Willamette Valley, OR ⎪Not Suitable⎪

The McKenzie River Trail is a quintessential ride in the Willamette Valley, offering stunning views as it follows the river for most of its length. However, it’s important to note that the trail may not be the best option for adaptive riders. During my recent ride, I tackled the lower fifth of the trail. While much of it is rideable, there are two hard stops along our route—narrow bridges—and I required significant assistance along the way.

Willamette Valley, OR ⎪Not Suitable & aMTB1⎪

Marys Peak is the tallest peak in the Oregon Coast Range. It has a rich history and is sacred to the Kalapuya people, the original inhabitants of the Willamette Valley. The existing trails in the area are not adaptive bike friendly….unless you are down for some Type Two fun. However, the road to the summit is wide open, offering amazing views, and there are a couple gravel routes, making it well worth the effort. In the coming years, we hope to build approximately 25 miles of new trail across the highway to the south. They will be universally built and exciting for riders of all types.

Moab, UT ⎪aMTB1-3⎪

For years, I have tried to find a route of significant mileage in Moab that I can ride solo to no avail. There is the Circle O area with adding on some of the green stuff (Lazy and E Z), but I still got into a little trouble there. There’s the green stuff in the Klondike Bluffs area, which is probably the most adaptive friendly in Moab, but again, there are some very tricky spots. Be sure to read my blog on that area. The views are unreal!

Klondike Bluffs is my favorite area in Moab. Mostly because of the trail Baby Steps North, which is all slick rock and loaded with little ledgey drops. It is plenty wide with absolutely zero exposure, so it’s great for adaptive riders with capable equipment. It’s the perfect example of how techy fall-line is no problem for adaptive riders. It’s when a trail traverses and is exposed where we get into trouble!

Brevard, NC ⎪aMTB1-3⎪

Lower Black is what the locals call this trail, but the official name is Black Mountain Trail (Lower). The climb, Thrift Cove, is listed as a blue trail on TrailForks, but is basically a two mile fire road. It is quite grueling and feels longer than that though. The route itself is very short and multiple laps seem ambitious, unless you’ve got a power assist. I’m told the upper and middle sections are a no go for adaptive riders. The descent on Lower Black is fast, fun, worth the effort, and over way too soon. It is littered with fun stuff to play with: rock sections, roots, double fall Iines, berms. It ends with a long chunky rock section that drops back onto the climb trail.

Santa Fe, NM ⎪aMTB1-3⎪

Just up the highway from Santa Fe is a Christian conference property called Glorieta Adventure Camps and they just happen to have some of the best trails in the area. All trails are available to the public. This is one of my favorite places to ride!!!

San Diego, CA ⎪aMTB1-3⎪

This area offers some technical “Sedona Style” riding which makes it extremely fun, but potentially tough for adaptive riders. Most of the trails are wide open, but the technicality requires me to be reserved in sending someone out there solo. The steep loose undulations make it pretty much impossible for those with front-wheel-drive bikes, without support. If you are solo and do have front-wheel-drive, then I’m sorry to say that I do not recommend you ride this area. You could perform an out-and-back on the fire road climb, but if you are going to descend the fire road, please do so slowly and with extreme caution. There is heavy hiker traffic. You could definitely descend Nighthawk, but it’s the Nighthawk Connector that creates the question mark. Its steep, loose, and extremely rocky. Get up there and look at it. If you are comfortable with it, then Nighthawk is a much better descent than the fire road. It’s not the greatest trail in the area, but if you are solo, it’s the only one I can confidently send you down. There are other options, but it’s complicated and I’m hesitant to create an aMTB1 route. If you are a solo front-wheel-drive rider, and are intent on riding here, then please contact me and I can direct you. If you do have suspension, clearance, and rear-wheel-drive, then more options open up, even if you are solo. See my aMTB2 routes below. You’ll need a support rider the first time though. If you have a support rider, then you can can get rowdy! There is some good stuff here. See my aMTB3 routes below.