Trail List : Montana de Oro State Park

If the trail doesn't get chya, these will

Finding a worthy trail across the country can be challenging. When Patrick and I started planning our trip to California, countless hours were spent researching various trail systems. To our advantage, his family lives out there, so a quick call-to-action via Facebook resulted in countless options. Thanks to MTB Project by REI, we were able to take a virtual tour of the trail without ever leaving our couch.

The trails within the park are clearly marked

After shifting through suggested trails, we decided that it was important to keep it a short drive from the city, have enough miles of trails to make it worth the drive, provide camping, and be challenging with a huge payoff. What we landed on was Montana de Oro State Park. The park sits just north of San Luis Obispo and offers 20+ miles of out and back trails, camping, and amazing views of the ocean and mountains. (Seriously, my favorite part about California is being at the beach and in the mountains at the same time!)

View from the top of Hazard

Soon after setting up camp, we set out to Hazard Peak Trail. Rated as an easy/intermediate trail, it had come highly recommended so we were eager to test it out.
The trail starts with an easy climb up the ocean side of the mountain. After the initial climb, we were greeted by a flat, winding trail through the brush. If you're visiting, make sure to enjoy this part of the trail while you can! From there, the trail gets a bit tougher. The trails quickly changes into a moderately steep climb of loose rocks. Most riders will be able to make it up, just make sure to be drinking tons of water as the whole trail is exposed.
The climb is made all the sweeter by knowing this trail is an out and back. All of the climbing at the start soon becomes a crazy fast and flowy descent.
Confidence is key! With the large amount of loose rock on this trail, there doesn't leave much room for excessive braking. Once you make it off the steep part of the mountain, you're back in the grove where there is a ton of room for bike surfing on small berms. For those experienced riders, there's plenty of opportunity for small jumps, as well.

Once back at camp, we spent the rest of day 1 drinking beers and soaking in the views. Not all of the trails at Montana de Oro are bike-friendly! It's worth it to take some time to hike along the bluffs, though.

The next day, we wanted to check out an easier trail that promised just as amazing views. Oats Peak has all the fun that Hazard does, just with an easier climb to the top. It is an out and back, as well, so any efforts put in on the way up will soon be rewarded.
Oaks Peak is switchback city, making the climb all the easier and the descent all the better.
The trail is doable by beginners, but it does feature a ton of exposure which may rattle some nerves.

All in all, I'm very stoked that we chose to visit Montana de Oro. It was close to civilization while feeling worlds away. The trails introduced me to a whole new kind of riding that I wasn't sure if I could accomplish. The camping facilities are wonderfully maintained and the views made everything worth it.

Oh! Make sure you grab a bell at the top of biking trails, as this area is popular for hikers!

Trail Review : Sope Creek

Atlanta really is lucky with how many awesome trails we have such a short distance from downtown. If you're pressed for time but still want to get in a really great day of riding, I highly recommend checking out Sope Creek. 

A short 20 minute drive from the city, it's one of the most underrated trails close to the city.
(And if you're really feeling yourself, it's possible to ride from the city to the trail! It's been reported that during high traffic areas, it's actually faster to ride there.)

Since it's still cross season, I spend pretty much any free time I have on my cross bike. So what better way to spend some quality time with my bike than to take her to a mountain bike trail!
I had been to Sope a handful of times before. Once on my cross bike, maybe twice on my mountain bike. The most recent time, however, was the first time I actually got why people think so highly of this trail. 

From the parking lot, you're greeted with a finely ground gravel road that offers a nice scenic warm up alongside the river.
Once on the actual trail, it's mostly singletrack with all the roots, rock gardens, and berms you could hope for.
It's exceptionally fun on a full rigid bike when you're given the added bonus of having to pick the best lines to avoid the dreaded pinch flat. 

The only downside to the trail it has a rule that "bikes yield to pedestrians." I've never had any real issues with hikers and typically they'll move if they see you coming. It is one of the more populated trails I've been to and sometimes you have that one hiker who doesn't quiet understand how it works and ends up walking in the same direction you're going.

Sope is officially rated as an intermediate trail. When I first started going, it was a little too challenging for my skill set. I spent most of my first trip participating in a great hike a bike. My most recent time going, I was able to clear mostly everything.
If you're looking for a well rounded riding experience, Sope is definitely worth a visit. 

Dolls Head Trail

There was a ride on New Year's Day that went from the Atlanta Prison Farm down to this place called Doll's Head Trail. We didn't know about the ride until after it was over, unfortunately.

But the folks who did do it took lots of awesome pictures and we knew we had to go check it out!

It's crazy how many amazing outdoor areas are hidden around Atlanta. In comparison, Athens is considered "the country" but I've definitely been spending way more time outside here than I ever did back there.

I'm a sucker for off-road trails and this one definitely didn't disappoint. Had it not been for the freshly laid tire marks, we probably could have gotten lost real quick. Especially since we got off our original path to follow a sign reading "Freshwater Goak" (I still have no idea what a goak is, even after several Google attempts). Needless to say, we never found a goak, but did manage to get off our trail for awhile...maybe that was the intention of the sign maker, who knows!

I think we ended up doing the trail backyards. We nearly missed the sign for the Doll's Head Trail, hidden amongst some bushes on the side of the trail.

The Doll's Head Trail is made up of weird art installations that folks make from items they find in the park. The makers urge you to please not bring in any foreign trash to make an interesting sculpture. By the looks of it, however, you have tons of options to use based on found treasures.

I'm currently fighting off a cold (ho-hum), so the bikes stayed home this adventure. But with my cross bike hopefully a month or so in the future, I'm really eager to get out there to actually ride the trails sometime.

Whether you're riding or walking, I definitely recommend going to check out this awesome park if you've been needing a second away from the city.