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El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space (Skeggs)
Mountain Biking Trail
Hard
13.25 mi
3,028 ft
Arguably the best mountain bike trail network in the Bay Area.
"Skeggs Point (El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve) is one of the top candidates for the 'best mountain biking location' award in the Bay Area, and might just be my personal number one,” writes "The park covers a decent-sized area and features lots of trails, many of them first-class singletrack. These trails also range over a decent spectrum of skill levels.”
In addition to sheer quality of the trails, El Corte de Madera may just be one of the most beautiful areas in the region, too. Towering red woods soar above the singletrack, with the trails snaking between massive trunks in the deep shade of the forest. Dark green ferns and dense undergrowth make it feel like you’re riding through Jurassic Park. While most of the viewpoints are up near the road, the overlooks provide expansive vistas of the deep rainforests covering the peninsula.
The complexity of the trail system means you can create routes of all different lengths and difficulties. The figure 8 ride presented here is one of the longer options that combines the better singletrack trails into one cohesive route. That said, you could break one or the other of the loops in this figure 8 off into its own ride if you’re looking for something shorter.
Overall, most of the trails are quite flowy and intermediate-friendly. However, pick the wrong trail, and you’ll be funneled into steep, exposed root web descents with sharp drop offs. Occasional rock gardens emerge from the forest that are more akin to dried-up waterfalls than they are mountain bike trails. Or does that mean you picked the RIGHT trail? You decide...
Sources:
Written by Greg Heil
"Skeggs Point (El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve) is one of the top candidates for the 'best mountain biking location' award in the Bay Area, and might just be my personal number one,” writes "The park covers a decent-sized area and features lots of trails, many of them first-class singletrack. These trails also range over a decent spectrum of skill levels.”
In addition to sheer quality of the trails, El Corte de Madera may just be one of the most beautiful areas in the region, too. Towering red woods soar above the singletrack, with the trails snaking between massive trunks in the deep shade of the forest. Dark green ferns and dense undergrowth make it feel like you’re riding through Jurassic Park. While most of the viewpoints are up near the road, the overlooks provide expansive vistas of the deep rainforests covering the peninsula.
The complexity of the trail system means you can create routes of all different lengths and difficulties. The figure 8 ride presented here is one of the longer options that combines the better singletrack trails into one cohesive route. That said, you could break one or the other of the loops in this figure 8 off into its own ride if you’re looking for something shorter.
Overall, most of the trails are quite flowy and intermediate-friendly. However, pick the wrong trail, and you’ll be funneled into steep, exposed root web descents with sharp drop offs. Occasional rock gardens emerge from the forest that are more akin to dried-up waterfalls than they are mountain bike trails. Or does that mean you picked the RIGHT trail? You decide...
Sources:
Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes
