Land Acknowledgment: Payahuunadu has been, and continues to be, the homeland of the Paiute (Nuumu), Shoshone (Newe), and Timbisha peoples. This land acknowledgment honors the original inhabitants of the Eastern Sierra and the tribes who remain here today.
The Eastside is built for bikes. From grippy granite playgrounds of the Alabama Hills to high-alpine single track in Mammoth, its mostly, the high-desert is mostly off-the-radar. We encourage you to take a 3-day weekend in late fall, most weekends in winter (winters have been warm for what we are used too) or spring and earn your Eastside credibility.
Is this your perfectly groomed, lift-served resort riding? Nope. This is a combination of high-desert and big mountains, where the trails are fast, the descents are endless, and the views will make you forget to look at the line ahead. You end in Mammoth, and have all the fancy trail you like. But take a day to explore Lone Pine and BIshop, and get dirty in the Sierra.
LONE PINE – ALABAMA HILLS: THE WILD WEST OF MTB
📍 Best Trails: Alabama Hills Loop, Movie Flat Road, Hogback Ridge
🔵 Trail Style: Flowing desert singletrack, granite slabs, and OHV doubletrack
🔥 Best For: Riders who love weaving through boulders and wide-open desert terrain
If you’ve ever seen a Western movie, you’ve seen the Alabama Hills. This place is a rolling playground of boulders, winding dirt roads, and sneaky-good singletrack—think Joshua Tree, but with the tallest mountains in the Lower 48 as your backdrop. Way cooler. The beauty of the Alabama Hills is you can always extend it. Winter is the perfect time to go. No crowds, cheap lodging and many weekends the weather is perfect.
🚵♂️ Alabama Hills Loop (6 miles) – A perfect intro to the terrain. Flowing singletrack weaving through massive rock formations with zero bad views.
🚵♂️ Hogback Ridge (8 miles) – A mix of fast descents and technical rocky sections. Great workout, better scenery and plenty of opportunities to extend it.
🚵♂️ Movie Flat Road (Up to 12 miles) – Classic dirt-road cruising. Can be linked with singletrack for longer days. Feels like Mars.
🚀 Why It’s Rad:
• No crowds. Just you, the wind, and miles of terrain to explore.
• Natural rock features to session. Play on the boulders, drops, and natural ledges.
• Big sky, big scenery, no bad rides.
🎬 Pro Tip: Ride early or late—the mid-day desert sun is a death wish in summer.
BISHOP – THE HIDDEN GEM OF EASTSIDE MTB
📍 Best Trails: Lower Rock Creek, Coyote, Tungsten Hills
🔵 Trail Style: Rocky, fast singletrack with big descents and tech sections
🔥 Best For: Riders who like speed, chunk, and ripping long downhills
Bishop is one of the most emerging MTB zones in California. The terrain here is fast, loose, and rowdy, perfect for high-speed descents and natural technical lines.
🚵♂️ Lower Rock Creek (7 miles) – Starts mellow, builds into fast, technical rock gardens. The lower section is pure chunk and speed.
🚵♂️ Coyote (15+ miles, out-and-back) – Fire-road climb, unreal desert descent. If you like big, fast downhills, this is it.
🚵♂️ Tungsten Hills (Varies, 8-12 miles) – Sessionable terrain, freeride lines, and some of the best sunset views in the Sierra.
🚵♂️ Chipmunk Canyon (10 miles) – Fast, flowing singletrack with slickrock-style features and natural jump lines. Starts with a gritty climb, but the descent is next-level fun.
🚀 Why It’s Rad:
• Lower Rock Creek is an all-timer—one of the best descents on the Eastside.
• The dirt gets hero in spring and fall. Prime conditions, zero crowds.
• Bishop’s high-desert vibes mean you can ride year-round.
🔥 Pro Tip: Shuttle Lower Rock Creek if you don’t feel like climbing.
MAMMOTH – THE MTB MECCA
📍 Best Trails: Twilight Zone, Flow Trail, Paper Route, Mountain View Trail
🔵 Trail Style: Lift-served flow trails, technical descents, and backcountry singletrack
🔥 Best For: Riders who want everything—from smooth jumps to high-altitude big-mountain riding
Mammoth is a full-blown gravity playground. This is where you go when you want fast, machine-built flow, big sendy jumps, and rock gardens that test your line choice.
🚵♂️ Twilight Zone (4 miles) – A lift-accessed flow-trail dream. Berms, wooden features, and tabletop jumps that make you feel like you’re in a video game.
🚵♂️ Flow Trail (5 miles) – Exactly what it sounds like—fast, buttery, and perfect for all skill levels.
🚵♂️ Bullet DH (3 miles) – Pure rock garden chaos. If you like big bike, full-commitment lines, this is your trail.
🚵♂️ Mountain View Trail (10 miles) – Backcountry-style singletrack. Weaves through aspen groves and open ridgelines with massive views of the Minarets.
🚀 Why It’s Rad:
• The best lift-served riding in the Eastern Sierra.
• Flowy, well-built trails for all skill levels.
• The high-alpine singletrack is just as good as the bike park.
⚠️ Pro Tip: The pumice dirt here is weird—brake control is key.
FINAL THOUGHTS: THE EASTSIDE MTB SCENE IS UNDERRATED (FOR NOW)
The Eastern Sierra isn’t just for hikers, climbers, and ski bums.
Whether you’re ripping granite slabs and desert washes in the Alabama Hills, bombing high-speed singletrack in Bishop, or sending it on Mammoth’s machine-built flow trails, this stretch of the Sierra has some of the most unique, remote, and straight-up fun riding in California.
So throw your bike on the rack, bring extra tubes (the pumice here eats tires), and get ready to experience epic MTB.
For more tips and tricks 👇🏼
Bishop, California: High Desert Mountain Biking and No Crowds
Where to stay in Lone Pine
Where to Eat on the 395
Best Places to Stay in Bishop, CA
Foodies Guide to Bishop, CA
