Beginner Mountain Bike trails

[dkel]

Others on this forum know much more than I do about MTB trails, but I can tell you that my kids did a beginner MTB class at Wakefield over the summer, so at least some of it is beginner-friendly. They told me all about “Gatorade hill,” which is so steep and rocky that if they made it up the hill in one run without stopping, the camp counsellors would buy them a Gatorade. My kids never got a Gatorade. Also, pretty sure that offer doesn’t apply to grown-ups.

[jabberwocky]

Wakefield is a good recommendation. Its generally easy, and the trails are concentrated in a pretty small area, so very easy to get back the car without a long trek.

Two other recommendations near Alexandria are Laurel Hill (in Lorton) and Rosaryville, in Upper Marlboro MD. Laurel Hill is an excellent, very beginner friendly trail system on the site of the old Lorton Prison. Rosaryville is not very technically challenging, but a loop is about 10 miles and has a moderate amount of climbing.

[trailrunner]

Check out Laurel Hills. There is a nice network of trails, but nothing too technical, and the trails have a nice flow to them. I usually ride my cross bike or an old rigid mtb.

Wakefield is a step up, but still not too hard. Fountainhead would be the next step up. May be a little challenging for the complete new comer.

If you’re willing to venture to Maryland, I’d recommend Shaeffer Farm. The trails are intermediate (IMO), but nothing too hard, and if you take your time you will do fine. Check to ensure that the trails are open before you head out there.

[hozn]

From what I hear Fountainhead is definitely not a beginner trail anymore. I haven’t ridden the redesigned trail, I am embarrassed to say (since I consider myself more a mountainbiker still … somehow), but it apparently has gotten even more serious than it was.

Wakefield is a great place to start. I take my 4-year-old on the lower sandy trails along the creek and he has a blast. There is the CCT there if you want to just spin awhile on double track and then some of the newer single track is more technical. But on the whole the trails are tame and fast and it is a blast to ride.

Rosaryville is also a great beginner MTB loop. Few places are as fast and flowy as Rosaryville. And not too far from you, likely.

Quick get out there this weekend before the trails become too wet again! There are few wintertime above-freezing riding opportunities [that don’t degrade the trails]. (Riding frozen trails is fun too, though, certainly would rather be on a MTB than a road bike when it is 15° out.)

[trailrunner]

I forgot that there is a relatively new trail on the west side on Meadowood. Although I run there all the time, I haven’t biked there, but the trail seems like it would be good for a beginner: smooth, tight, twisty, a few small hills, nothing too perilous. The loop is roughly four miles. There are three entry points, the easiest being the new parking lot on Gunston Road just to the east of Gunston elementary school.

[Lt. Dan]

Two other good trail networks for a beginner are Conway-Robinson in Manassas, and Meadowood just south of Lorton

[hozn]

@hozn 101882 wrote:

Quick get out there this weekend before the trails become too wet again! There are few wintertime above-freezing riding opportunities [that don’t degrade the trails]. (Riding frozen trails is fun too, though, certainly would rather be on a MTB than a road bike when it is 15° out.)

Well, I rode Lake Fairfax on Monday and it was surprisingly wet. It is probably safe to assume that for the next few months the friendly trails should be ridden in sub-freezing temps to avoid trail damage. Hopefully we will get a few spots of opportunity, but things take a long time to dry out in the winter time.

[GuyContinental]

@hozn 101882 wrote:

From what I hear Fountainhead is definitely not a beginner trail anymore. I haven’t ridden the redesigned trail, I am embarrassed to say (since I consider myself more a mountainbiker still … somehow), but it apparently has gotten even more serious than it was.

To clarify (since I may have been the source of this)- the BLACK loop at Fountainhead has definitely gotten quite a bit harder and technical, even in the last few months. Last year(?) they added 3 vertical ramp drops (3′) which are bypassable, now there are a few additional technical sections on the back side which are pretty advanced. The Blue loop and Green loop are still generally non-technical but there are some major climbs.

I’ll third Rosaryville if it’s close- very pretty trails with few technical features.

[jabberwocky]

Fountainhead got easier (at least the intro loops) but its still not a place I would take beginners, especially with Laurel Hill right down the road. A sufficiently exuberant beginner could probably manage there (and I’ve done some rides with relative newbies there who have enjoyed themselves) but LH would be a better choice for most people. If they find LH boring, take them to Fountainhead on the next trip.

[scorchedearth]

The Seneca Ridge Trail and Muddy Branch Trail in Maryland are also good quality, non-technical mountain bike trails. I’ve ridden both a few times.

[jabberwocky]

Yup, there are a ton of good trails up in the Germantown area. The whole MoCo epic group of trails (Schaeffer Farms, Hoyles Mill Connector, Seneca Ridge, Black Hill, Clopper Lake, Muddy Branch, Seneca Greenway and Little Bennett) are all good trails and I’d say most are beginner friendly enough too. Bit of a drive from Alexandria though. Fairland is also supposedly good, though I’ve never ridden there.

[Author]

Posts