Best Mountain Bike Trails in Marin
Marin is renowned for it’s natural beauty: From the peak of Mt. Tam, to the redwoods, and stunning ocean views, Marin County is arguably (in our humble opinion!) one of the most scenic counties in California.
Marin is also the birthplace of mountain biking, and at Access4Bikes, our mission is to maintain and expand trail access. Your membership and support is key to our work!
Though a lot of the singletrack is still not legal for mountain bikers in Marin (another reason to support A4B, as we are hard at work at getting equal access, in an environmentally respectful way), there are some amazing trails here. Our favorites are listed below. What are yours?
Tamarancho, Fairfax - one of Marin’s top mountain bike trails
Tamarancho is maintained by Access4Bikes, and it is on private property, run by the Boy Scouts. (Note that you need to purchase a day pass or annual pass to ride on this trail!)
This is one of the classic loops in Marin, and it has a bit of everything: Redwood flow, rock gardens, tricky switchbacks, roots, and even a flow trail. The loop is approx. 8 miles in length, and there are various access points. The most popular is to start from SplitRock Tap and Wheel, and ride up Iron Springs road to the trailhead. (Check out Strava or Trailforks for directions). The climb up Iron Springs is a great warm up, because the first climb is … all climb! Challenging switchbacks, roots, and rock obstacles await.
This is an intermediate/advanced trail, so if you are new to mountain biking, we don’t recommend starting out with this loop.
For daily conditions on Tamarancho, make sure you go to Tamarancho Report (which is an awesome site, maintained by an A4B member!) to see the latest conditions. Note that Tamarancho is closed in the winter when it is raining.
China Camp State Park
China Camp State Park is also another amazing spot for mountain biking in Marin. Located in San Rafael, there are multiple access points (TrailForks has many great loops). This is a State Park that requires a daily access fee, which can be purchased from the local Kiosk at trailheads.
The “front side” is a roughly 10-mile loop, perfect for beginner/intermediate riders. The climbs aren’t too steep, and you’ll enjoy singletrack the whole loop. There are some rocks and roots, so a hardtail or full-suspension bike is your friend.
For those who want a challenge, there are numerous “backside” trails. We recommend you go with a local who knows the way, as they are unmarked and not all are technically legal. However, there are many advanced trails on the back side, which can be accessed from various points.
Solstice Trail
Finally, (and trust us, there are many more — today we’re just highlighting three great trails, and we’ll follow up with more suggestions in future posts), for those who want some gnar, check out Solstice Trail, which is also in Fairfax. Make sure you prepare your legs for a long, grinding climb up a fireroad (check out TrailForks for directions). However, the climb will definitely pay off once you reach Solstice. This is an advanced trail only, with big roll downs/drops, rocks, loose dirt, stream crossings, and poison oak on the edges. Bring your pads and be prepared to have a giant smile the whole way down!
The descent ends in the private school grounds of San Domenico, so be respectful and stay on marked trails as you leave.
Enjoy shredding in Marin!
