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Tags:
Level: Intermediate
Length: 10 mi (16.1 km)
Surface: Singletrack
Configuration: Other
Elevation: -
Total: 25 riders
Mountain Biking Knights Ferry Canal
#286 of 1,004 mountain bike trails in California
The road will end where a cement ramp dips into the canal. After that, the trail becomes more narrow, ranging from 10 ft. to 2 1/2 ft. in width. Medium size rocks, some holes, and slippery mud puddles will appear. Be careful! If you fall, you will either drop off a steep rugged hill, or fall into a swift, deep canal. It isn't like the canals you see in town. Believe me when I say that the walls will be too steep to climb up if you do fall in. The canal is parallel to the river on the left. The trail provides some great sights. If you feel like it, you can climb down the hill to the water.
First added by DrtMonkee85 on Oct 14, 2007. Last updated May 2, 2020. → add an update
Before you go
- Drinking water: unknown
- Lift service: unknown
- Night riding: unknown
- Pump track: unknown
- Restrooms: unknown
- Fat bike grooming: unknown
- E-bikes allowed: unknown
- Fee required: unknown
This trail information is user-generated. Help improve this information by suggesting a correction.
If you park in the parking lot across the river, take the wooden covered bridge across. It will lead to a road with a few houses. Its a short climb up the road. You end up at a fork in the road where an old, white diner is on the right. Turn left. Pass the entrance of the parks service center on the left and a rusty, closed gate will be about 50 ft. ahead, also on the left. It is unauthorized road. If you decide to continue, you will have to pick up your bike and put it over a 3 ft. fence. The trail will begin as you decend the hill
Instead of parking at the beginning of the canal trail I parked in the main parking lot for the knights ferry rec area and followed the singletrack trails that run up and down the boulders near the river. This "shortcut" was pretty fun by itself, but it's really rocky and difficult to navigate. There is a good amount of "take your bike for a walk" moments if you choose to go this way like I did, but it was fun anyhow. Eventually the trail will break out near the start of the actual canal trail. The entire length of track along the canal is flat with very little grade change. The ease of the grade though is made up for by the sheer danger of falling into the canal or falling off the other side and tumbling downhill. I went towards the beginning of November and the canal was dry. Falling straight down into the empty canal would have been disastrous. As the other reviews have said it does get very narrow in places, but that just makes it challenging in a different way. I'm looking forward to going back but probably wouldn't make it a regular spot to ride just because I know that if I were to go there enough times eventually I'd mess up and take a tumble one way or another.
| ThankRode today in and out. Not sure just how long trail goes but its a real good workout. Beautiful scenery and like other writer said, can be very narrow in some spots, very minimal margin for error! Rocky but ok and scenery is awesome!
| ThankThis is actually, in my opinion a very fun trail. Some challenging areas where for short distances the upper portion is only 6-8 inches wide. If you fall you will either get hurt or end up in the water of the canal which would be difficult to get out of. Very beautiful scenery.
Under an hour in and out.
| Thank