Poison Spider Mesa Trail

Most Popular Mountain Biking Trails in America

Mountain biking is without a doubt, a very fun sport. The fun in mountain biking, however, depends on the trail you are riding. Some trails offer beautiful scenery. Some offer difficult obstacles along the way. Easier trails are perfect for beginners, while difficult trails are sought after by many experienced riders. Mountain bikers are always in search of new trails to conquer as they progress and improve their mountain biking skills. So here are some the most popular mountain biking trails in America.

Poison Spider Mesa Trail, Moab, Utah

Moab is one of the oldest mountain bike destinations on the planet. world-famous Slickrock riding, incredible desert views, a great town with excellent bike shops and shuttles, and miles upon miles of trails. One of the trails in Moab is Poison Spider Mesa Trail. It is one of the most popular trails in America because it is a challenging trail and has great scenery. Poison Spider Mesa forms one of the cliff features that is part of the Moab landscape northwest of town. It is bordered on the east by Moab Valley and on the south by the Colorado River. The trail is a 13-mile loop, which climbs over 1,000 feet in elevation. The trail up to the mesa is a series of slickrock steeps mixed with sections of jeep road, making it challenging even for experts.

Trail 401, Crested Butte, Colorado

mountain biking trails in america

Crested Butte is famous as one of the two birthplaces of the sport of mountain biking. It boasts hundreds of miles of the most picturesque high-alpine trails anywhere, all surrounding a quaint western mountain town with great food and beer. The most popular trail in Crested Butte is the Trail 401. The 401 loop circles for 8.6 miles near Crested Butte and offers endless views of Colorado’s spectacular Maroon Bells and Elk Range. The high alpine trail offers an epic descent with knee-high flowers and spectacular views of the Gothic Valley and Mount Crested Butte.

Tahoe Rim Trail, California/Nevada

Tahoe-Rim-Trail

Tahoe Rim Trail is a 165-mile trail that forms a loop around the Lake Tahoe Basin in the Sierra Nevada and Carson ranges of California and Nevada. The trail ranges in elevation from 6,240 feet at the outlet of Lake Tahoe to 10,338 feet at Relay Peak which makes a challenging trail. Mountain bikes are permitted on roughly half the trail but mountain bikers get to ride through the evergreen forest, sloping wildflower meadows, and ridges high above Lake Tahoe and Marlette Lakes making this trail one of the most popular trails in America.

Munds Wagon Trail, Sedona, Arizona

popular mountain biking trails

Munds Wagon Trail is an eight-mile trail east of Sedona which carves through Arizona’s iconic red rock landscape. The trail parallels and repeatedly crisscrosses Schnebley Hill Road. Munds Wagon Trail is different from many of the other more “classic” rides around Sedona because it offers great views of Sedona, red rocks, small pools and water runoff that make the rocks very photogenic. It is mostly packed with dirt mixed with rocks and also long slickrock wash section. The trail has some short technical climbs and descents to keep things interesting for advanced riders.

Bangtail Divide Trail, Bozeman, Montana

bangtail divide trail

Bangtail Divide Trail is a 24-mile trail which offers easy access to a ridgeline traverse with stellar views of multiple mountain ranges, fields of wildflowers and well-crafted singletrack sections guaranteed to satisfy. What makes Bangtail Divide Trail one of the popular mountain biking trails in America is its breath-taking scenery. The fact that the trail is also well-maintained and well-marked is a plus factor. The most popular route starts at the Stone Creek trailhead and ends at Brackett Creek.