Mountain Biking Nevada City | Best Single Track in California

When mountain biking Nevada City, you’ll find yourself saying “woohoo” every few minutes. Ride some of the best singletrack in California

We spend a lot of time mountain biking in Santa Cruz and around the peninsula, so we found ourselves wanting to try out some new trails. We had been hearing good things, so we decided to head out to Nevada City for the weekend. What we found was one of the best mountain biking towns in California.

Now we (Nicki and Yonas) go every few months; it’s that good.

Not only is Nevada City a great MTB city, but the town itself also has a ton of charm. After just a few days here, we started fantasizing about which area of town we would want to live in. If you’re looking for a great weekend trip, Nevada City has everything you could ask for – great mountain bike trails, a cozy downtown, good food, and some of the best ice cream in the state.

In this article, we’ll provide you with all the recommended routes in Nevada City to ride your mountain bike, the best mountain biking itinerary, and even where to stay and what to do in town.

Mountain Biking Nevada City

Nevada City seems to be an up-and-coming mountain bike destination. It’s not too overcrowded yet, but people come from all over California and Nevada to ride here. All for good reason. The main trails are well-manicured, in good shape, flowy, and always leave you wanting more.

If you are looking for a new place to ride in California, you will not be disappointed here. Nevada City’s mtb project is fantastic. You can also donate to keep up the trails, as we did.

Mountain Biking Nevada City Map

This is a day of riding the trails at Nevada City via Strava.

Can you Ride E-Bikes in Nevada City?

Yes! You can also conveniently rent them from the Tour of Nevada City Bicycle Shop Outpost, located below the Harmony Ridge Market. With your rental, you can immediately hop on the Pioneer Trail that starts directly at the foot of the bike shop’s doorstep.

We rented E-bikes from here one day just for fun and had a great experience. The service was excellent. They even charged up our bikes while we ate lunch at the market. I suggest booking in advance online to ensure you can pick up your desired bike at this location (there is also one located in town).

Nevada City Trails

The MTB trails in Nevada City are some of the best flow we’ve ever ridden. They are well-sculpted and taken care of. The trail gnomes obviously take a lot of pride in the creation of smooth and almost rhythmic trails. This magical red dirt seems to pack perfectly while still draining well, and has a way of creating some epic hero dirt.

Several of the trails are one-way only, with designated climbs, so you never have to worry about running into a rider as you full send down the hill.

Nevada City MTB Itinerary

It can be overwhelming to go riding in a new place for the first time when you don’t know what the trails are like or where they lead. That’s how we felt when we first came to this epic MTB city. So we created an itinerary with the most popular MTB routes around Nevada City to make the best out of your day.

The itinerary listed below will be approximately 25 miles of riding, but it will fly by. Of course, you can alter your plans as needed, but this will give you the right idea for how to get started.

1. Where to Park

Head north up Highway 20 from town about 5 miles until you reach the Five Mile House (on your right). Park in one of the small lots on either side of the road, along the Highway, or on the side road (Scotts Flat Road) nearby.

The Harmony Ridge Market has two small lots, one paved, one gravel. There is also a small fire station-looking building on the right side of Highway 20 with a small paved lot. We have parked in all three with zero issues.

2. Warm Up With a Hoot Loop

Behind the Harmony Ridge Market, you can find a small bike shop (Tour of Nevada City Bicycle Shop Outpost). This is where the Pioneer Trail begins. Follow the Pioneer Trail for a few minutes, occasionally veering to the left at various forks, which are sometimes labeled, sometimes not. If you’re unsure, ask a local on the trail.

Once you reach the start of the Hoot Trail, you’re in for a treat. Yes, it is a green trail, but it is FUN. Several optional jumps along the side of this very flowy trail will leave you wanting more laps.

Once you reach the bottom of the Hoot Trail, go left at the fire road. From there it’s a fairly easy climb out. Go up until you see the Harmony Trail. Take a sharp left at Harmony Trail, which will bring you right back up to the Harmony Ridge Market, near the porta-potties.

