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Beginner’s Guide

For new and first-time bike park visitors

Welcome to Mountain Creek Bike Park a world-class mountain biking resort right in your own backyard.  Consistently rated one of the “Best Bike Parks” in North America.  Whether you’re a first-timer or a World Cup Pro, you’ll be sure to find trails to move your soul.  Get on out there and see for yourself.  Ride on!

Where to Get Started

If you’ve never mountain biked before, downhill biking can seem pretty intimidating. But it’s not all about big airs and high speed like you see in the videos. As long as you’re comfortable riding a bike, you too can give downhill mountain biking a try. But it’s important to get started right so here are some helpful tips to get you rolling down on two wheels safely.

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Trail Choice

With 52 downhill specific trails to choose from, we know figuring out where to start can be a little intimidating when you don’t know the park.  To make things easier we have developed an easy to follow Trail Progression Scale.  This tool will help you in figuring out the difficulty and characteristics of each of our trails.  The Progression Scale separates our trail into two categories:  Freeride and Technical and then rates each trail from beginner to pro line in order of difficulty.

Bike Park Signage

All routes within the Bike Park are designated by color-coded trail markers at the start of each trail.  Trails with an orange oval indicate freeride trails with man-made features and may require jumping skills.   Work your way up to more advanced trails and features based on your progression, skill and comfort level.

Freeride Trails (Jumping Skills Required)

Freeride trails are machine-cut and contain man-made features.  Routes are enhanced with dirt jumps, ride-on features, gaps, narrow surfaces, wallrides, berms and other natural or constructed features.  All Freeride trails at the park are identified with an orange oval trail marker and then rated by difficulty.

Technical Trails

Technical trails are designed to embrace the rugged shape and terrain of the mountain, utilizing a majority of natural terrain.  Routes are typically hand-built and feature organic obstacles and features such as rocks, roots, logs, drops, jumps and other natural or constructed features that require technical riding skills.  Technical trails are identified by their difficulty symbol and do not have an orange oval.  Jumping skills may still be required on Technical trails.

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Experience Downhill

Our Experience Downhill package is the perfect starting point for those who are new to Downhill Mountain Biking or those who might just like to refresh their skills before taking on the park on their own.  This all-inclusive package gives you everything you need to get started and familiary with our park – 2 hours of lift access, equipment rental and guided instruction.

Mountain Creek Bike Park Policies

Mountain Biking is a fun and exciting sport the entire family can enjoy.  It is important to note though that Downhill Mountain Biking is a significantly different sport than road cycling, trail riding or even cross-country mountain biking.  It requires a level of physical and mental effort to navigate the trails safely and maintain control of the bike. For these reasons, we encourage all guests to familiarize themselves with the information provided on this page and our resort safety policies and information.

Age Policy

  • Children under the age of 5 years old are not permitted on the Downhill Mountain Biking Trails.
  • We strongly recommend that all children under the age of 14 are accompanied on the trails by and adult at all times or registered in a lesson program.

Equipment Policies and Recommendations

  • A helmet must be work at all times while riding the Lift and Mountain Bike trails.
  • We strongly recommend the use of a full-face Downhill Mountain Bike Certified helmet while riding the Downhill Mountain Bike Trails.
  • The downhill mountain biking trails at Mountain Creek are specifically designed to be ridden on full suspension mountain bikes with at least 5 inches of travel (6-8 inches is optimal). The trails are rocky, bumpy and become much more difficult without high-quality suspension. Without full suspension, fatigue becomes a factor much sooner (especially for less experienced riders). Front suspension (hard tail) mountain bikes are not forbidden but not recommended. BMX bikes are not allowed on the Downhill Mountain Bike trails. Fully rigid bikes (without at least front suspension) are also not permitted.
  • Due to the steep grades on the downhill trails we strongly recommend disc brakes for adequate stopping power. Cantilever (or caliper-style) brakes will increase the fatigue factor as more effort will be required to control your speed. We also recommend that all bikes on the downhill trails must have one functioning brake per wheel. Mountain Creek Bike Park can be demanding on your bikes brakes. Mountain Creek reserves the right to deny access for any bicycle that isn’t suited for the mountain’s terrain.
  • All riders should use a properly sized bike which allows you stand over the seat of the bike with your feet flat on the ground. A bike that is too large or with the seat raised high can increase the risk of injury. If you have any questions regarding your bike fit, please come see one of our staff in the Bike Center. If you do not have a suitable mountain bike, we highly recommend you consider renting a Downhill Mountain Bike for the day.
  • Please note: Uphill riding is not permitted in the bike park.

Have fun. Stay safe. Ride on!