North America's Best Mountain Bike Destinations

SingleTracks.com has this interesting blog post giving its take on the best mountain bike destinations in North America. Since many of us naturally think Moab has the best trails in the world, perhaps even in the universe, I was interested to read about their criteria and see their list. Below are excerpts.

Choosing the top 10 mountain bike destinations in North America was no easy feat. To start with, we decided that this was to be a list of true destinations: not residential areas with good mountain bike trail access, but rather destinations that you could plan your entire year’s worth of vacation time around.

Narrowing the list down to just 10 places was a very difficult, controversial process. There was quite a bit of disagreement, even internally, about which towns should make the list, and which ones weren’t deserving.

So, here is their list. They don't say if order is important.

• Whistler, British Columbia

• Moab, Utah - "In addition to all the great riding, Moab is also home to two national parks, a signature state park, and more open BLM land than you could ever explore in a lifetime. Wrap all this up with plentiful lodging, affordable eats, several microbreweries, excellent bike shops, and plenty of camping options, and you’ve got yourself a bona fide mountain biking destination!"

• Park City, Utah - "Epic length tours like Mid-Mountain and the Wasatch Crest are easily accessible and, if you need one, so are guides. Inexpensive condo rentals and great benefits like free concerts and local beer make Park City an excellent choice for your next mountain bike vacation."

• Crested Butte, Colorado

• Downieville, California

• Fruita, Colorado

• Santa Fe, New Mexico

• Brevard, North Carolina

• Banff, Alberta

• Sedona, Arizona

Best Mountain Bike Cities

The same blog has this post listing the best cities, large metropolitan areas, for mountain biking. Here's that list:

The Top 10 Mountain Bike Cities in North America

• Los Angeles, California

• Boston, Massachusetts

• Vancouver, British Columbia

• San Jose, California

• Salt Lake City, Utah

• Albuquerque, New Mexico

• Colorado Springs, Colorado

• Augusta, Georgia / South Carolina

• Chattanooga, Tennessee

- Dave Webb