If you know of a significant bike ride, please describe it here.

= Organized Rides = The Great Cur Run. Assemble at 9 a.m. Nov. 2, 1/2 block south of the dog pound. At 9:15, all the dogs will be let loose and you should pedal furiously to the Chico museum, where you may seek refuge.

Road Rides

Mountain Biking

Mountain Bike Events

The Bidwell Bump™ mountain bike race is held in Upper Bidwell Park using these major trails as the basis for the various class race courses for both the cross county ("XC") and Super D ("SD") events. The Pro & Expert Class XC event is a 12+ mile race, the Sport Class course coming in at 9+ miles, and a Beginner Course at just over 4 miles. The Super Downhill ("Super D") course starts at Green Gate and descends ~3 miles down the south side of the canyon in Upper Bidwell Park.

The event has quickly gained notoriety given the technical trails that make up the Pro/Expert course and has seen substantial growth year over year.

Upper Bidwell Park Trail Network

Upper Bidwell Park offers many trails that are open to bicyclists. There are a number of major and minor trails suitable for mountain bike riders ranging from beginner to advanced. The major trails along the north side of Upper Park include; North Rim Trail, Upper Trail, Middle Trail, and Lower Trail with two trails specifically rated as most difficult; B Trail and Live Oak Trail.

The B Trail, was developed just for experienced mountain bikers by mountain biking enthusiasts. It begins towards the eastern end of the North Rim Trail (before it makes a hard left) high above Big Chico Creek and winds its way down to the end of Middle Trail near the roadway west of Brown's Hole. It has many switchbacks and is quite steep in some areas. Beware that hikers will sometimes be on this trail.

For those seeking more comfortable trail riding, one should simply take Upper Park Road which turns into an unpaved road after the parking lot located at Horse Shoe Lake. The trail ride will take you by the local swim holes (Alligator Hole, Day Camp, Bear Hole, Diversion Dam, Salmon Hole, and Browns Hole) as well as local landmarks like Devils Kitchen.

Major trails along the south side of the park (located across Big Chico Creek running through the center of the park) include; Yahi Trail, Annie Bidwell Trail, Pine and Guardians Trail. The south side of the park also has it's share of advanced trails, most notably Bloody Pin and what is informally referred to by local riders as South Rim, both recommended for the advanced to expert riders.

As with South Rim , there is an all downhill ride starting at the top of the south canyon rim of Upper Bidwell Park called simply Green Gate. The name comes from green gate entrance along Highway 32, which runs along the south rim of the park, where riders start this intermediate downhill ride.

Chico has a thriving cycling community from road to mountain. Starting in Spring of 2010, the Rock Rim MTB Club is scheduled to be officially launched by a group of regular MTB riders here in Chico, CA. The club will be scheduling weekly rides and for those who have been part of this growing group of riders, there's the Friday evening ride (@6:30PM) known as the 'Tall Boy Ride' that meets in upper park. Riders spend 15-20 minutes socializing and then breakout into group rides of their own - great way to bring folks together who share the passion of XC and free ride mountain biking.

Maps

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