Where to ride
How to find trails worth riding
By Ryan - lifelong rider · Updated 2026-07-16
A great bike with nowhere to ride is exercise equipment. The good news: there has never been a better time to find trails - nearly every legal trail on earth is mapped, rated, and reviewed in an app. Here’s which apps are actually worth your phone storage, and how to go from “app installed” to “best first ride of your life.”
The apps that matter
Trailforks - the MTB standard
Built by Pinkbike, maintained by local riders and trail associations. The most complete mountain-bike-specific map there is: difficulty ratings, trail direction, recent condition reports, photos, and elevation profiles. The free tier covers one region; Pro (~$36/yr) unlocks global maps and offline downloads. If you install one app, install this one.
MTB Project - the free curated one
REI-backed and fully free, with hand-written route descriptions and honest difficulty ratings. Less complete than Trailforks but better at answering “which loop should I actually ride here?” Great offline maps at zero cost.
Strava - where people actually ride
Not a trail map - a heatmap of real rides. Glowing-hot lines mean locals ride it constantly, which is the strongest recommendation a trail can get. Also the de-facto social layer of the sport; following local riders surfaces routes no app lists.
onX Backcountry - for going remote
Where Trailforks coverage thins out - big backcountry routes, land-ownership boundaries, motorized-access rules - onX shines. Overkill for trail-system laps; excellent for adventure rides. (AllTrails, for what it’s worth, is hiking-first: fine for “is this a trail?”, unreliable for “is this legal and fun on a bike?”)
Reading difficulty ratings honestly
- Green circle - smooth, wide, gentle. Where every first ride should happen.
- Blue square - moderate grades, some rocks and roots, occasional optional features. Most riding lives here.
- Black diamond - steep, technical, committing. Consequences for mistakes.
- Double black / pro line - mandatory features, expert only.
The catch nobody tells you: ratings are local. A blue in Whistler or Moab can ride like a black at your hometown system. First ride in any new area: drop one level below where you think you belong. You can always step up on lap two.
From zero to your first great ride
- Find your nearest trail system in Trailforks or MTB Project - purpose-built systems (stacked-loop networks with a trailhead and parking) are far more beginner-friendly than backcountry point-to-points.
- Pick a green/easy-blue loop under 10 miles and under ~1,000 ft of climbing, and check the trail direction - many systems are directional.
- Check recent reports. Trailforks condition reports tell you about mud, blowdown, or a rutted-out line before you drive an hour to find it.
- Download offline maps. Trail networks and cell coverage are natural enemies.
- Ride it twice. Lap one to learn it, lap two to enjoy it. Then step up one trail at a time - green to blue to black is a progression measured in months, not rides.
Finding the riding community
Apps find trails; people find the good trails. Local shop group rides, trail-association dig days, and regional Facebook groups are where you learn which black is friendly and which blue bites. Showing up to one dig day makes you a local everywhere it counts.
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Common questions
What is the best app for finding mountain bike trails?
Trailforks is the most complete for mountain biking specifically - rider-built maps, difficulty ratings, condition reports, and offline maps. MTB Project is a strong free alternative with curated route descriptions. Strava’s heatmap shows where people actually ride, which is great for finding what locals love.
How do mountain bike trail difficulty ratings work?
Most systems follow the ski-style scale: green circle (easy, smooth, gentle grades), blue square (intermediate - moderate grades, some rocks and roots), black diamond (steep, technical, committing), and double black (expert only). Ratings are relative to the local area - a blue in a big mountain destination can ride like a black elsewhere, so start one level below where you think you belong.
How should a beginner pick their first mountain bike trail?
Pick a green or easy blue loop under 10 miles with under 1,000 feet of climbing, ideally at a purpose-built trail system rather than a backcountry route. Check recent condition reports, ride it in the recommended direction, and remember ratings are local - the first ride in a new area should always be a step down.
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