Marin County/NorCal beta?

[DerJaeger]

I'm planning to be in Nor Cal in late May and was thinking of doing some rides in Marin County while there. Ms Jaeger will be with me, and she isn't confident about tackling anything especially technical (yet), so I'm looking for recommendations for buff rolling single track with kick ass views. Maybe Mt Tamalpais?

Or would I be better off riding in Tahoe, Downieville, or somewhere else?

I don't think we're going to be able to bring bikes for this particular trip, so recommendations for decent rentals would be super helpful too.

[BeanDip4All]

You should definitely go to Mt. Tam. It has so much mt. biking history there (I think that's where it was invented?), think it would be worthwhile just to go for that.

I haven't done any biking there, but spent the last three months trail running up all over that area as well as hiking. I've seen lots of bikers on the East Peak Loop trail, which goes to the top of Mt Tam and has great views- you get to see the Bay, the ocean, foothills, valley, etc.

I've also run the old railroad trail which has bikers on it and seems more beginnerish because it's wider, so maybe your gf would like that?
http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail...lid=BGS057-076

finally- check out the miwok trail. I'm not sure if they allow bikes (but I have seen bikers on it)... gorgeous trail

some non-biking recs for you:
- go to stinson beach just to check it out, run around on the sand, or have a picnic on the beach- cute town, and the drive over to it is harrowing/awesome. They actually have car races on it.
- after stinson beach- you'll pass right by it on your way out- (or after riding), belly up to the bar at pelican pub, this cute old english pub we found. friendly bartender, lots of beer to choose from, and yummy fish and chips (if you're into that... boyfriend had the burger and liked)
http://www.pelicaninn.com/

and, final rec, come to SF and have beers with us! of course

[joetron]

Paging Boobookitty.

My input, circa my 1999 residence in the Bay Area, would be China Camp St park.....there is the possibility it may be a complete shitshow these days however. Mid week may be good tho.

I think a renting a bike at a shop on Stanyan at the top of the Haight, riding through some of Golden Gate Park, over through the Richmond to the Presidio, through there and over the Golden Gate Bridge would be a fun day. Not an epic mtn bike ride, but a damn nice bicycle ride. Riding over the GG Bridge is one of the coolest things you can do on a bike, especially if a big ass ship is going underneath.

[DerJaeger]

Awesome suggestions; they've been noted and are being worked into the schedule. Yes, beer will certainly be something we need to do (and BeandDip, I know you're the resident foodie, so I'm going to be hitting you up for some suggestions for SF, Chinatown in particular)

The trip is part vacation, part location shopping. We'll visiting SF, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and will most likely squeeze in a day in Napa Valley. Riding isn't the focus on this trip (we've got a couple of those coming up), but I do want to make sure we don't miss any must-ride MTB trails though. The ride across the bridge is definitely on the agenda too.

[wanghoeby]

Seconding for China Camp. I was there this past summer on a weekend evening and didn't think it was too busy.

The place has smooth trails and awesome views of the Bay. There's a lot to explore there. I would definitely do it again.

[bodywhomper]

china camp is nice with views and buffish double track. there's more technical stuff on the other side of the ridgeline easily accessed near the former NIKE site. the NIKE site has kick ass views.

if you're willing to venture a little further from the bay, i'd highly recommend annadel state park. fairly extensive trail system with lots of legal singletrack. most of it is rolling, buff, not too steep, and appropriate for a newbie. very pretty area with lots of nice views and a good amount of wildlife viewing. there's also an old reservoir in the park that you can swim in if the day is warm.

not sure about rentals, but being next to santa rosa, there's bound to be places to rent bikes.

[pajamas]

I'd second going a little farther north and ride Annadel. A great variety of trails and loops to do and I think several shops rent in Santa Rosa. Some good views, but China Camp has better views of the bay. China Camp has nice smooth ST but not a lot of if. It is not as technical as Annadel but Annadel has more variety.

Tam has lots of stuff to ride but not a lot of ST and hard to link up a good ride unless you really know the area. Also some brutal climbs.

If you have a couple days to ride, you should go to both places.

Plenty of other North Bay places to ride, just a little farther away and less travelled. There are trails in the Napa Valley too.

If you're going to the Napa Valley for wine tasting....well, I'm partial to the Sonoma/Russian River wineries - less busy and lots of them.

PM me if you need a guide for Annadel.

[gravitylover]

^^ Ding ding! Russian River for wine, absolutely!

[boobookitty]

Oh, sorry. Just getting back from Ray's and catching up. I breezed through the thread, so sorry if any of this has already been discussed.

If you're going to be in Marin, be sure to ride Tamarancho. It's the loop maintained on the Boy Scout camp outside of Fairfax. It's fun, forgiving, and super pretty. It's also easy to navigate.

I'm going to say skip Annadel (sorry!). (Edit: didn't see there was a guide volunteer...that'll definitely help you have more fun there.) While it is a cool trail network, it's a bit frustrating to figure out at first, and it's a bit difficult to find.

IMO, it'll be more worth your time to hit China Camp, Tamarancho, and some of the DIRT ROADS on Mt. Tam. Don't expect to ride any singletrack there unless you have a local guide, as it's highly illegal and they'll ticket you. (There is some incredible riding up there, but you really need to know where you're going and when to go there). However, there are some challenging climbs and fun descents on Mt. Tam that will get you to some incredible views.

As for rentals/demos, check out Paradigm in San Anselmo (say hi to Tim), Sunshine in Fairfax (say hi to Ryan, but watch out for Lyle), or this new little place on the way to China Camp called Bikes and Beans. The guy who runs it is supposed to be super cool. They may or may not have rentals there, though.

Also, for food, swing by the Java Hut next to Sunshine for coffee and treats, Taco Janes in San Anselmo for mole burritos. The owners of both stores ride bikes and are really cool! Good luck and have fun!