Mountain Biking at Boggs Mountain

"Woo-hoo!"   "Yee-ha!"   "Awesome!!"   "Wow!"

No, these aren't sound bites from people getting off a rollercoaster at a local theme park. And they aren't movie reviews from people who have just seen the latest Star Wars flick. They are the sounds of some very happy mountain bikers. Recently, a group of fun-loving adventurers from the Bay Area Outdoor Adventure Club visited Boggs Mountain Demonstration Forest to sample the park's world-class mountain biking trails. They were not disappointed.

Situated at roughly 3,000 feet, Boggs Forest is filled with ponderosa and sugar pine, douglas fir and black oak. Its network of singletrack is so sweet, it's hard to believe it is all legal! Believe it or not, these trails were actually designed and built with mountain biking in mind, thanks to the good people from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

After waking up to fresh coffee and fueling up with a delicious breakfast on Saturday morning, the Outdoor Adventure Club (OAC) gang jumped on their trusty bikes and followed their fearless leaders on a challenging ride that included twisty and technical uphills, as well as fast and furious downhills. The scenery wasjust as nice as the trails.

At lunch break, while chomping on pasta salad and focacia bread, the beginners and advanced riders both agreed, "This place rules!"

The afternoon was spent riding even more singletrack, bearing names like Bear Bones, Ball Cap and John's Trail. After logging more than 20 miles of spectacular riding over the course of the day, the group headed back to camp for a fabulous dinner and some much needed rest. Beer, wine and a roaring fire were just what the doctor ordered.

After the requisite s'mores for dessert (and a few more micro-brews), a few OAC-ers decided they didn't get enough riding in during the day and set out on a night ride. With one bright light between them, they safely covered another five miles of Boggs' best.

On Sunday morning, the once empty campground was filling up fast. It turns out that the local Lions Club had scheduled a mountain bike race for the day! With many of the best trails being used for the race, the OAC-ers had no choice but to enter the race. Twelve and a half miles of heart pumping and lung burning riding later, the OAC had claimed one first place medal and a "I'm just glad I finished" sentiment from two of the riders.

Boggs Mountain Demonstration Forest is located about 2.5 hours northeast of San Francisco, in the mountains between Calistoga and Clear Lake. It is off Highway 175, a little past the town of Cobb. Camping is free (and very nice), but water is only available at the heli-port, close to the entrance to the forest.