I rode in 8 countries and 12 states in 2025. Here are the best MTB trails I explored

I launched into 2025 with the goal of shattering my limiting beliefs, and man, did last year deliver!

My top-line mileage goal for the year was 5,000 miles across all activity types, but I blew right by it in mid-October, ending the year with 6,282 miles! 🤯 Of those miles, 2,413 were on the mountain bike, and 2,535 were on the gravel bike.

In 2024, I set a previous highwater mark of 4,193 annual miles, so stretching to 5,000 — an 800-mile increase — felt like a pretty big ask for 2025. So imagine my surprise when I actually notched 2,089 more miles than I had the previous year! That amount of improvement year over year is the definition of shattering limiting beliefs. Who knows what 2026 has in store?!

While it might be easy to write me off and say, “Oh, Greg just got lucky this year,” 2025 had its fair share of challenges and setbacks. In August, I suffered an overuse injury in my left knee while backpacking, which hindered me for about two months, cancelling bikepacking plans in September. And then in October, I strained some soft tissue in and around my right knee during a violent dismount in Moab, which is still nagging me as I write this in January. Despite these and a few other setbacks, like the odd saddle sore here and there, I was still able to notch the best year of riding of my life.

All told, I pedaled in eight countries and 12 US states/Canadian provinces in 2025. Five of the countries were on the European Bike Tour — one of my other big goals for the year, with my wife Christine. While most of the Euro tour followed paved bike paths and a combination of paved/gravel roads, there were still a few slices of sweet singletrack along the way, too.

As I do every year, I spent some time looking back through all of the new trails that I explored, and I was amazed at the ground I covered. If you’re looking for a little inspiration for your 2026 plans, take a look at the very best new trails that I explored in 2025, plus an honorable mentions list of the best repeat rides this year:

Best new trails I explored in 2025

1. Sentiers du Moulin, Lac-Beauport, Quebec

One of my single favorite days of riding this year was touring around Sentiers du Moulin (SDM) near Quebec City—even though it ended with a pretty brutal crash. The trails at SDM are truly world-class, with an endless array of gnarly lines strewn with rock slabs. The new Saga trail with its steep rock rolls and narrow wooden bridges was a favorite, as was the extended rip down Slab City — a 100% rock slab downhill romp. Other trails like Super G were also divine. While many of these trail segments could stand on their own as a top trail of the year, this entire trail system ranks as one of the best I’ve ever ridden.

Full article: “All the MTB trails in Quebec City are pay-to-play, but the model brings these surprising benefits“

2. Bear Creek, Silverton, Colorado

Unfortunately, I spent so much time traveling for work mid-summer that I didn’t get to explore my own backyard in the San Juan Mountains as much as I would have liked. *cue tiny violin* There are still a few lesser-ridden that I need to explore, and one of my favorite new trails this year was Bear Creek. This rugged descent is remote and technically demanding, with minimal trail maintenance and world-class views. I loved it so much, I rode it twice!

3. Tuteata, Whakarewarewa Forest, Rotorua, New Zealand

My nine-week New Zealand exploration bled over into 2026 with a two-week stay in the famed mountain bike destination of Rotorua. Honestly, going into it I didn’t have high expectations for Rotorua, as it doesn’t boast

the massive vertical drop or expansive mountain views that you find in destinations on the South Island. But after spending two weeks riding here, I had to eat my prior assumptions: this is one of the best places I’ve ever ridden a mountain bike.

Whakarewarewa Forest is so expansive that choosing the entire network as one trail is disingenuous, so here’s one of my favorite segments: Tuteata. Tuteata is a grade-four tech descent that blends steeps, root webs, drops, and small natural jumps into a heavenly descent on the north side of the forest. While there are more challenging grade five trails directly adjacent, and those are well-worth a ride too, there’s just something about the delicious blend of speed, flow, and challenge on Tuteata that made me come back for multiple laps.

