A friend and I are considering doing some mountain biking over spring break. We are looking for something extreme, rocky, dirt paths, water, etc. We are willing to drive 2-3 hours. I've looked into Yosemite, can anyone provide any suggestions on where to go? Also, one of us needs to rent a bike.

 

drive farther. moab is where it's at.
i was there few years ago....

 

Probably a little late, but the Santa Cruz area is good. Wilder Ranch, Nisene Marks/Demo Forest, and the UCSC area are great places. Plenty of shops to demo bikes from as well.

 

i haven't done mtn biking in 3 yrs lol. ditto on soquel demo forest. very seldom has foot traffic, in fact i haven't seen any hikers of all times i went there. lots of technical sections and fast drops. plus everyone is going one direction. i can't imagine it's any different now than the last time i went. except they probably cleared the landslide at the summit by now which was a pain to cross over while carrying your bike. or just do skeggs, much bigger playground but lots of hikers.

 

I heard the Headlands were great. You should look into it. My buddies are hardcore abot mountain biking and they love it.