, North Unit
None of the North Dakota trails in the Singletracks database have received a black diamond rating, but I decided to double check by contacting the Magic City MTB Club. According to Andrew Kent, while the Maah Daah Hey trail averages out to intermediate difficulty overall, some sections exceed. Most notably, “the north unit is rugged and has steep washouts with exposure.”
Ohio: Vultures Knob
Vultures Knob is Ohio’s oldest privately-owned, open to the public mountain bike trail system. Presumably, the private land ownership has provided the builders the latitude to build more technical trail features, making it the highest-rated black diamond trail in the state. Expect to find lots of wooden features, and some rocky sections.
Oklahoma: Lake Lawtonka
This 20-mile trail system is home to some easier trails, but the 20 trail reviews still assign it an average rating of black diamond. If you’re looking for the most challenging segments of singletrack, be sure to check out the orange, yellow, and black trails, which are reportedly very rocky.
Oregon: North Umpqua
At 79 miles in length, the North Umpqua trail in its entirety is a significant ride. However, bikepackers beware: the technical challenge means that these 79 miles are hard-won, and can be difficult to navigate with a fully-loaded bike.
Pennsylvania: Rothrock State Forest
This 100-mile network of singletrack is exceedingly technical, leading to the overall black diamond rating. Popular routes within this trail system include the IMBA Epic Cooper Gap and Tussey Ridge. Trails with the forest can be combined into a seemingly infinite variety of rocky, challenging rides. “Excellent singletrack, assuming you like rocks,” quipped Aaron Chamberlain in his review. “Rocks, rocks, rocks, everywhere.”
Rhode Island: Diamond Hill State Park
This 10-mile trail gets accolades from all of the riders who’ve reviewed it. “Lots of jumps, drops, berms, kickers, rollers, and big stinky rock wall to help keep things interesting!” said schwei.
South Carolina: Paris Mountain State Park
While the Paris Mountain trail system receives an intermediate rating overall, some trails, like the downhill race course, definitely exceed! As one of the only DH race courses in this area of the Southeast, Paris Mountain hosts a number of collegiate races.
More information
- The Best Black Diamond Mountain Bike Trail in Each US State
- Sharps Ridge Memorial Park
- Knight Fall Gravity
- Carrabassett Valley Trail System
- Rothrock State Forest
- Kealia Trail
- Reveille Peak Ranch
- Lake Lawtonka Trails
- Bayou Point
- Bullfrog Lake Forest Preserve
- Hangover
- Blevins Gap Preserve
- Tnt
- Rocky Creek Loop
- Palisades Park
- Alyeska Downhill
- Quehl Holler
- Ape Canyon#234, Abraham#216d, Smith Creek#225 Trails
- Reveille Peak Ranch
- Piedmont
- North Fork Mountain Trail
- Frederick Watershed
- The Beast
- Swope Park Trail
- Fancy Creek State Park
- Line Creek Plateau
- Killington Mountain Resort
- Laurel Mountain
- Chadron State Park
- Harold Parker State Forest
- The Zipper
- North Umpqua
- Pequonnock River Valley State Park / Trumbull
- Levis Mounds
- Doctor Park
- Paris Mountain State Park
- Fort Duffield
- Womble
- Downieville Downhill
- Maah Daah Hey
- Copper Harbor Trails
- Vultures Knob
- Diamond Hill State Park
- Ringwood Skylands Manor
- Outback Trail at Imagination Glenn
- Douthat State Park
- Porcupine Rim
- Centennial Trail
- Windham Mountain Bike Park
- Markham Park
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Greg Heil I am disappointed in you. As someone who has lived in GA how is Quehl even in the top 5? How is it even a black diamond? It’s a .2 mile smooth flow track and only takes ~40 seconds. The 20 minute descent down Mountaintown is -30% grade in some places. It blows Quehl out of the water in every imaginable category. Descending Bull, Pinhoti 2, Bear Creek or Mountaintown should put Quehl to the back of the line. Even the ridge riding over stegosaurus spines the last 8 mile segment of Snake Creek Gap is worth mentioning first.
I just don’t get it. So many better trails and 10-20 minute blistering, rocky, rooty descents in GA, but somehow the bunny slopes at Blankets creek are the “Best black diamond in GA”??? You have been stuck in CO too long brother!
Apparently you breezed right over this sentence: “If it’s rocks that you seek, check out the Pinhoti Trail: Snake Creek section, or the Mountaintown Creek section of the Pinhoti.”
I didn’t breeze over it. Just dumbfounded how they are second mentions and Quehl gets the nod as “Best Black Diamond in GA”…….all .2 miles of it.
Quehl should be on Jeff’s list of Best Beginner trails. Haha
It’s also worth mentioning that Greg didn’t pick the trails on this list–Singletracks readers did, based on their ratings. “The roundup below features the highest-rated […] based on the ratings that Singletracks members have assigned.”
What Jeff said.
But I’d also argue that if you can air out the big line in Quehl Holler, you’re an advanced-level rider. Those doubles are huge! It’s definitely a black diamond, just in a different way.
I absolutely agree. Quehl Holler has no business being on this list it makes me doubt this whole list.
My vote for Idaho: Over the Top, Pocatello, ID. For Wyoming: Lithium, Wilson, WY.
I would argue that in Michigan, Marquette’s South trails or Harlow lake trails are more technical than most of copper harbor. Copper Harbor is amazing, but for milage and tech, Marquette wins or for me.
I would agree with this. While I love the Harbor Marquette is more gnarly.
As noted in the intro, these aren’t necessarily the MOST technical trails in each state, but rather the black diamond trails with the highest ranking from reviewers.
Alyeska Bike Park, as fun as it is, is not a trail in Alaska. It’s a bike park. I like going there, but it should not be on the list. We do have some good black diamond trails, but it may be difficult for someone to know about all of them if they don’t live here, even though they are completely legit trails.
I think everyone who saw this list and saw that Quehl Holler was rated #1 for Georgia is laughing their pants off right now. This is barely even considered a trail. It’s a dirt jump line with a few berms and a wall. Really hard to consider this black diamond.
There are two major problems with this list. First the author claims it is based on the ratings. There are three black diamond trails rated higher on the list for Georgia 1. Pinhoti 3, 2. Whipper Snapper, 3. Voodoo. The second biggest problem with the list is it’s based on popularity and reviews are skewed by length of time the trail has been in existence.
If you are going to do a list like this you should actually review the trails for what they are. Instead you continue to create list based on singletracks rating criteria that is only a popularity contest. Once again giving love to Blankets Creek, do you guys get some kickback for continuing to make lists up that would benefit this mediocre trail system?
I guess the worst part of this list as it relates to Georgia is it showcases a flow/dirt jump line trail. Let’s think about the far superior flow/dirt jump trails that blow Quehl Holler out of the water: Every line at Big Creek free ride area, Medusa/Mo-flow/Knuckle Sandwich at Allatoona Creek.
Your rating system is a joke and questions the validity of Singletracks.com