Full article: “Rotorua has been a top New Zealand MTB destination for 30+ years. Here’s how the trails stay relevant“

4. Octopus -> Kraken, Vallee Bras-du-Nord, Saint-Raymond, Quebec

The combination of Octopus to Kraken is quite possibly the best intermediate flow trail I’ve ridden anywhere in the world.

There, I’ve said it. That’s a pretty bold claim, as I’ve ridden many of the world’s most famous flow trails. While there are a few tabletop jumps along the way, this isn’t primarily a jump trail: instead, the focus is on speed, flow, rollers, berms, hips, and just general good times. I couldn’t get enough of it. If you travel to Vallee Bras-du-Nord and sample the goods for yourself, I think you’ll be impressed.

Full article: “Mountain biking Quebec City: A 5-day guide to the region’s expansive trail systems“

5. Mt. Peg, Woodstock, Vermont

Mt. Peg is yet another trail system with numerous trail segments that would qualify for the entire list, so I’m just including the entire network. Mt. Peg offers a fantastic mix of tech features and flow trails, and one of each stood out to me: Schist Creek for tech and Sir Bermsalot for flow and jumps. You can have it all at Mt. Peg.

Full article: “How an unlikely partnership is turning Woodstock, Vermont into a must-ride MTB destination“

6. Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, Jasper, Arkansas

Okay, perhaps there are quite a few overall trail system selections here because, again, Horseshoe Canyon Ranch is a truly incredible new trail system development that is well worth riding in its entirety. These rocky, technical trails can be challenging, but for the right rider, the relentless rock features create an entertaining MTB video game of technical challenge. My only regret is that I only spent one day riding here.

Full article: “5 of the best MTB trail systems built in Arkansas since your last visit“

7. Dutch Creek, Durango, Colorado

Dutch Creek is another backyard discovery located in the mid-elevation range. It takes some respectable work to get there via the climb up Jones Creek, but when you drop in, the black dirt and flowing singletrack is to die for! But don’t get complacent: there are plenty of technical features, including rock gardens, rock drops, and steep chutes, some of which are made even more challenging by the impact of moto traffic.

8. Mount Nebo State Park, Russellville, Arkansas

While I’m not sure that any one segment at Mount Nebo stands head-and-shoulders above the rest, this entire trail system package is truly destination-worthy. The combination of long downhills, great flow, technical rock features, expansive views, and camping right in the middle of the network made Nebo one of my best camp-and-ride spots of the year.

Full article: “18-mile Addition Makes Mt. Nebo Another Must Ride Trail in Arkansas“

9. Hiawatha Highlands, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Hiawatha Highlands is boasts over 40 miles of purpose-built singletrack, and I’m including it here for the sheer number of top-quality trail segments that it offers. My favorites on the technical end of the spectrum include the brand-new Mile High Club, Headbanger, and Slippery When Wet. These tech trails are characterized by steep rock slab rolls with some root webs in between.

On the flowy end, Soonami was an absolute ball—I had to ride it twice. And while Farmer Lake is definitely intermediate in nature, the backcountry beauty on this remote trail is truly unexpected.

Full article: “Mountain Biking Sault Ste. Marie: A 3-day guide to the best trails“

10. Pad Religion, Empire 47, Lac-Delage, Quebec

While Empire 47 didn’t impress me as much as SDM overall, the Pad Religion descent was a riot. This technical black diamond downhill is filled with relentless rock garden chunder and slippery root webs cascading into steep rock slab rolls, followed by a few narrow wooden bridges. If you’re looking for maximum challenge per vertical foot, it’s tough to beat Pad Religion.

Full article: “Mountain biking Quebec City: A 5-day guide to the region’s expansive trail systems“

11. Te Poaka, Whakarewarewa Forest, Rotorua, New Zealand

Te Poaka is renowned as one of Rotorua’s most popular trails. This historic flow trail features massive berms carved into hillsides hidden deep in the forest, but there are relatively few jumps along the way. While some riders tend to look down their nose at these easy intermediate flow trails, I couldn’t stop myself from lapping Te Poaka several times. It doesn’t always need to be gnarly to be fun.

