Discovering New Places to Ride, e.g. Groveland, CA
No Dabs: 8/28/24
An overnight rafting trip on the Wild and Scenic Tuolumne River was the plan. I did not bring a bike. As I rolled into Groveland, CA, en route to Lost Claim campground to meet up with other rafters, I spotted a cruiser bike up high in the sky. It was the visual cue/sign to indicate that a bike shop sat below, a little back off the street that passes through town and eventually reaches one of the gates for Yosemite National Park.
I stopped in at Trail Less Traveled bike shop. J.R. was behind the counter. Basically, he and his wife, Jen, are the owners/operators of the shop.
My conversation with J.R. can be summed up in the following notes:
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of miles of two-track, some single track, old rail beds, fire roads, etc. to explore out the front door. Stanislaus National Forest is the focal point.
Bikepacking and gravel riding have unlimited potential there.
Working with the forest service might be a little challenging, due to the proximity of Yosemite NP and that building singletrack in such a locale might not be conducive to National Park policies meshing with Forest Service policies. This is not to say that it won’t happen, but rather that it will be a ongoing conversation.
The setting is idyllic. Growing an MTB hub in Groveland would be spectacular. It will also be very hard work, decades long in the making.
Again, bikepacking/exploring seem super attractive. Load up the bike and go.
Due to Yosemite’s use of permits/reservations to access the park during some periods of time/year, traffic through Groveland is down some 30+%. The town needs to diversify its economic engine.
California’s oldest saloon is reputed to be there, and there is a local indie craft brewery called Around the Horn Brewing Company.
While on the river, camped on its sandy bed for the night, I let my mind wander to exploring the Stanislaus on bike. For me, it’s these moments of discovery, ending up somewhere and learning there are biking miles out there to pedal, that put the spark back into mountain biking.
What I’m saying is that sometimes riding the same trails over and over gets mundane. One of the joys of mountain biking as a lifestyle, if that’s what it is or can be, is going to new places to see and experience what is there. Un-racking the bike and setting out in places unfamiliar always fills me with a sense of wonder.
Thanks, J.R. and Jen, for being there, for inspiring us to ride where we haven’t before, and for providing bike services to riders who have already rolled through. It is people like you who grow our community, you being mountain bikers with a vision that most of us don’t have. Cheers!
Trail Less Traveled (bikes and gear) —
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