Top Ten California Mountain Bike Singletrack

The cool forested bliss of China Camp (Will Hagen)

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North of San Francisco is China Camp State Park, a lovely collection of about 15 miles of forested trails. Developed by the state with a nod to Marin's frustrated singletrackers, China Camp represents an unusual multipurpose trail experiment.

Take Route 1 from San Francisco and drive ten miles to San Rafael. Take the north San Pedro exit and head east toward the Bay. After ten minutes you see a kiosk on the right, standing in a large meadow. Back Ranch trailhead is behind the kiosk (see the map posted nearby) and this narrow trail will take you up to Bayview singletrack, which traipses along the ridgeline for several sweet miles. It's easy to go too fast here, so watch out for other trail users. When you come to the old Chinese fishing village, shop for a picnic lunch and enjoy the killer views of San Francisco across the bay.

To return to the parking lot, take nearly level shoreline singletrack back through the three picnic areas and enjoy four miles of prime easy riding.