Mountain biking trails exist all across the U.S., and the number of bicycle-optimized trails continues to increase as more new trails open and old ones are refurbished or updated. To celebrate another great year of mountain biking, PeopleForBikes (with the help of our supporters on social media) compiled some great new mountain bike trails that opened in 2022.

Chestnut Mountain
Canton, North Carolina

After purchasing the 450-acre Chestnut Mountain property in 2020, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy transferred the property to the Town of Canton in an ambitious endeavor to pair permanent protection of habitat and water resources with the creation of a conservation-friendly, community-centric outdoor recreation space. Chestnut Mountain will be an important stop along North Carolina’s Hellbender Trail, a 150-mile regional greenway system that is being championed by The Land of Sky Regional Council and local governments.

• As of 2022, there are 11 trails for all ability levels on Chestnut Mountain, totaling four miles of singletrack with almost 700 feet of descent. 
• Chestnut Mountain is also home to Berm Park, a public mountain bike skills park with trails for all skill levels.

Yakety Yak and Swamp Angel trails
Leadville, Colorado

After several years of planning and negotiations, the Leadville area’s first public trails on private land are officially ready to ride. After working with the Newmont Mining Corporation and Lake County, the Cloud City Wheelers, a local trail building and advocacy group, constructed two directional trails just outside of Leadville, Colorado. A directional uphill (Yakety Yak) and directional downhill trail (Swamp Angel) will bring users from the Landfill Road up to the Swamp Angel site on the Mineral Belt Trail. These trails provide new public access to land otherwise off limits to the public, and they are also the closest singletrack trails to the town of Leadville.

• Swamp Angel: Lake County's first directional downhill trail. Lots of rollers, doubles, berms, and options make up this blue-rated trail with some black options. The trail is 1.8 miles long with 381 feet of descent.
• Yakety Yak: An uphill trail that travels up to the Swamp Angel area on the Mineral Belt Trail, allowing for some great loop options as you can head east to the Mining District or west to the Timberline Trails. The trail is 1.7 miles long with 381 feet of elevation gain.

Serenity & Adrenaline trail
Stowe, Vermont

Stowe’s first downhill-only, double-black expert trail, Serenity & Adrenaline, opened in July of 2022. Part 1 of the trail was built between 2021 and 2022 by Stowe Trails Partnership volunteers, including an all-women trail crew. Serenity & Adrenaline is located in the Adams Camp trail network and is made possible through partner and landowner Trapp Family Lodge. This expert-level trail has Vermont’s longest wooden bridge feature, big rock slabs, skinnies, gap jumps, and challenges to keep even the most advanced riders entertained. The trail builders drew inspiration from trails in Vancouver’s “North Shore,” Squamish, BC, and Quebec. 

• Serenity & Adrenaline: Stowe’s first fully sanctioned and mapped double-black trail located in the Adams Camp trail network on Trapp Family Lodge land. The current trail is 0.4 miles long with 131 feet of descent.

East Bluff Bike Park
Copper Harbor, Michigan

East Bluff Bike Park occupies East Bluff, a prominent topographic feature with more than 525 feet of vertical rise just east of Copper Harbor, Michigan. Rock Solid Trail Contracting currently owns 525 acres of East Bluff and constructed 8 miles of bicycle-optimized trails for all levels of riders on the property. Seven trails are open as of 2022 and the bike park also connects to the existing Keweenaw Point Trail Trailhead via a segment of newly completed singletrack. Looking ahead, Rock Solid intends to continue building a system of gravity and cross-country trails which will contain more than 30 miles of singletrack once completed. East Bluff Bike Park will also act as a link between the existing Copper Harbor Trails Club System and the Keweenaw Point Trail System.

• Flo'Rion is an intermediate gravity trail. The trail is 1 mile long with 525 feet of descent.
• Citrus Tech is a new advanced downhill trail. The trail is 1 mile long with 497 feet of descent.