Bobcat Miwok like an ewok

I wish I could go biking on Endor. That planet in Star Wars is probably a paradise for mountain bikers! But last Friday I was not in space, fortunately I was on the earth, biking like crazy. With my uncle we went to Tennessee Valley in the Marin headlands, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Take the 101 north and then exit 445B. Follow Shoreline hwy and turn left onto Tennessee Valley Road (if you crossed a small bridge, you went too far). Follow Tennessee Valley Road until you find the parking lot next to some stables.

Bobcat Miwok does not have any easy road to warm up, so I would recommend biking around the parking lot until you’re warm. Once warm, take the Old Springs Trail which can be tricky to find because you have to go in between the stables. On that trail you’ll see horses, but watch out where you put your wheels!  Poop is pretty common there.  The trail is uphill and a little technical.  The beginning has logs perpendicular to the road which can easily break your speed.  So, you should try to bike on the edge of the trail if you can. The rest of the trail is made up of loose soil with some pathways made out of logs.

Miwok Trail

At the top of Old Spring Trail, turn right onto Miwok Trail, a fast downhill with an excellent descent. Visibility is also very good and not technical at all.  The only thing that can be dangerous is the layer of loose small sand gravel on top of the compact soil, so it can get slippery.

Once you get down to the bottom, before turning left onto Bobcat Trail, I recommend taking a detour and continuing straight to the Rodeo Lagoon. There is a beach down there with an absolutely amazing view.  It’s breath taking!  The dark sand, the waves crashing on the rocks and no sound at all, it feels like you are in another part of the world!

After that mesmerizing detour, you can return to Bobcat Trail and then turn right. This trail is a long, progressive fire road up hill. There is nothing technical or difficult… it’s just long.  Towards the top of the hill, you will come to an intersection.  Keep right and follow the main road until you arrive at a wonderful view of Sausalito and the North Bay.

From there, take the path on the right: Marincello Trail. This trail leads downhill back to the parking lot. It’s similar to the Miwok Trail in its composition and can, therefore, be slippery.  The trail is steep, so be careful not to touch your brakes when you get to the parking lot, they could be hot! 

Length    5/10

Difficulty 5/10

Scenery 9/10

 

Well I hope you enjoyed this tour… I’m not sure where I’ll be biking next!

Gobble Gobble!!

 Last Friday, I went to bike at China Camp State Park. This park is located 20 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Take the 101 North, then exit 454 and go straight onto N San Pedro Road. Follow that road until you arrive at the State Park entrance on your right. You can park along the road (you don’t have to enter to park your car

China Camp State Park is great for mountain bikers who are either beginner or experienced. The park offers trails that are single tracks and not very technical. Some portions can be challenging for beginners though. The beginning of trail is uphill… there is not really a portion of the trail to warm up, so I recommend warming up before getting on your bike. After the uphill portion, which lasts for about half an hour, the rest of the trail is a gentle downhill that can be rough in some areas. The surface of the trail is mostly composed of compact dirt and rock. The grip is excellent, making this trail a great place to improve your downhill skills. The last segment of the trail is slightly up and down hill.

 

This State Park offers many trails that are good for all levels and you can see many wild animals if you go early or late in the evening. Last Friday, I saw plenty of wild turkeys and deer. Although there are no signs for mountain lions, you should still be alert to your surroundings. China Camp State Park is a great place to enjoy a quick, fast and intensive ride outside SF.  Let me know if you like it too!

Length:       6/10
Difficulty:   4/10
Scenery:     8/10 

Infantry Magazine Crissis Loop

These last two days have been nice and warm here in the Bay Area.  I went training in The Presidio. The Presidio is an ancient military base that is now a state park. Unfortunately for mountain bikers, most of the trails are closed to bikes. However, it is still possible to train there. The park offers great climbs and well as some off road but nothing technical. 

The park has multiple entrances and I personally start my loops at the Arguello Boulevard entrance. Just after the entrance of the parking lot for the golf course, there is a gravel road that is bike accessible. This part is fast slightly uphill and then goes down quickly. After that you arrive on Washington Boulevard. This road is paved, but the side walk is gravel, so if you want to feel the gravel under your tires, take it! At the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Park Boulevard, there is a trail entrance on the left but watch out for dog walkers. If you follow this trail, it goes all the way to Harrison Boulevard and then Kobbe Avenue.

