Scott's Family and Mountain Bike Ride Recommendations...
Bike Rides
This guidebook has some nice family rides and a few but not all of Scott’s favorite mountain bike rides.
Flat Rides-
So if you go directly west of my neighborhood, there are several short dirt paths that lead you to the Coastal Trail. Coastal Trails runs parallel to the ocean between the harbor to the north and ends about 10 miles south, past the Ritz Carlton.
Between here and the harbor, its a paved bike path. You can ride to the harbor. There are two breweries there, one (Hop Dogma) the beer is really good but no food. Its in the mall behind the Océano Hotel. The other one is HMB Brewery, the beer is just ok, food is decent. I like the Protuguesse Fisherman’s Stew. Best fish place is Ketch Joanne’s, food is real good and all the fisherman/locals eat there. Stay away from Barbara’s. Also, a fun thing to do is to go buy fish straight from the boats. Look at the Harbor Master’s dry erase board and they have a list of what boats are selling what. All the fish is good from the boats, regardless of how sketch the fisherman seem. You need cash though. You can either have the fisherman clean the fish or Princeton Seafood co can hook you up. Feel free to use BBQ here at the house. Pillar Point/Mavericks is a necessary check out also. Make your way through the harbor to the base of the Golf Ball Satellite. Left side there is a parking lot and then trail along the water that takes you out to Mavericks.... 🌊
Riding south from the house on the coastal trail might be a fun out and back family ride. 5 miles south it turns to dirt, mostly flat until you get the golf course and Ritz. Coastal trail continues on all that and west of the hotel, good views and you can stop for expensive libations at the hotel or not. Once you get to the end of the golf course, go around the green fence and the trail continues onto the Cal-Purísima trail system https://openspacetrust.org/hike/cowell-purisima-trail/ Super scenic and some nice beach stop offs.
Steep Rides-
From the house you can ride north on the Coastal Trail and then across the highway into El Granada (EG), east of the skate ramp. Make your way to Quary Park https://parks.smcgov.org/sites/parks.smcgov.org/files/Quarry_Mirada_v070814.pdf There are bunch of DH trails in the park. You can root around in the park and Im sure you’ll find some.. For a proper ride, ride Gods Trail, head all the way to the top on the SOut Ridge Trail past where the map says Private Residence, its all good they don’t care. Ride their driveway north until it starts to drop to the left and then there is a home grown trail that links up to gated paved road EG Blvd., it climbs steep and exposed towards Montara Mountain. God’s Trail starts off to the left once you get to the top. Not much for internet resources for Gods but heres a link... https://www.trailforks.com/trails/el-granada-god-s-trail/
Purísima Creek Trail is an awesome redwood trail riding destination and close to town https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/map_PCR.pdf I usually drive to where Purísima Creek and Higgins Canyon Roads come together and then start my ride at that trail head. Its about 10 miles south of town and then you turn left on Purísima Creek/Verde Road for about 5 miles. Your best bet is to climb up Purissima Creek Trail to Skyline Blvd, grunt of a climb but scenic through the redwoods, then turn left on Skyline and ride about 2.5 mile and the turn left at the trailhead and drop Whitemore Gulch back to the car or road back to HMB. There are some variations you can do to add more distance/dirt, some short poaches on the east side of Skyline instead of riding the road. You can also out and back Harkins Ridge trail before dropping Whitemore. It takes you to a nice vista point where you can see all the way back into HMB and Pillar Point on a clear day.
Skeggs Point has the best XC trails around and is link up able with Purissima Creek for an epic.. https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/map_ECDM.pdf Unfortunately Skeggs is not accessible from the west and you have to go south on Skyline to get there.
Montara Mountain- North of my place and totally rideable from the house. It has a lot on gnar pirate trails (crack, mile and cave trail off the top) and then super tame trails, not a whole lot between, worth exploring all, big climb up to the top also.
280 locals recommend
Half Moon Bay
Flat Rides-
So if you go directly west of my neighborhood, there are several short dirt paths that lead you to the Coastal Trail. Coastal Trails runs parallel to the ocean between the harbor to the north and ends about 10 miles south, past the Ritz Carlton.
Between here and the harbor, its a paved bike path. You can ride to the harbor. There are two breweries there, one (Hop Dogma) the beer is really good but no food. Its in the mall behind the Océano Hotel. The other one is HMB Brewery, the beer is just ok, food is decent. I like the Protuguesse Fisherman’s Stew. Best fish place is Ketch Joanne’s, food is real good and all the fisherman/locals eat there. Stay away from Barbara’s. Also, a fun thing to do is to go buy fish straight from the boats. Look at the Harbor Master’s dry erase board and they have a list of what boats are selling what. All the fish is good from the boats, regardless of how sketch the fisherman seem. You need cash though. You can either have the fisherman clean the fish or Princeton Seafood co can hook you up. Feel free to use BBQ here at the house. Pillar Point/Mavericks is a necessary check out also. Make your way through the harbor to the base of the Golf Ball Satellite. Left side there is a parking lot and then trail along the water that takes you out to Mavericks.... 🌊
Riding south from the house on the coastal trail might be a fun out and back family ride. 5 miles south it turns to dirt, mostly flat until you get the golf course and Ritz. Coastal trail continues on all that and west of the hotel, good views and you can stop for expensive libations at the hotel or not. Once you get to the end of the golf course, go around the green fence and the trail continues onto the Cal-Purísima trail system https://openspacetrust.org/hike/cowell-purisima-trail/ Super scenic and some nice beach stop offs.
Steep Rides-
From the house you can ride north on the Coastal Trail and then across the highway into El Granada (EG), east of the skate ramp. Make your way to Quary Park https://parks.smcgov.org/sites/parks.smcgov.org/files/Quarry_Mirada_v070814.pdf There are bunch of DH trails in the park. You can root around in the park and Im sure you’ll find some.. For a proper ride, ride Gods Trail, head all the way to the top on the SOut Ridge Trail past where the map says Private Residence, its all good they don’t care. Ride their driveway north until it starts to drop to the left and then there is a home grown trail that links up to gated paved road EG Blvd., it climbs steep and exposed towards Montara Mountain. God’s Trail starts off to the left once you get to the top. Not much for internet resources for Gods but heres a link... https://www.trailforks.com/trails/el-granada-god-s-trail/
Purísima Creek Trail is an awesome redwood trail riding destination and close to town https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/map_PCR.pdf I usually drive to where Purísima Creek and Higgins Canyon Roads come together and then start my ride at that trail head. Its about 10 miles south of town and then you turn left on Purísima Creek/Verde Road for about 5 miles. Your best bet is to climb up Purissima Creek Trail to Skyline Blvd, grunt of a climb but scenic through the redwoods, then turn left on Skyline and ride about 2.5 mile and the turn left at the trailhead and drop Whitemore Gulch back to the car or road back to HMB. There are some variations you can do to add more distance/dirt, some short poaches on the east side of Skyline instead of riding the road. You can also out and back Harkins Ridge trail before dropping Whitemore. It takes you to a nice vista point where you can see all the way back into HMB and Pillar Point on a clear day.
Skeggs Point has the best XC trails around and is link up able with Purissima Creek for an epic.. https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/map_ECDM.pdf Unfortunately Skeggs is not accessible from the west and you have to go south on Skyline to get there.
Montara Mountain- North of my place and totally rideable from the house. It has a lot on gnar pirate trails (crack, mile and cave trail off the top) and then super tame trails, not a whole lot between, worth exploring all, big climb up to the top also.