Marin County
Fairfax / San Rafael · near Fairfax (Marin County) · SF Bay Area
Mountain Biking
At a glance
- Skill level
- intermediate
- Trail miles
- 37 areas, 100+ miles total across Marin
- Elevation
- Up to 2,571ft at Mt. Tam East Peak · Repack drops 1,300ft
- Best season
- Spring and fall best · Ride year-round but winter mud closes some trails
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Mountain Biking detail
- Nickname
- The Birthplace of Mountain Biking
- Ride types
- all-mountain · xc
- Signature trails
- Repack Road · Camp Tamarancho Loop · China Camp State Park Loop
- Ebike
- Yes
- Ebike note
- E-bikes allowed on fire roads throughout Marin. Singletrack at Camp Tamarancho and China Camp: check current rules as regulations evolve.
- Intl tip
- Cross the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, drive 20 minutes to Fairfax. Stop at the Marin Museum of Bicycling before riding — it's free, covers the full history of the sport, and makes the Repack descent feel appropriately momentous. Sun-drenched post-ride food at Fairfax's multiple restaurants.
The guide
Mountain biking as a sport was invented here. In the late 1970s, Joe Breeze built the first mountain bike frames (calling them …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Marin County — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.9735, -122.5932