Whether you are looking for a nice easy bike ride, a heart pumping mountain bike trail, or a challenging bike race, Calaveras offers diverse trails and some of the best racing events. Combined with mild temperatures, lush green countryside, and wildflowers bursting with color, Calaveras in the springtime is a great time to ride. Everything you need to ride is right here in Calaveras. Read on for scenic racing events, leisurely routes, breathtaking mountain bike trails, and the right folks to talk to about biking in Calaveras.
Get Riding – Bike Rentals & Gear
- Bear Valley Adventure Company – Bear Valley, CA
- Bear Valley Bicycles – Arnold, CA
- Mountain Aloha MTB Co. – Avery, CA
- Mountain Pedaler – Angels Camp, CA
Calaveras Cycling Events – February
February 25, 2024 – Copper Valley Circuit Race
The Copperopolis Road Race is a Velo Promo bicycle race. The circuit is just under 21 miles long, begins in Milton at its westernmost point, and winds around Salt Springs Valley Reservoir near Copperopolis on its easternmost point.
This California classic is known as the Paris-Roubaix of California. Depending on your category, the race is 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 circuits. The scenery is gorgeous, but the roads are rough. Be sure to have everything tightened on your bike, and you’ll want thick tires.
March 17, 2024 – Ride & Walk 4 Art
The Calaveras Art Council’s annual Ride & Walk4 Art event is a bicycle ride and walk event at New Hogan Lake near Valley Springs, CA that raises funds for Calaveras youth. Tickets include event participation, music, art show, and food.
March in lower Calaveras County is lush, green and beautiful! Get in on the action in a warm, laid back atmosphere when you join us for Calaveras County Arts Council’s 8th annual Ride & Walk4 Art, a bicycle ride and walk to raise funds for the Arts in Education program. While Ride and Walk4 Art is not a race; it is known among past participants as the best local bike and walk event. In the last two years this great event has enriched Calaveras youth through revenue for watercolor classes, collage instruction, ceramic classes, and school murals.
Accepting no more than 290 participants—250 cyclists and 40 walkers (making this an intimate ride with a community vibe) you’ll traverse rolling California foothills along roads that rarely see cars, past scenic views of oak forests and pastoral meadows and the blue waters of three reservoirs.
Getting out in the sunshine to enjoy a sensational lunch, fresh air, and the friendly community atmosphere you’ll be helping the children of Calaveras County simply by having fun. Now that sounds like a great way to spend a day in Calaveras County! View Ride and Walk4 Art ticket pricing, sign-up or learn more here.
March 30, 2024 – Copperopolis Road Race
The Copperopolis Road Race is a Velo Promo bicycle race with a circuit just under 21 miles long in the rolling hills that are the Calaveras and San Joaquin county lines. Beginning in Milton at its westernmost point, the course winds around Salt Springs Valley Reservoir near Copperopolis on its easternmost point. This California classic is known as the Paris-Roubaix of California. Depending on your category, the race is 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 circuits. The scenery is gorgeous, but the roads are rough. Be sure to have everything tightened on your bike, and you’ll want thick tires. The circuit starts in Milton, and you can register for the race online at BikeReg.com, or on race day for an extra fee if your event is not filled.
Calaveras Cycling Events – April
April 6, 2024 – Party Pardee 2024 Bike Ride
Ride and 25 or 65 mile route through the rolling green foothills near the Gold Rush towns of Ione and Valley Springs. Enjoy beautiful vistas and golden fields of poppies near Lakes Pardee, New Hogan, and Comanche. This party has three will-stocked rest stops, a catered lunch, and dancing to live music at the finish lines. Check in on Saturday from 7:00 am to 9:30 am. The 100K course starts at 7:30 until 9:30, and the 50K course starts from 8:30 to 9:30. Registration is open January 1st to March 1st or when they get 1500 registered riders.
Calaveras Cycling Events – May
May 4, 2024 – Mr. Frog’s Wild Ride
Mr. Frog’s Wild Ride has three routes to challenge and enchant bicycle riders. The shortest, the San Domingo Road route is only 21 miles, but you’ll bicycle through some of the best of rural Calaveras County and the California foothills.
After a short ride through the sweet neighborhoods of Murphys, you’ll bicycle out Sheep Ranch Road. Just downhill from Mercer Caverns, you’ll make a left turn to catch San Domingo Road. San Domingo Road comprises gravel, dirt, and old funky paving, making this an exciting ride for adventurous cyclists on mountain bikes or road bikes, and even e-bikes.
The narrow, rarely traveled back road descends through gorgeous territory. You’ll cycle through the historic Stevenot Vineyards (now the Rorick Heritage Vineyards) tucked into San Domingo Valley, but soon the road becomes more wild. You’ll pass under ancient oak forests and over untouched rangeland. Occasionally you’ll see the remnants of houses and barns, but mostly it will be just you, other cyclists, and a few wild turkeys or squirrels. Be aware that cell phone service is spotty along Calaveras County’s back country roads.
Recharge with water and snacks at the quick stop on the corner of San Domingo Road and Dogtown Road before you start climbing out of the San Domingo Creek valley. The ascent is worth it as you crest the ridge and vistas open up to the west. Take some time to take in the view. It’s amazing. Dogtown Road gradually becomes more civilized. You’ll pass ranches and farms that gradually become the residential areas on the outskirts of Angels Camp. A sharp left at Country Lane will take you under Highway 4, then left at the high school to Murphys Grade Road. Murphys Grade Road is the back road return to Murphys. It’s wide, well paved, and used by locals, so be aware of cars and trucks on the road. You’ll be climbing nearly the whole way through range land and up a forested valley along Angels Creek. Watch for the historic wooden File Flume that carries water to Angels Camp. You’ll finish your ride through Murphys historic downtown back to Feeney Park.
