Alameda Creek Trail and Coyote Hills Park
Fremont/Newark (East Bay Regional Parks)
ROAD
Mostly paved trails and relatively flat. The trail system starts near the Dumbarton Bridge and goes to the entrance of Niles Canyon on the east side of Fremont. Bay and marsh views at Coyote Point.

Angel Island State Park
San Francisco Bay
ROAD
Loop of approximately 5 miles around the island. Fairly flat.
Stunning views of San Francisco, Tiburon, and bridges.
Bike rentals available.
Access by ferry (carries bikes) from San Francisco, Oakland, Vallejo, and Tiburon.

Anthony Chabot Regional Park
San Leandro
MOUNTAIN
Rides around Lake Chabot
More information on Chabot Regional Park

Arastradero Preserve
Palo Alto
MOUNTAIN
Convenient to Palo Alto. Trails are short, but scenic.
More Arastadero Preserve information

Bayfront Park and Dumbarton Bridge
Menlo Park
ROAD/MOUNTAIN
Easy trails for an introduction to mountain biking and paved paths along the bay.

Baylands/Shoreline City Parks
Palo Alto/Mountain View
ROAD/MOUNTAIN
A mixture of dirt and paved trails between Willow Road, Menlo Park and Shoreline Amphitheatre. Flat and easy.

Big Basin State Park
Near Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz Mountains
ROAD
A challenging loop of around 30 miles starting in the park or at Boulder Creek includes the park access road (California 237), and Hwy. 9.
MOUNTAIN
Gazos Creek Road offers a ride in the redwoods suitable for beginning and intermediate mountain bike riders.
Waddell Creek Ride. Starting near Highway 1 this relatively flat out-and-back ride takes you to Berry Creek Falls (best in spring).

China Camp State Park
San Rafael
MOUNTAIN
More information on China Camp State Park

El Corte Madera Open Space Preserve
Woodside
MOUNTAIN
Highly technical trails for honing mountain biking skills. Sometimes called Skeggs after Skeggs Point and the old motorcycle trails.
More El Corte Madera information

Fremont Older Open Space Preserve (Cupertino)
MOUNTAIN
Popular trails of varying difficulty near Stevens Creek Reservoir.
More information on Fremont Older Open Space Preserve

Golden Gate Park
San Francisco
ROAD
7.5 miles of designated paved trails extend from the tip of the Panhandle through Golden Gate Park to Lake Merced. Bicycle trails within the park are indicated on the map. In addition, some park roads are available for bicycling on Sundays when they are closed to vehicular traffic.

Henry Coe State Park
Near Morgan Hill
MOUNTAIN
Lots of trails; most are challenging. Hot in summer, but excellent in fall and spring.
This unofficial site describes some of the trails.
More Henry Coe State Park information

Jaoquin Miller Park
City of Oakland
MOUNTAIN

Marin Headlands
Marin County
MOUNTAIN
Tennessee Valley ride descriptions

Montebello Open Space Preserve
Cupertino/Palo Alto
ROAD/MOUNTAIN
There is a classic road ride of around 35 miles (but not for the faint-of-heart or out-of-shape) starting from Palo Alto and climbing Monte Bello Road and following the dirt road across Monte Bello Ridge in the Open Space District. This connects with Page Mill Road and descends back to Palo Alto.
Mountain bike rides include the Stevens Canyon trail on the San Andreas earthquake fault.

Montera State Beach
Near Half Moon Bay
MOUNTAIN
Steep trails with ocean views.

Mount Tamalpias State Park
Marin County
MOUNTAIN
Lakes ride description (starting in Ross)
Repack trail ride description

Point Reyes National Seashore
Marin County
MOUNTAIN
More information on Point Reyes National Seashore

Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve
Woodside
MOUNTAIN
Challenging trails convenient to Palo Alto and the rest of the Peninsula from Skyline Blvd. trailheads.
More Purisima Creek information

Samuel P. Taylor State Park
Marin County
MOUNTAIN
Bolinas Ridge ride description (starting in Woodacre)

Sawyer Camp Trail
Near San Mateo
ROAD
A nearly flat 12 mile out-and-back paved trail. Views of Crystal Springs Reservoir. Good for beginners and children, but multi-use and crowded on weekends.

Skyline Boulevard Preserves of the Mid-peninsula Open Space District
MOUNTAIN
There are several contiguous preserves along Skyline Blvd. that offer intermediate to expert level mountain biking.
Russian Ridge and Coal Creek Open Space Preserves
Long Ridge and Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserves

Tomales Bay State Park
Inverness
MOUNTAIN
More information on Tomales Bay State Park

Wildcat Canyon Regional Park
Berkeley
MOUNTAIN