Mountain Biking - Bay Area - East Bay
- Briones Park
- Joaquin Miller Park
- Lake Chabot
- Redwood Regional Park (West/East Ridge Trail)
- Tilden/Wildcat Parks
- 80E to 580E
- 580E to 24E toward Walnut Creek
- 13S to Joaquin Miller Rd. exit
- L at stop sign
- Straight through second stop sign up Joaquin Miller Road
- Left on Skyline Blvd.
- Follow for ~1/2 mile to Sequoia Point and park along road
Trail Map: oaklandnet.com
Photos: Ivy covered banks on Sinawik Trail
More info: MTBCA
Lake Chabot (Live Oak Trail)
Type: Fireroads
Distance: 10.6-mile loop
Location: Hayward, CA [Map it]Fireroad loop around a man-made reservoir. A few big hills, but not that strenuous.
Directions from SF:
Trail Map: East Bay Parks PDF
Photos:
More info: MTB LIVE
Redwood Regional Park (West/East Ridge Trail)
Type: Fireroads
Distance: 8 mile loop
Location: Skyline Blvd, Oakland CA [Map it]A counter-clockwise loop with a chain-breaking ascent (at least mine did). A dip down into Joaquin Miller Park near the Chabot Science Center can add some much needed singletrack to this loop.
Directions from SF:
Trail Map: East Bay Parks PDF
Photos: bahiker.com
More info: East Bay Regional Park District
Tilden/Wildcat Parks
Type: Fireroads
Distance: 13 mile perimeter loop
Location: Canon Drive, Berkeley, CA [Map it]Ascent to ridgeline through meadows, some ridiculously steep fireroad sections (ride them if you can - the first one was absurd)
Directions from SF:
Trail Map: North Tilden, South Tilden, Wildcat (all from East Bay Parks)
Photos: bahiker.com
More info: mtbwest.com, East Bay Regional Park District
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(last updated June 2003)
Briones Park
Type: Fireroads through meadows
Distance: ~6-mile loop
Location: Lafayette, CA [Map it]Open pastures and satiating views. An extensive network of farming roads meandering along rounded ridgelines, reaching a height-of-land at Briones Peak. Enjoyed the series of brief rollercoaster-like descents backed up by equally brief try-to-stay-on-your-bike-for-as-long-as-you-can ascents. When bombing down certain sections, watch out for lollygagging cattle. Don't worry -- they won't intentionally run into you but sometimes they're just too busy eating grass to think. A lucky last-second swerve when a stray cow lurched was the only thing that kept me below the USRDA.
Trail Map: East Bay Parks PDF
Photos: gatetrails.com
More info: mtbwest.com, East Bay Regional Park District
Joaquin Miller Park
Type: Fireroads and singletrack
Distance: various loops (7-10 miles)
Location: Oakland, CA [Map it]Joaquin Miller Park has several stretches of sizzling singletrack - the best I've yet discovered in the East Bay. The Redwood groves and dense vegetation make you forget that this is an urban park located a few minutes from downtown Oakland. The best singletrack can be had on the Big Trees Trail, Cinderella Trail, Sinawik Trail/Loop, and Skyline Loop. A killer downhill of infrequently traveled singletrack near the end of the Castle Park Trail will test even the very technical rider. Even walking down this section with my bike was difficult.
Several loops can be created in the park linking different sections of singletrack. Also, loops here can be combined with the Redwood Regional Park West/East Ridge Trail loop for a longer ride, and for a extra-long ride, the Lake Chabot Live Oak Trail loop can be added (~20 miles).
Directions from SF (~30 min):