Pro note: Take the Harmony Trail and DO NOT continue up the fire road. It will spit you back out along Highway 20, and you’ll have to backtrack along the highway.

3. Grab a Snack at the Harmony Ridge Market

This market is super cute and feels old-timey. They have a shop and a deli section where you can get some homemade sandwiches. If you’re not hungry yet, just grab a drink and enjoy it on their patio, overlooking the forest.

4. Pioneer to the Good Stuff

Once you finish up your snack at the market, jump back on the Pioneer Trail once more. This time, don’t veer left for Hoot, but keep going straight for a bit. The trail will mostly be a wide fire road that runs parallel to the main highway.

Keep going until you see some cars parked on the other side of the road. This is where you cross over. You’ll see lots of adventure cars parked in the small dirt lot, as it’s the starting point for lots of fun, flowy singletrack.

Alternate route to the good stuff: Cross Highway 20 from the Harmony Ridge Market, and take the Hamburger Trail. Hamburger will also bring you directly to the start of these trails.

5. Flowy Singletrack laps

There are several trails that start in this area: (Parliament Trail Work Parking) Talon Show, Shimmer, Peregrin Falcon, Scotts Flat, and Hobgoblin. All of these trails end and converge at the same exact spot, where everyone will take the same climb back up to the top (Unkindness Trail).

At this bottom section where the trails meet, you can find some benches for eating sandwiches or viewing the big jumpers finishing up Peregrin Falcon. On weekends, this area usually gets pretty full. On a weekday, you might find yourself all alone.

You can find more detailed descriptions of the trails up above.

Talon Show

We suggest starting this area with Talon Show. It’s long and flowy with lots of good jumps and drops. An all-around good time. This will give you a good taste of what’s to come.

When you reach the bottom, you can take a break or head back up the 21 switchbacks along Unkindness until you reach the top again.

Shimmer

Once you get back to the top, follow the signs to the start of Shimmer. Shimmer is another fun and flowy trail with lots of jumps and drops. Several people told us this was their favorite trail in the area. The last portion of this trail will converge with Peregrin Falcon, and you’ll have a chance to show off on a few big jumps.

Once again, you’ll reach the bottom section where you can take a break or head back up Unkindness to do another trail.

Peregrin Falcon

Peregrin Falcon is a big jumping trail for those very confident in their skills. To reach the start of this trail you need to first follow Nuthatch, and you’ll eventually see the sign pulling you off.

Every jump along Peregrin Falcon has an alternate route, so it’s technically possible for every level, but may not be as fun for those not wanting to hit the big guys. The trail ends with a few massive jumps and a small loop that circles you back to Unkindness.

Hobgoblin

To reach the area’s newest trail, you just need to follow Nuthatch Trail for a few minutes until you see about 3 rock jumps along a trail going left. Once you get going, it becomes obvious that it is new. The trail is a little looser than the others, but still offers maximum fun.

6. Finish up with Scotts Flat

Once you take Unkindness back up its 21 switchbacks, head in the same direction as you went for Shimmer and Hobgoblin along Nuthatch. Nuthatch is a fun connector trail in its own right, with some fun jumps and flow. Nuthatch Trail will eventually turn into Scotts Flat.

Scotts Flat is a longer, flowy trail with a ton of great features along the way.

You can follow Scotts Flat all the way down to the paved highway. From here, you have a choice to bike the nearly 3 miles back along paved road to your car, or turn around and climb out the same way you just descended.

We have made the foolish decision to ride along the pavement once before, thinking it might be faster, but we’re not convinced it was.

It’s a more enjoyable decision to ride back up Scotts Flat, Nuthatch, cross over the road, and follow Pioneer back to your car. If you have an E-bike, the Scotts Flat Trail is incredibly fun to climb.

If you want to take a well-deserved dip in the water, you can also ride all the way down to the reservoir and jump in before heading back up!

