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Alpine Road to Windy Hill
Alpine Road to Windy Hill
A long loop that strings together a little bit of everything, within easy access from the Peninsula and the South Bay.
16.5 miles
2750' climb
3.5 hours
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21% SINGLETRACK41% FIRE ROAD38% ROAD
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Arastradero
Arastradero
A small city park with a reasonable selection of singletrack and fire roads that would be a good place for a beginner due to having no big climbs, as well as a "quickie" option for an experienced rider.
7 miles
1350' climb
2 hours
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63% SINGLETRACK37% FIRE ROAD
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CaƱada Road
Canada Road
An easy and nearly flat out-and-back road ride that would make a good candidate for a moderate workout ride if done quickly or a scenic casual ride if you take it slowly.
18.5 miles
1000' climb
2 hours
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100% ROAD
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Fifield-Cahill Ridge
Fifield-Cahill Ridge
A fire-road ride you can do by reservation only, on a fairly easy trail along the Peninsula that you don't normally get to see.
12.5 miles
1600' climb
2.5 hours
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100% FIRE ROAD
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Half Moon Bay Coastside Trail
Half Moon Bay Coastside Trail
A family-grade ride on a trail that's more scenic than any other casual trail, at least if you can catch a day without fog.
16.5 miles
500' climb
2 hours
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3% SINGLETRACK21% FIRE ROAD70% PAVED6% ROAD
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Half Moon Bay Road Loop
Half Moon Bay Road Loop
Possibly the shortest and easiest road loop you can do to sample some of the beauty of the Peninsula coast backroads.
24.5 miles
2100' climb
2.5 hours
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100% ROAD
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La Honda - Pescadero Loop
La Honda - Pescadero Loop
One of the least challenging road rides you can do on the coast side of the Peninsula while still seeing almost the full spectrum of geography here as well as several favorite spots of cyclists.
29 miles
2350' climb
3 hours
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100% ROAD
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The Loop (Stanford)
The Loop (Stanford)
A locally well-known short road loop that's unchallenging and almost flat, but is a good quickie workout option for those who live nearby.
14 miles
800' climb
1 hour
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100% ROAD
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McLaren Park and San Bruno Mountain
McLaren Park and San Bruno Mountain
A rarity in terms of being a route within San Francisco that could pass for a real mountain-bike ride. Trail difficulty ranges all over the spectrum but the views are always top-notch.
11.5 miles
1800' climb
2.5 hours
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18% SINGLETRACK29% FIRE ROAD23% PAVED30% ROAD
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Monte Bello Open Space
Monte Bello Open Space
This short ride will take you to the peak of Black Mountain while getting you to sample most of the singletrack in the park in a single ride.
8 miles
1600' climb
2 hours
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70% SINGLETRACK30% FIRE ROAD
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Old La Honda Road (road loop)
Old La Honda Road (road loop)
A moderate road loop aimed at experiencing this popular road climb coupled with a fast and fun descent, while staying as far out of the way of busy traffic as possible.
19 miles
2600' climb
2.5 hours
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100% ROAD
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Old La Honda Road (trail loop)
Old La Honda Road (trail loop)
One of the most well-known road climbs of the South Bay, followed by a quick return via a fire-road descent.
8.5 miles
1550' climb
2 hours
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5% SINGLETRACK29% FIRE ROAD66% ROAD
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Pacifica
Pacifica
A forked exploration of one of the most popular trail networks of the Peninsula that you can vary from an easy out-and-back to a full traversal that includes a mountain climb.
17 miles
3100' climb
4 hours
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18% SINGLETRACK28% FIRE ROAD52% PAVED2% ROAD
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Russian Ridge
Russian Ridge
A short and relatively easy ride that rewards with some fun singletrack and a big dose of scenery.
8.5 miles
1700' climb
2 hours
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68% SINGLETRACK31% FIRE ROAD1% ROAD
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San Francisco Peaks
San Francisco Peaks
A surprisingly decent singletrack ride in a very unlikely urban setting, though you need to "connect the dots" via road ride segments. Postcard-worthy views of the city are a bonus.
