The best bike trails in the U.S.

Hit Highway One on two wheels to take in the best views of California’s Pacific coastline. Best fit for advanced and serious riders—including professionals—map out a route between Carmel and Cambria that suits your skill level and sightseeing goals—Ragged Point and Hearst Castle are prime water-break spots—and cruise along the cliffside road, with the surf crashing below. Beginners be warned: You’ll be cozied up to car traffic on a few narrow shoulders.  

If you're into the great outdoors, then you'll already know that Utah's undeniable contribution to All Things America is its stunning and sprawling networks of caves, rock formations, rivers and trails. Like all of the entries on this list, however, not every footpath in a national park is for biking on, so be sure to check before your bike tires hit the trail. Many of the trails are best suited for intermediate to experienced riders. Incidentally, Bluejohn Canyon is where Aron Ralston became trapped and was the subject of the movie 127 Hours, so you know, be sure to pack a penknife. 

A fear of heights won't fly on this trail perched 1,600ft above the blue waters of Lake Tahoe, but the incredible views are worth the jitters. Considered moderately difficult to expert level, riders set off from Spooner Lake State Park and break a sweat climbing the smooth canyon road up to Marlette Lake. The Flume Trail is the reward at the top: 4.5 miles of singletrack, providing breathtaking views of Sand Harbor and mountains.

Spanning 150 miles from Cumberland, Maryland to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Great Allegheny Passage is a bucket list ride for many avid cyclists. It's also a smooth and relatively easy ride, considered suited for all levels, including novice cyclists. This trail—which crosses both the Mason-Dixon Line and the Esstern Continental Divide—passes flowing rivers,  waterfalls, gorges, farmland, and a myriad of charming trail towns that offer welcoming places to stop and take a rest.  

Skip the tram ride and embark on your own journey through Everglades National Park on two wheels. The well-kept, paved trail is suited for all levels and covers a 15-mile loop through the Shark Valley section of the park, where you're sure to experience up-close encounters with gators, wading birds, turtles and other wildlife. A 45-foot-high observation deck marks the halfway point, where riders can take a break to enjoy the quiet beauty of the wetlands and grassy prairies.

Explore the stunning desert scenery, starting with an uphill pedal along Slim Shady Trail. The narrow, expert-level exposed Hilline Trail runs 3.1 miles from the top of the mesa along the edge of the red rocks, giving technical riders plenty of chances to ogle at incredible majestic buttes and monoliths. Be prepared for slickrock portions and some sharply descending chutes before capping the ride at Baldwin Loop.

A lung-burning, five-mile climb up to Schofield Pass can be a rough welcome for novice riders, but once you’ve trekked through dense trees to the trail's high point (at a whopping 11,35ft), the singletrack opens up, revealing killer 360-degree views of the rugged Elk Mountains. Best for intermediate to expert cyclists, the 13.6-mile route’s fast alpine descent through fields of wildflowers will have cyclists feeling serious Sound of Music vibes.

Experienced mountain bikers who crave rollercoaster-like descents are drawn to this unique flow trail west of Adam’s Gulch. The route is loaded with jumps, dips and berms to keep riders in constant movement down the 1.3-mile course. Brakes and pedals hardly need to be used as bikers run laps on the wild ride, adding to the feeling that they're moving on adrenaline alone. 

Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula is a magnet for active travelers and a real hidden gem for avid mountain bikers. Thirty miles of twisty singletrack trails outfitted with cedar-planked bridges and boardwalks let intermediate riders zip through white pine woods and climb up to 1,300ft in elevation, where they’re rewarded with views of Lake Superior stretching to the horizon. Most of the trails are considered intermediate territory. 

Mountain bikers with a need for speed can shoot through laurel thickets on this steep route starting on the Laurel Mountain trail. Get your heart pumping climbing up Black Mountain and then follow a connector to the Pilot Cove trail. The expert-level Pilot Rock descent sends brave riders flying down 1,600 feet of rocky and remote terrain, with glimpses of Bradley Creek along the way.

This 32-mile route through Glacier National Park is a bucket-list item for serious cyclists, unmatched for its Tour de France-caliber climbs and natural beauty. From spring through early fall, riders climb almost 3,30ft from the Apgar Visitor Center to Logan Pass, whizzing past the cascading Weeping Wall waterfall, pristine Lake McDonald and snow-capped Heaven's Peak along the way.

Beautiful deep forest, moss and ferns give riders a serious dose of greenery along this woodsy route in the Cascade Mountains. Spend the day tackling the 25.4-mile, mostly downhill trail and traversing log bridges along the chilly McKenzie River. Suited for intermediate levels, the trail system lets riders choose their own adventure and feel the mist coming off of Sahalie Falls.

If the midwest brings flat farmland to mind, this beloved trail system in the Badlands of North Dakota will certainly surprise you. Considered fit for intermediate to experienced riders, you can reach an elevation of 2,700 feet on the namesake route that runs 97 miles across high ridges, steep buttes and rolling prairies. Keep an eye out for antelope, prairie dogs and coyotes on the trail that takes you across the Little Missouri River and up to Devil’s Pass, where a stellar 360-degree lookout awaits.    

Looking to witness the beauty of the PNW by bike? The Olympic Discovery Trail won't disappoint. Running from the seaside towns of Port Townsend to La Push, this 130-mile trail takes you through farmland, charming villages, and shoreline as you take in the snowcapped Olympic Mountains in the distance. 

This 4.3-mile, expert-level dusty canyon trail is the stuff of Jeep commercials, with rust-colored canyons and blue sky as the stunning backdrop for advanced bikers. Captain Ahab branches off from the popular Amasa Back trail, challenging its contenders with technical slickrock portions and big climbs along the Colorado River that open up into flowing, flatter sections.

A top-notch bike trail is a welcome perk in most towns, but this one is truly the hub of its community in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Generally considered an easy trial, it runs  nearly 20 miles along the Reedy River on an old railroad bed, the paved Swamp Rabbit Trail brought the once-sleepy area to life and continues to draw cyclists of all ages and skill levels to the stretch between Greenville and Travelers Rest.

Cyclists looking to tackle a low-key course will dig this rambling rail-trail connecting Abingdon and Damascus. The 34-mile stretch is suited for all experience levels supposedly named for the way trains once crept up Whitetop Mountain because of its 3,600-foot elevation, but visitors can shuttle their bikes to the top and roll down the slope for a pleasant 17-mile leg past old railroad trestles and through serene wooded sections.

Get introduced to all types of terrain on the Darling Hill Loop in the woodsy hills of Vermont. It will cost you $15 a head to access the private land, but the more than 150 miles of trails are open to kids, beginners and seasoned riders. Routes wind beneath the canopy of tall trees, across ladder bridges, and up a grassy incline to picturesque Heaven's Bench.