7. Get Yourself a Well-Deserved Beer

Head back to your car and go grab a drink at the Old 5 Mile House. They have great appetizers (we recommend the crab-stuffed jalapeño poppers) and delicious beer options. They even have live music on the weekend evenings. If it’s nice weather, have a seat in the backyard and let the sun shine down.

It was no problem to leave our bikes in the backyard of the Old 5 Mile House, so we didn’t have to stress about leaving them on the back of the car without our eyes on them.

How to Find the MTB Trails in Nevada City

It is super easy to find the best mountain biking trails in Nevada City. From downtown, simply take Highway 49 (which turns into Highway 20) exactly five miles north. As soon as you see the Harmony Ridge Market to the left and the Five Mile House to the right, you’ll know you made it.

Where to Park for Mountain Biking Nevada City

Take Highway 20 north from Nevada City for 5 miles.

On the left side of the road, you’ll see the Harmony Ridge Market, which has a few places to park in its lot (there is a paved lot on the left and a dirt lot on the right of the building). On the right side of the highway, you’ll see a small building that looks like a tiny fire station, which also has a few places to park.

If those lots are full, you can park along the side of the road. Several other cars do it, so it will be obvious where to go.

Parking in this area will get you close to the start of the Pioneer Trail and the Hoot Trail. If you want to skip the Hoot Trail loop, just head up the road a few minutes, and you’ll find a few more parking spots on the right side of the road near the start of the Talon Show and Shimmer trails (plus a few more).

Are There Bathrooms at the MTB Trails in Nevada City?

Of course, there are always the sneaky nature-pee possibilities all around you. But if you’re looking for something more substantial, the best place to pee is in one of the two porta-potties next to the Harmony Ridge Market. They are clean, as far as porta-potties go, and well-stocked with toilet paper.

If you want something even more substantial than that, you can go across the street to the Old Five Mile House and use their bathroom, located in the back corner of the restaurant, next to the patio entrance.

What is the best type of bike to ride in Nevada City?

The best type of bike to ride is the one you have. We have ridden our enduro bikes (Propaine and GT sensor) that provide a lot of comfort with their grippy tires and sturdy frame for the bigger jumps and trails.

We have also ridden our Transition Spurs, which are great for the climb up Unkindness and still allow us to maneuver down the trails comfortably.

We have also rented E-bikes that make the climb up Scotts Flat and Unkindness a lot faster and a lot more fun. Regardless of the bike you choose to ride, you’ll have a great time on the Nevada City biking trails.

Can I ride a mountain bike in the city?

Yes, you can ride a mountain bike in Nevada City downtown. The town itself is not that big, so you can easily walk or bike around.

We don’t recommend riding your bike from the center of downtown up to the start of the trails. Yes, it’s only 5 miles, but it’s a steep 5 miles along a highway. You’ll be exhausted before you even get to the good stuff.

Things to Do in Nevada City

If you want to do more than just mountain biking Nevada City, check out all the other fun activities to enjoy yourself.

Listen to live music

Even though Nevada City is small, its availability of live music is mighty. You can find live music nearly every day in Nevada City.

You can catch live music nearly every day at the Old 5 Mile House, up near the trails. Downtown, you can find live music in several of the bars and restaurants. One of our favorite places to listen to live music is at The National Exchange Hotel on the main street downtown.

On Thursday evenings at Lola Dining (the restaurant inside The National Exchange Hotel), you can find live Celtic Music, which is spectacular.

To find out about live music events around town, you can stop into any of the smaller shops with bulletin boards advertising local goings-on. We found a lot of info on the bulletin board at Treats.

Relax at the Reservoir

Scotts Flat Reservoir is a wonderful place to spend the day. You can bring your own SUPs or kayaks, or you can rent them from a small tent there. There are also a few small snack shops if you get hungry.

