Bike the Parks

Ride types

Mountain bike riding in the national parks

Most national park trails are closed to bikes. These parks are the exceptions: legal singletrack, purpose-built trails and rough backcountry roads.

Mountain bike rides in these parks

  • Colorado Overlook Road

    • Canyonlands
    • Moderate

    The gentlest of the Needles backcountry roads, though sandy in places.

  • Elephant Hill

    • Canyonlands
    • Hard

    Very technical: steep grades, loose rock and stair-step drops. A day-use permit is required.

  • East Rim Trails

    • Cuyahoga Valley
    • Moderate

    Four purpose-built intermediate mountain bike trails on the valley's east side.

  • Arrowhead Trails

    • New River Gorge
    • 12.8 mi stacked loops
    • Moderate

    Four purpose-built loops (Clovis, Adena, Dalton, LeCroy) rated easy to intermediate as a system, with tougher individual loops.

  • Southside Trail

    • New River Gorge
    • 7 mi one way
    • Moderate

    Along the river past old mining town sites.

  • Kaymoor Trail

    • New River Gorge
    • 8.6 mi one way
    • Moderate

    Forest riding along the gorge rim near the old Kaymoor mine.

  • Brooklyn Mine Trail

    • New River Gorge
    • 2.7 mi one way
    • Moderate

    An old mining road with river views, often linked with the Southside Trail.

  • Stone Cliff Trail

    • New River Gorge
    • 2.7 mi one way
    • Easy

    A riverside trail; the only trail where Class 1 and 2 e-bikes are allowed.

  • Ossagon Trail Loop

    • Redwood
    • 19 mi loop with Coastal Trail, Davison Road and the parkway
    • Hard

    Through redwoods down to Gold Bluffs Beach and back. No e-bikes.

  • Lost Man Creek Trail

    • Redwood
    • 11 mi one way; 20.5-mile loop with Bald Hills Road and Hwy 101
    • Moderate

    A long climb through second-growth and old-growth forest, with steep grades.

  • Davison and Streelow Creek trails

    • Redwood
    • 7.5 mi loop with Davison Road
    • Easy

    Easy forest loops near Elk Meadow, good for intermediate riders.

  • Little Bald Hills Trail

    • Redwood
    • 4.8 mi park section (5 more miles on the USFS Paradise Trail)
    • Hard

    Steep climbing out of the redwoods to open ridgetops. No e-bikes.

  • South Draw Road

    • Capitol Reef
    • 10.7 mi to SR 12 (5 miles to the park boundary)
    • Hard

    Very steep hills; not recommended in winter or spring.

  • Grayback Drive

    • Crater Lake
    • 8 mi unpaved
    • Moderate

    The park's only mountain bike route, an old dirt road through forest.

  • Titus Canyon Road

    • Death Valley
    • 27 mi one way
    • Hard

    A one-way backcountry road over the Grapevine Mountains and through a narrow canyon. Check conditions first; storms close it.

  • Arizona Trail (North Rim)

    • Grand Canyon
    • 12.1 mi within the park
    • Moderate

    The only singletrack open to bikes in the park, through North Rim forest.

  • Big Hollow Trail

    • Mammoth Cave
    • 9.1 mi North Loop 5.3 mi + South Loop 3.7 mi
    • Moderate

    Purpose-built singletrack through hardwood forest on the north side of the Green River.

  • Cactus Forest Trail

    • Saguaro
    • 2.5 mi one way
    • Moderate

    A short, thin trail cutting across the middle of the loop drive.

  • Hope Camp Trail

    • Saguaro
    • 2.8 mi from Loma Alta trailhead
    • Moderate

    Links to the Arizona Trail, where bikes are also allowed.

  • Salt Valley Road

    • Arches
    • Moderate

    A lonely dirt road down Salt Valley toward Klondike Bluffs. Washboard and sand patches make wide tires the right call.

  • Willow Springs Road

    • Arches
    • Moderate

    An old wagon route on the park's west side with deep sand in places; best on a mountain bike.

  • Geology Tour Road

    • Joshua Tree
    • Moderate

    A backcountry road through boulder country with interpretive stops.

  • Kennecott trails

    • Wrangell–St. Elias
    • Moderate

    Ride from McCarthy up to the historic Kennecott mill town.

  • Pullman Trail

    • Hot Springs
    • Moderate

    The city's trailhead and bike park, reached by a short road ride from downtown.

  • Williams Ranch Road

    • Guadalupe Mountains
    • Hard

    A rough, remote ranch road beneath the escarpment; open to bikes only when the park deems it safe.

Other ride types