Trail 2

Meadow loop that climbs to Trail 1 and drops a flowy gully

Trail 2 is the next step after the flattest beginner loops: three quarters of a mile that pedals up through open meadow to meet Trail 1, then turns down a gully where the riding finally starts to feel fast. The climb is honest but short — about a hundred feet on smooth dirt through knee-high bunchgrass, juniper hills all around. The descent is the payoff, a swooping, flowy grade that introduces real cornering speed without rocks or drops waiting to punish a mistake. Kids graduate to it quickly, usually on the same bikes they learned on, and it’s where speed and rhythm start making sense.

Ride it in the standard direction so the gully comes as a descent — climbing it undoes the whole point. It stacks naturally with Trail 1 for a longer easy session, and stronger riders use the gully as a quick warm-up lap before heading uphill. The meadow is full sun with no shade anywhere, so in July ride it morning or evening rather than midday.

The gully section has real juniper shade, so it’s not full sun the whole way, and the tread is pinkish-red decomposed granite. It starts right at Alder Park’s amenities — gravel staging, picnic pavilion, playground — with a wooden skills platform and split-rail fence near the top. Kids on 20-inch bikes are the regulars, often on the same bikes they learned to ride on.

More on this trail: View on MTB Project → (original description contributed by community members on MTB Project)