Fort Ord National Monument
Monterey (former Fort Ord) · near Monterey / Marina · Central Coast
Mountain Biking · Trail Running
At a glance
- Skill level
- beginner
- Trail miles
- 86 miles of trails · 50+ miles singletrack across 15,000 acres
- Elevation
- Rolling oak-woodland and chaparral terrain · Modest, forgiving grades
- Best season
- Year-round (mild coastal climate; can be hot inland in summer)
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Distance
- 9 miles
- Elevation gain
- 900 ft
- Best season
- Year-round · wildflowers spring, cool coastal air
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit. Fort Ord National Monument (BLM) — free. 86 miles of trail across a former army base; Creekside and Badger Hills trailheads.
What is here
- Features
- 86 miles of runnable oak-woodland trail · Former army base turned trail mecca · Rare maritime chaparral & wildflowers · Big open network, few crowds
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Dogs
- Allowed
Mountain Biking detail
- Nickname
- Sea Otter Country
- Ride types
- xc · flow
- Signature trails
- Sea Otter Classic course · The oak-woodland network
- Ebike
- Yes
- Ebike note
- Class 1 e-bikes permitted on many Fort Ord trails — check BLM signage for current designations.
- Intl tip
- Fort Ord is minutes from Monterey Bay — pair a ride with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the 17-Mile Drive, or a paddle in Elkhorn Slough (in the kayak guide). If you time a spring trip around the Sea Otter Classic (April), you'll see the entire cycling world in one place.
Trail Running detail
- Surface
- fire-road
- Intl tip
- Trailheads off Hwy 68 (Creekside) and Reservation Rd (Badger Hills), between Monterey and Salinas. Combine with the Monterey Peninsula's coast (17-Mile Drive, Point Lobos) and Carmel. The network is shared with mountain bikers — stay alert on blind corners.
- Nickname
- 86 miles of trail hidden on a former army base
The guide
Fort Ord National Monument, on a former Army base above Monterey Bay, offers 86 miles of trails across 15,000 acres of rolling …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Fort Ord National Monument — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.66, -121.76