Mammoth Mountain Bike Park

This last weekend I decided to take the plunge and bought a "pedal pass" for the Mammoth Mountain Bike Park. The pass allows me to ride all of the trails, but does not allow me to use the lifts, gondola, or bike shuttle.

I had visions of hordes of armored downhill riders blasting by me, but instead I found miles of solitude on fantastic trails. Most of the "intermediate" trails have a relatively gentle gradient, so they aren't appealing to the extreme crowd, but provide plenty of fun for us cross country types. The climbs are mostly middle ring with a few short, steep sections and the descents are fun and twisty, with a few drops and obstacles here and there.

Most of the trails I rode winded through the beautiful forests on the lower flanks of the mountain.

I rode from my Mom's condo to Little Eagle, then on up to this fine vista of Long Valley and the Mammoth Crest.

I then rode around to the west side of the mountain to Red's Lake. This trail is appropriately named "Beach Cruiser."
I headed back to the east side of Mammoth and down to Twin Lakes, where I had to stop and take this iconic shot.
And finally I rode over to the Mammoth Rock trail, which is not in the Mountain Bike Park, but is a fine trail back into town.

This is Mammoth Rock.
And this is the Mammoth Rock Trail.
The trails were a blast. The crowds were nonexistant. The weather was perfect.
Four hours of pure fun!