It costs $20 to enter, so be prepared to pay a fee at the front gate. We recommend going early, packing a lunch, and taking advantage of the slow pace at the lake.

Go shopping

Downtown Nevada City has a ton of great little shops, boutiques, and antique shops. You can find really unique items for affordable prices. I was actually surprised at how affordable the clothing was at the boutiques, compared to boutique prices around the Bay Area.

Yonas got a great adventure hat at The Hat Store, and Nicki got a number of items from Abstrakt.

Jump in the Crystal Clear Waterholes

Our absolute favorite thing to do in Nevada City, after mountain biking, is to go swimming at the South Yuba River. It’s located about 25-30 minutes west of Nevada City. Put “South Yuba River State Park” into your GPS to bring you right to the parking lot.

If you have the California Poppy Pass, parking is free. Otherwise, it’s $10 to park in one of the two lots, or free along the road. You can also check out some points of interest while you’re there, like the longest covered bridge in the world and the Bridgepoint Historic District.

There are places to swim along the river on both sides of Pleasant Valley Road. The side with the covered bridge (west side) has shallower water and more flat ground. Our favorite spot is on the east side. It’s about a 5-minute hike from the parking lot, and then you have to walk over some big rocks.

Once you find your spot for the day, you’ll be in heaven with the crystal-clear watering holes.

Take a hike

There are places to hike all over Nevada City. There are some trails around the South Yuba River State Park, near the MTB trails, and all along the river. Here is a list of the Top 10 Hiking Trails of Nevada City.

If you want an easy hike just outside of the city center, we recommend the Hirschman Pond Trail. The trail itself is fairly flat and easy, but there is a nice payoff at the end with a large, beautiful pond at the end.

Where to Eat in Nevada City

Nevada City is not a big city, but it is mighty in terms of food options. We always eat well here and have fun trying out new places.

For Coffee: Communal Cafe

They are located in the heart of downtown. The space is large and clean, with great big windows. You can get breakfast here as well.

For Breakfast: Deer Creek Bar & Grill

They have the best location, ambiance, and delicious meals. We have been several times to sit on the outdoor patio with views of the river.

For Lunch and Dinner: Fred’s and Lola Dining

There are a ton of options for lunch and dinner, but listed below are our two favorites.

Fred’s

This is a no-nonsense Chinese restaurant with big portions and good food. You can eat in the restaurant itself, but you can also order from the bar next door (Mine Shaft) if you want to watch a game and have Chinese food at the same time. We can attest that this is a great option.

Lola Dining

This restaurant is located inside the National Exchange Hotel. Everything we tried here has been delicious and rich. The ambiance is also very nice. They have Celtic night on Thursday evenings, so you can hear beautiful music playing in the background.

For Dessert: Treats

This is the best ice cream shop in the city, if not the state. They make a lot of their flavors in-house, and all the options are delicious. They’re open late, but you can also get a pint to take home.

Where to Stay in Nevada City

There are quite a few options for places to stay in and around Nevada City. We often choose Airbnbs as you can find some good deals in the forested areas outside of the city. But if you’re looking to stay inside the city so you can easily walk everywhere, there are also great options.

The National Exchange Hotel

This historic, Victorian-style hotel is absolutely stunning. It sits right in the center of town, within walking distance of all shops and restaurants.

Broad Street Inn

This is a Victorian-style home from the 1870’s turned guesthouse. There are only 6 rooms, so it offers a cozy environment, with a backyard fire pit and a porch swing. It is within walking distance of everything downtown.

The Outside Inn

This is a nature-themed motel just a few minutes’ walk from downtown. It is cute and quaint and has everything you need.

Final Thoughts on Mountain Biking Nevada City

We came to Nevada City on a whim, fell in love, and came back several times. Each time, the mountain bike riding is just as good as we remembered it to be. Not only that, but we get to discover more of what Nevada City has to offer every time. We hope you’ll love riding here as much as we do.

Enjoy your mountain biking Nevada City adventure!