Calaveras Cycling Events – July
July 13, 2024 – Death Ride
Challenge yourself to the premier cycling event in California – the 2024 Tour of the California Alps Death Ride. This ride is sure to challenge you, inspire you, and leave you wanting more. Starting in Markleeville, CA, you’ll ride over 103 miles with six HZC climbs up to 14,000′ in elevation while enjoying the magnificent scenery of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Located in the stunning California Alps, the Tour of the California Alps – Death Ride® course covers the traditional five mountain passes. Climbs include both sides of Monitor Pass (Hwy 89), both sides of Ebbetts Pass (Hwy 4) and both sides of the Pacific Grade (Hwy 4). Packet pickup and the start and finish line festivals all take place at Turtle Rock Park, just north of Markleeville. Route and event details can be found at www.deathride.com.
Calaveras Cycling Events – August
August 25, 2024 – Ebbetts Pass Century Ride
A grueling, yet exhilarating 100-mile century ride begins and ends in the scenic alpine village of Bear Valley at 7100 feet on Highway 4. Riders embark on some of the best cycling terrain in the Sierra Nevada with breathtaking vistas, challenging climbs and thrilling descents. Highlights – 100 miles with 10,250 feet of climbing, well-stocked support stations and a post-ride meal. Some of the best cycling terrain in California. The event includes four different scenic rides: 100-mile Ebbetts Pass Century, 65-mile Bear Valley Metric Century, 50-mile Bear Valley Half Century, and the 25-mile Stanislaus Quarter Century. Check in with Bear Valley Adventure Company for more details.
Calaveras Cycling Club – Motherlode Bicycling Coalition
Looking for some casual cycling fun? Join the Motherlode Bicycling Coalition to get social while enjoying bike rides in Calaveras County year round. Whether a first time visitor to the region, or well experienced with Calaveras’ most enjoyable cycling routes, you’ll love connecting with this free bicycle organization. Offering warm and laid back social rides for cycling enthusiasts in some of Calaveras’ most beautiful cycling destinations, get the inside scoop on Calaveras’ cycling enthusiast scene with the people who know Calaveras bike routes the best!
Mountain Biking – Next Level Adventure
If mountain biking is your thing, Calaveras does not disappoint. Choose from alpine biking, Sierra trails, and lake trails to that dose of adrenaline pumping. Watch this video mountain biking in Bear Valley to get a little taste of the divine…
Skyline Bear Valley Resort
The resort opened two mountain biking trails, both accessible by a highspeed chair lift recently outfitted with bike carriers. More than four miles of trails integrate berms, bank turns, tabletops, and other features mountain bikers expect on a proper biking trail. The new trails integrate the existing trails throughout Bear Valley and create a complete loop between the Bear Valley Lodge and the Village. “The Central Sierras are an up-and-coming mountain biking scene, every weekend we see more and more bikers in the valley; our new lift access trails give enthusiasts a fuller experience.,” commented Tim Schimke, director of operations at the resort. Also opening is a skills park for people to hone their abilities before heading up the mountain. High-end equipment, including Norco mountain bikes and e-bikes are available to rent, on a first-come-serve basis. The trails on the Bear Valley eastern slope operate on a year-round special use permit from the Stanislaus National Forest Service and require a lift ticket to access. Tickets can be purchased at the resort. For more information visit www.bearvalley.com/mountain-biking.
Arnold Rim Trail
Mtbproject.com says, “While I highly recommend this ride, the climbs from either direction to Manuel Peak are face-punchers. Out from the Museum @ about 3.5 miles you’ll hit ‘The Beast’: +500ft in 1/4 mile and HAB for most. Not as bad in the other direction.” The Arnold Rim Trail (ART) is a unique trail system at mid-elevation in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains. A non-motorized trail system designed for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians, it connects the many wonders of public lands along the Ebbetts Pass National Scenic Byway stretch of Hwy 4 to its communities, creating a high level of access for its residents and visitors. You’ll discover breathtaking vistas with panoramic views stretching from Mt. Diablo in the East Bay Area to snowy Mt. Lyell on the high eastern slopes of the Sierras near Yosemite, then dive down into canyons with streams coursing through the shade of older growth forests of cedar, pine, fir and oak. High rocky promontories, native acorn grinding rocks, a magnificent waterfall, many birds and wildlife of all kinds, and a lake lie along its current completed section in the part of the Stanislaus National Forest known as the Interface.
New Hogan Reservoir – Coyote Point Trail
Mtbproject.com describes the trail as “The trail is relatively flat with a mix of narrow rocky single track followed by some narrow smooth single track. Trail has a great flow with even mix of uphills and downhills, trail is very narrow in places adding to the sensation of riding through a tunnel of brush (great on the downhills).” In the spring, this is a great trail will ride through the California poppies, lupine, and other Calaveras wildflowers in perfect temps typically ranging 70 to 80 degrees.
Something Different
Waranerosa Bike Park in Murphys – Bring the whole family!
Waranerosa offers 40 miles of unique private mountain bike trails in Murphys, CA. Experience Waranerosa mountain retreat’s private guided mountain bike tour from owners, Dustin and Kim Waraner. The morning starts with a 2-3 hour mountain bike adventure through 80 acres of private mountain biking trails. Enjoy nature’s beauty and magnificent views during this unique behind-the-scenes experience with expert guides to teach, advise, and share their private outdoor passion with like minded enthusiasts.
Watch this video of the fun they are having at Waranerosa!
Want to spend the night?! Click here to see their vacation rentals at the mountain retreat!
Calaveras County wildflower viewing
Frogtown Classic BMX Days – September 8 – 10, 2023