Full article: “Rotorua has been a top New Zealand MTB destination for 30+ years. Here’s how the trails stay relevant“

12. Twistflower and Turkey Tracks, Pinnacle Mountain State Park, Little Rock, Arkansas

I had an absolute ball on the Twistflower and Turkey Tracks trails at Pinnacle Mountain. I’d rate these on the easier end of the black diamond spectrum, but the combination of lines twisting through massive boulder fields, a few high-speed sections, and some fun drops made these trails an absolute hoot and resulted in one of my favorite photos of the year.

Full article: “The city of Little Rock is reinventing itself as a mountain bike town“

13. Arizona Trail: Oak Tree Canyon to Casa Blanca, Patagonia, Arizona

While my most epic bikepacking adventure this year was a 90-mile overnight on the Black Canyon Trail, I can’t honestly call it one of the best trails of the year. The Black Canyon was beautiful, it was tough, but it needs some serious maintenance.

On the other hand, this 37-mile stretch of the Arizona Trail was one of the best point-to-point backcountry rides of 2025. The terrain was stunning, the trail tread was well-built, and there were even some interesting historical sites along the way. Yes, there are still some dirt road segments along this stretch, but trail advocates are actively building singletrack to get riders off the roads. I pedaled some brand-new stretches of singletrack and spotted a new build that appeared to still be in progress. This was already a great ride, and it will only get better in the near future.

14. PJ Party, Cliffrose Trails, St. George, Utah

The PJ Party trail is the undisputed highlight of the new Cliffrose Trail System in St. George. This diverse trail begins with a demanding black diamond segment up top, starts to incorporate some speed and flow in the middle, and ends on a bermy flow trail at the bottom. The diversity and quality of this trail build are commendable.

Full article: “The massive 43-mile Cliffrose Trail System is transforming the MTB scene in St. George, UT“

15. Black Bear, Moose Haven, Kingdom Trails, Vermont

Black Bear was yet another intermediate flow trail that had me grinning. While there aren’t any big tables, advanced riders will find small doubles, step downs, and one rock drop to catch air on. We didn’t have time to sample the more advanced options in this zone, but based on photos, those look fantastic, too.

Full article: “Kingdom Trails in Vermont boasts 19 new trails that have opened in the past 5 years“

16. Mingus Black Canyon -> Copper Chief, Cottonwood, Arizona

Another unexpectedly stellar backcountry ride was the combination of the Mingus Black Canyon and Copper Chief trails, high in the mountains above Cottonwood, Arizona. I linked these trails up in a challenging 42-mile point-to-point ride with over 5,000 feet of climbing. The Mingus Black Canyon Trail, pictured here, offered some fantastic views and engaging technical spots, and the new Copper Chief trail that’s under construction is an impressive feat of trail construction. This trail is located thousands of feet up the mountainside, many miles from the nearest sign of civilization, and even so, it features modern machine-built construction. Builders just completed the upper segment in 2025, and it appears work is planned (or already underway) on the final middle segment to connect the upper and lower segments that have already been completed.

While close-to-town trails are important, I love to see ambitious projects like these building new backcountry singletrack for the true MTB explorers.

17. Big Lick, Durango, Colorado

Full disclosure: Big Lick objectively isn’t a very good trail. It’s ridiculously remote, so it gets very little traffic and is quite overgrown. Some sections are washed out. Hoofprints have made the trail tread rough in places. Despite some obvious maintenance, there are still tons of trees down where it goes through a burn zone.

Even so, the scenery is stupendous, the challenge of linking up such a remote backcountry loop is inspiring, and the downhill—while a bit terrifying where the trail drops into an erosion ditch—definitely made the juice worth the squeeze.

Would I recommend this trail if you’re visiting Durango? No, but it was still just such a rewarding ride that I had to include it on my list of favorite trails of the year.