Support Historic Opportunity for NEW Mountain Bike Access in Marin County, California

California State Parks has announced a proposal to open singletrack for mountain biking in Marin County, on the shoulders of Mt. Tamalpais. The agency plans to permit bicycle use on the 4-mile Bill’s Trail segment and is soliciting public commentary on the project.

This landmark opportunity is the direct result of more than three years of partnership building with the parks department by IMBA California, Access4Bikes and the Bicycle Trails Council of Marin. A successful opening of Bill’s Trail will set the stage for bicycle access to several other singletrack trails in Marin, which is widely considered to be one of the birthplaces of modern mountain biking. Despite its historic role, Marin has seen precious few opportunities for mountain biking open to the public in recent years.

Take Action! Tell California State Parks you support their decision to open Bill’s Trail to bicycles. The commentary period ends on June 26.

Additional Information

Located within the Mt. Tamaplais watershed in Samuel Taylor State Park, Bill’s Trail winds through native ferns, wildflowers and hazelnut trees. It averages a reasonable 7-percent grade, and its six switchbacks provide riders with multiple views of the surrounding landscapes. While it is expected that bike access on Bill’s Trail will be limited to alternate days at first, the parks department states that this stipulation will be open to further review.

California State Parks is expected to announce opportunities for bicycling on other nearby routes in upcoming months. The Diaz Ridge Trail, which runs through Mt. Tamalpais State Park and Golden Gate National Recreation Area property, is scheduled to receive a major reroute this summer. This project could produce shared-use singletrack joining State Parks and National Park Service properties.

A small number of local hiking and equestrian groups have vowed to fight against any new access for mountain biking in Marin County, despite plentiful evidence that well-designed trails can be successfully shared by various user groups, and that mountain biking is a sustainable, low-impact form of recreation. “I think that, broadly speaking, the community of trail users in Marin is ready for this,” says IMBA California Policy Advisor Tom Ward. “We have seen great success with our volunteer mountain bike patrol program there. Mountain bikers care deeply about protecting the gorgeous trails and natural areas in Marin, and we will continue working with like-minded groups.”

The San Juan and Candy Store Mountain Bike Trail

It’s amazing the things that were around me, that I never realized were there, that is until the whole mountain biking bug got me.

The San Juan Trail, and the Candy Store Trail are just about 35 minutes from my house, and I never even knew they existed 3 months ago. But they have become two of my favorite trails. Now I am not a hard core XC rider, that said, we shuttle these two trails, they do have some pedaling mixed in with the downhill and it’s a pretty good workout (for me). Usually we go in a group and park one car at the bottom to bring the driver of the other car back to the top to get his truck. You need a forest Adventure pass to park there; the rangers do patrol the area periodically to check for them. A year pass is only 35 bucks, well worth it.

I ride with my 2 sons mostly and some of their friends, yeah, I know, my two sons! Yep, well I am 50, and have been doing the 2 wheel thing since I was old enough to push a pedal or twist a throttle. My 2 rides on the San Juan Trail, and 2 on the Candy Store section, have been in the best conditions, winter, cool temperature and 3 of the rides were after rain or during, making the sandstone like trails the perfect texture for some great riding.

This is single track riding, mostly between bushes and manzanita. That Manzanita will rip you right off your bike, shred your jersey, poke your arm, maybe draw a little blood, and then not even look like you touched it. There are some awesome switchbacks, fast narrow sections and some sections that weave under a canopy of trees, it is almost too beautiful of a scene to just bomb past.  Read more