12.5 miles
2750' climb
3.5 hours
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46% SINGLETRACK10% FIRE ROAD44% ROAD
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Sawyer Camp and San Andreas Trails
Sawyer Camp and San Andreas Trails
(CURRENTLY CLOSED) A paved recreational trail ride easy enough for all skill levels, yet still providing good lake views and a setting in beautiful nature.
18 miles
1300' climb
2.5 hours
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92% PAVED8% ROAD
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Skeggs Point (Suggestion 1)
Skeggs Point (Suggestion 1)
I'm pretty sure there's no better mountain biking area in the Bay Area. This ride traverses three of its best technical singletracks, two of them uphill.
9.5 miles
2100' climb
3 hours
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59% SINGLETRACK37% FIRE ROAD2% PAVED2% ROAD
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Skeggs Point (Suggestion 2)
Skeggs Point (Suggestion 2)
This is one of the comparatively easy loops possible in this park, while still being technical and fun.
8 miles
1700' climb
2.5 hours
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46% SINGLETRACK34% FIRE ROAD4% PAVED16% ROAD
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Skeggs Point (Suggestion 3)
Skeggs Point (Suggestion 3)
This is essentially two different loops; you can cut it short by doing just one, or do them both.
11 miles
2650' climb
3 hours
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52% SINGLETRACK43% FIRE ROAD3% PAVED2% ROAD
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Skeggs Point (Suggestion 4)
Skeggs Point (Suggestion 4)
Another fun, two-lobed ride route at this mountain biking destination. Do both if you're in good shape, or pick one half and complete just that one.
10.5 miles
2400' climb
3 hours
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60% SINGLETRACK36% FIRE ROAD2% PAVED2% ROAD
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Skeggs Point (Suggestion 5)
Skeggs Point (Suggestion 5)
This is the "big loop" in this park, roughly tracing its boundaries. You get to sample El Corte de Madera Creek Trail downhill and also see North Leaf and South Leaf trails.
14 miles
3300' climb
4 hours
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48% SINGLETRACK42% FIRE ROAD1% PAVED9% ROAD
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Skeggs Point (Suggestion 6)
Skeggs Point (Suggestion 6)
This ride traverses the more remote Lawrence Creek Trail and most of Timberview Trail.
9 miles
2300' climb
2.5 hours
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26% SINGLETRACK55% FIRE ROAD3% PAVED16% ROAD
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Skyline Ridge Open Space
Skyline Ridge Open Space
A ride along ridgetops with one beautiful singletrack and some pretty views and not much more, but that can be easily extended in a million ways.
9.5 miles
1950' climb
2 hours
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44% SINGLETRACK56% FIRE ROAD
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Sweeney Ridge
Sweeney Ridge
A ride that's short on total distance and on true mountain biking fun, but is worthwhile due to spectacular views and a couple of points of interest.
9.5 miles
1800' climb
2.5 hours
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15% SINGLETRACK49% FIRE ROAD13% PAVED23% ROAD
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Tunitas Creek Road and Route 84
Tunitas Creek Road and Route 84
A ride that will take you through a lot of what the Peninsula has to offer on a wide loop between the mountains and the ocean.
32 miles
2900' climb
4.5 hours
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100% ROAD
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Water Dog (Suggestion 1)
Water Dog (Suggestion 1)
A small city park with an out-of-proportion amount of fun technical singletrack. This ride takes you through a typical route that includes a descending traversal of the Finch Trail switchbacks.
7.5 miles
1450' climb
2.5 hours
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56% SINGLETRACK31% FIRE ROAD13% ROAD
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Water Dog (Suggestion 2)
Water Dog (Suggestion 2)
This ride traverses the Finch Trail switchbacks uphill and does the very short and steep "finishing" drop of Berry Trail.
7 miles
1450' climb
2.5 hours
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46% SINGLETRACK52% FIRE ROAD2% ROAD
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Whittemore Gulch
Whittemore Gulch
Start by descending nearly two miles of one of the most beautiful singletrack trails in the area, then pay your dues with a serious fire road climb.
10 miles
2000' climb
2 hours
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25% SINGLETRACK51% FIRE ROAD24% ROAD
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