We did a fun thing last week – biking on the trails at our metropark!  The last time we visited these trails was 3 years ago, and since that time they significantly increased the amount of trails they have. My son just got a new Trek Marlin 6 and couldn’t wait to go for a ride!

At the trailhead is a “skills” park.  I’m not sure if that’s what it really is, but if this was a ski resort, that’s what it would be called! 

It’s the biking terrain park.  Each of the features was labeled as easy or intermediate.  It was clear to us very quickly that we are total noobs on these things.  Zach did pretty good, although he did fall a few times.

Alan was a bit cautious about it, which was a good thing.

I went over this wooden thing, and then my front tire went off the side.  And then I slammed on my brakes which made me fly over the handlebars!!  This my friend, is why we wear helmets.  DOH!  I did get a bruise on my leg, but it was totally funny and I was chuckling about it all during our ride.

The trails go into the woods and are single track trails.  The direction of the trail changes during the week so you have to follow the signs. There are a lot of easy parts to the trail.

And some interesting parts.

And then some parts that will downright freak any beginner out! (seriously?  People can ride a bike on that??) 

Luckily the really tricky features had an easier option.

We did take a few falls that made us need to straighten out our handlebars.  Oops.

We rode about 8 miles on our first day.

The next day we came back and rode the other section of the trails, which was around 5 miles.  I thought this section of the trails (the older section) was a bit more challenging because of the elevation change, the width of the trail, the sand on the trails (makes it slippery!), and the amount of exposed tree roots.  There were a lot of cool wooden bridges.

My son’s new bike handled the trails with ease while our old hybrids kinda of sounded like we might be losing parts along the way, but they survived decent enough.

So if you’re ever out my way, and are looking for some adventure, head over to the Beach Trail Bike Trail in Oak Openings metropark. So much fun!!

6 thoughts on “Mountain biking adventures”
  1. Pretty sure my bike fell apart on the 3rd trip out there yesterday. 20+ year old hybrid on a rough trail? What could go wrong?

  2. That sounds fun, but I don’t think I’d try it at this point in my life. We took mountain biking lessons in Moab, Utah two summers ago and I was in over my head. I ended up wrecking and landing upside down with my bike on top of me and my body within inches of a cactus patch. I was fine, but yikes!
    Debbie @ Deb Runs recently posted…Remembering a Similar Scare, PolioMy Profile

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