What is Your Favorite Type of Mountain Bike Ride?

From backcountry to bike parks and local jank, mountain bikers have a lot of choices in terms of the types of places to ride.

By Jeff Barber
October 6, 2019

4 comments

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These days there are all sorts of places to ride mountain bikes, which can make it hard to choose just one favorite. Of course equipment, the weather, and our mood can play a role in ride location selection, but we all have our favorites.

Fortunately mountain bikes are designed to be ridden almost anywhere, so we don’t have to commit to just one choice for all of our rides!

A mountain bike parked on a rocky outcrop overlooking a scenic mountainous landscape. The bike features a green frame with colorful purple and gold accents, large knobby tires, and is positioned on a dirt trail surrounded by dry grass and rocks. The sky is partly cloudy, enhancing the outdoor atmosphere.

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Various outdoor gear and supplies arranged on a wooden surface, including an orange compression sack, a yellow medical kit, a flashlight, a hand pump, a Jackson Hole trail map, a compass, a lighter, a set of keys, a Sawyer water filter, and a SPOT GPS device. A piece of lint or cloth is also visible among the items.

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Close-up of a mountain bike frame featuring a black water bottle holder attached to the side, with a partially visible clear water bottle above it. The bike has textured tires and a mint green frame, set against a wooden background.

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4 Comments

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rmap01 Maryland // 2013
Oct 6, 2019

Aside from group rides at my local trails I really enjoy riding destination trails (think Singletracks Top 100). When you venture to places you've never ridden before it can be such a great and rewarding experience both on and off the trail.

1 reply

rhut Colorado // 2017
Oct 7, 2019

I love my local trails, and they are a very big reason I chose to move to my current location. However, those big destination rides where you truly feel "out there" cannot be understated. You only get to ride a trail for the first time once, but those big back country rides can feel new every time. As Alpine season comes to a close, desert season opens up and it's a whole new type of trail to discover!

Hap Proctor Florida // 2014
Oct 10, 2019

For most of the year I ride my local, well maintained trails that fortunately offer a wide variety (other than downhill stuff) of rides. There are days I just like to get in miles of XC pedaling, days I can practice on wooden features and days of technical challenges.
When I travel, well known destinations are fun, but I throughly enjoy tying together remote backcountry trails. Those are the days that truly stand out.

0 reply

Bryan K Sell 2016
Oct 18, 2019

Technical trails that require a lot of different skills. These are usually pirate/unofficial trails.

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