You call yourself a true mountain biker, but you haven't taken a ride out of your home state? Now is the time to challenge yourself with some of the most advanced trails across the country. Grab your bike and book your ticket to these five exhilarating challenges, just don't forget the tire pump. Here are the five top mountain biking trails in the U.S.

Downieville Downhill, California

The Downieville Downhill mountain biking trail in California is so tough it serves as a challenge in the All-Mountain World Championships. A 5,000 foot vertical decline for 17 miles, it's big, bad, and extremely beautiful. After the sweat's settled and the adrenaline's worn down, bikers are rewarded at the lower area with a view of picturesque waterfalls and creeks.

Fruita, Colorado

Travel to Colorado's high desert for hundreds of miles of fun.  The Book Cliffs area offers great views of the Grand Valley basin with steep climbs and descent. Challenge yourself with a 2,000 vertical drop above the basin. Fruita offers 17 other road trails with natural beauty that are a combination of rocky and technical.

Copper Harbor, Michigan

A Midwest gem, Copper Harbor trails is a 25 mile winding journey located on Lake Superior at the northern tip of Keweenaw Peninsula. Isolated from city life, this trail provides biking enthusiasts with a quiet and peaceful spot to get one on one with nature. With continual tradeoffs between uphill and downhill climbs, don't think of the Midwest as all flatlands, there are mountain biking spots that will keep you on your toes.

Moab, Utah

The Amasa Back Trail in Moab, Utah is one of the best in the country.  11-mile trail is meant for jeeps that climb just over a thousand feet to a mesa top overlooking the Colorado River and the Kane Creek Anticline. The trail surface is mostly Kayenta Sandstone and has many small ledges making it best left to the experienced.

Gauley Headwaters, West Virginia

The Gauley Headwaters trail in Slatyfork, West Virginia is a 37-mile rocky ride, but the scenery is worth the effort. You'll be pushed harder than you've ever thought possible on the Tea Creek Mountain descent, but you'll have a big grin all the way down. The best time of the year for this mountain biking adventure is between July and October.

 

by Rachel Jimenez, Contributing Author