New Mexico: Albuquerque Bosque
Albuquerque Bosque is a great choice for beginning riders thanks to its accessibility and minimal elevation changes. The hardpack tread is not very technical, unless you count the occasional sand bog.
New York: Cole’s Woods
Cross country ski trails like those at Cole’s Woods generally make great beginner mountain bike trails in summer months. The trails here are smooth and fairly wide, with little elevation change.
North Carolina: Lake James State Park
Lake James is technically located in Pisgah National Forest but thankfully for beginners, this is a gnar-free zone. The 15-mile trail system is set up for beginners and intermediate riders with flowy, fast roller-coaster singletrack and minimal climbing. Newbies should start with Tindo, the 3.5-mile beginner loop.
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North Dakota: Harmon Lake
There aren’t a lot of trails to choose from in the great state of North Dakota, but fortunately beginners can count on smooth tread, wide open spaces, and very little elevation gain at the Harmon Lake trails near Bismarck.
Ohio: Royalview (Mill Stream Run)
The Royalview trail is part of the Mill Stream Run Reservation, located in the Cleveland metro area. Singletracks members report the beginner trails here are great for newbies yet they’re still entertaining for more advanced riders. Win-win!
Oklahoma: Claremore
The Claremore trails are short and sweet, and though only 0.4 miles of this small system are officially designated beginner-level, most Singletracks reviewers agree this is a great place to take new riders. Not only are the trails smooth and mostly flat, the entire system is well-signed and maintained, which should put new riders at ease.
Oregon: Timothy Lake Trail
The Timothy Lake Trail offers beginners a mostly flat, smooth tread with just a few tricky sections. The loop intersects the Pacific Crest Trail at two points and offers beautiful scenic riding within Mount Hood National Forest. Riding the full 15-mile lake loop might be too ambitious for new riders, so an out-and-back is a good alternative.
Pennsylvania: Lackawanna State Park
Families will love the convenience of camping at Lackawanna while introducing the kids to mountain biking on the 15 miles of trails at Lackawanna State Park. Still, this is Pennsylvania, so rocks and roots will be encountered here!
Rhode Island: No Recommendation
We followed a couple leads on beginner trails in Rhode Island but none of them seemed solid enough to include here. Light us up in the comments if you have a recommendation for good beginner-friendly singletrack in the Ocean State!
South Carolina: FATS
While Singletracks members have collectively decided the trails at FATS are intermediate level, we’re still going to say this is a great place to take green and even brand-new riders. The trails at FATS are almost universally smooth, wide, and feature very little in the way of climbing.