 Follow down Kobbe Avenue until Park Boulevard. This section is unfortunately paved. Going by the military cemetery on Lincoln Boulevard, take the next slight right onto Infantry Terrace. Infantry terrace is a good climb, not technical, but it is the perfect place to work on breathing. 

This is usually how I start my bike ride in the Presidio, from there, you can go either back the same way you came, or even go all the way to Crissy Field where you can have a very nice view on the Golden Gate Bridge. The Presidio is like a giant maze. 

The Presidio has some single tracks but most of them are forbidden to bikes. So it’s best to stay on the paths that allow bikes (or risk getting a ticket). 

 

This is the ride I usually do, I called it the Infantry Magazine Crissis Loop!  It's about 14miles long view great view and different surface to bike on!
Length:       7/10
Difficulty:   5/10
Scenery:     9/10

Annadel State Park

    Annadel State Park is located north of San Francisco, near Santa Rosa. To get there from SF, take  highway 101 going north, then take the 12 going east until exit 488B and turn left onto Farmers Ln. Turn right onto Sonoma Hwy, then right onto Mission Boulevard.  After that turn left onto Montgomery Drive and finally turn right onto Channel drive and continue until you have the State Park on your right side. From SF it takes about an hour to get there. 

Annadel State Park is a great place to enjoy wildlife. In the park, visitors can often see wild turkeys, ducks, deer, mountain lion and rattle snakes. Most of the animals are there at dawn or dusk, rarely during the day though. Only some apes can be seen during the day. 
They also don’t hesitate to walk (or even run) on the paths so be careful with them. They are often unaware that you might be behind them because they are listening to music!
  

       The park offers a lot of single tracks and a few fire roads. The California Department of Parks and Recreation has a useful map on their brochure (www.parks.ca.gov/MediaGallery/?page_id=480&m=brochures). There is a lake inside the Park called Lake Ilsanjo. Most of the trails go toward the lake; it is therefore easy to stay oriented on the map. The park has a lot of diversity with the trails. All the trails are open to mountain bikes.  Some single tracks are very technical; the Rough Go Trail is probably one of the most challenging. It presents big boulders close to each other and is therefore difficult to keep a good momentum. It is definitely more interesting to do it downhill, but it requires a lot of vigilance (I recommend it for advanced bikers). My favorite trail is the Orchard Trail Loop, located north of Rough Go Trail because it is fast, a little less technical and located under the trees; with my hardtail bike I have much more fun. The Orchard Trail Loop offers a 400 ft downhill, semi-technical and fast trail which goes back to the parking lot: the perfect ending to an awesome ride.  

       Annadel State Park is a good place to mix and match the trail to your own technical skills. A good 8 mile ride, with some warm up at the beginning is to start at Channel Drive, then Channel Trail, switch to Warren Richardson Trail and continue until the lake.   

Go around the lake (the view is nice), then go on Rough Go Trail and switch to Orchard Trail Loop and finish on Cobblestone Trail. This ride is interesting because the technique level increases with the miles. It starts with fire road and ends with some technical single tracks.

Length:        6/10
Difficulty:    9/10
Scenery:      4/10

First Post

Welcome to MTB Adventurer, my new blog! On this blog you will discover mountain biking trails of the San Francisco Bay Area.
This is my mountain bike that I built. It is a Viper Xteam 2010 frame with mostly Shimano gears. The total weight of my bike is 10.24kg (22.58lb). I haven't raced it yet, I am just training and I eventually plan on racing soon!
 As many might know, San Francisco city isn't the greatest place to mountain bike. However, 20min North of SF is the Marin headlands with Sausalito, Mill Valley, Fairfax, etc...  It offers great opportunities for some mtb excitement!  I go once a week outside the city. The rest of the week I train inside the Presidio. With a combination of paved and dirt roads,  associated with steep hills and quick trails, the Presidio is a great place to build your stamina.
On my blog, I will describe and locate each trail. I will also provide a topographic profile map and some tips about how to get to the trail. I hope you enjoy the ride!