Family Biking in the North State

Family biking might prove your solution to keeping the kids engaged while simultaneously exercising, social distancing, getting across town and protecting a budget affected by the pandemic. During COVID-19, families throughout California have discovered the benefits of biking. They’ve taken advantage of quieter roads and more downtime to pull old bikes out of the garage.

The North State, especially, with its diverse trails and terrain, beckons cyclists of all styles and skill levels to get out and explore new neighborhoods or nature as a family.

Family Biking in The North State: Shasta County

The Kibler family, Matt, Carrie; and their sons David, age eight, and Cole, age six, all rank Clover Creek Preserve as their favorite biking trail. David especially loves watching rabbits and snakes scurry through the underbrush as he rides what he calls mystery side treks off the paved trail. As you can see, each family member enjoys  family biking in the North State!

Regular bike rides have always been one way for the Kiblers to connect as a family. During COVID-19, the exercise has become even more of a community-building activity. “We usually run into neighbors when we’re out, and especially now because more people are at home more,” Matt explains. “Sometimes we invite the boys’ friends and their parents, and it’s great because the boys can ride together and the parents can talk and catch up, all while being outside and social distancing.”

Matt and Carrie also enjoy mountain biking together on Shasta County’s challenging uphills and exhilarating downhills, taking in the beautiful vistas around Whiskeytown Lake. Carrie praises Redding Trail Alliance for investing in, building and maintaining excellent trails, like the recently completed Enticer’s Trail, before and since the Carr Fire. “I am so proud to see that development in our community,” Carrie says. “We have some of the best mountain biking, and there’s a trail for everyone.”

For other mountain bikers, Healthy Shasta, based in Redding, CA, offers maps and instructions for easy trails like Princess Ditch, intermediate trails like French Fry Loop and advanced trails like the 26-mile Lemurian Shasta Classic.

Families who prefer to take a spin around town or incorporate biking into their daily transportation will also appreciate Healthy Shasta’s Bike Redding map, which helps cyclists avoid busy driving roads and find bike-friendly paths and shortcuts. Bike Redding likewise provides maps to bikeable routes, such as Redding’s Sacramento River and the Rail Trails, both of which come highly recommended by the Kibler family.

Learn more about biking in Shasta County by visiting Shasta Living Streets. Shasta Living Streets’ vision includes seeing “Downtown Redding as the center hub of a connected city” with increased transportation choices and better health through walking and biking.

Family Biking in The North State: Butte County

John Pearson of Chico Velo describes the North State as having “amazing access to so many different styles and varieties of riding, including world-class mountain biking and adventure riding in Oroville, Paradise, and Upper Bidwell Park, all accessible from your front porch, rather than needing to load up and drive somewhere to bike.”

Chico Velo offers a wealth of resources to cyclists and orchestrates biking events like the annual Chico Wildflower Century Ride. These events serve a secondary purpose of increasing drivers’ awareness of sharing the roads with bikes, improving bike safety as long as both cyclists and drivers follow road rules and respect each other.

John encourages families to engage their kids in biking at a young age, saying, “It’s been shown that the younger you start riding a bike, the higher probability you’ll opt to commute on your bike and choose a bike rather than a car later in life.”

Just how young can kids start biking? Sarah Raby, a Chico mom, says, “When Zach and I found out we were expecting, the first thing we bought was a bike trailer to tow around our new baby.” Today, the couple regularly enjoys biking with their four children.

Fifteen-year-old Thomas loves mountain biking along Middle Trail with his dad. He remembers refusing to ride North Rim for two years after an especially rough ride but spending quality time with his dad on other trails rebuilt his confidence and perseverance.

Benjamin, age eight, loves racing at Wildwood Park, and says the BMX track “is really fun because there are big jumps!” Even four-year-old Jonathan eagerly cruises around the family’s cul-de-sac with his siblings or joins longer family rides on a trailer bike. Eliana, age 13, enjoys mountain biking and tandem biking with her dad, and has also discovered a trick for biking on hot summer days, “We just ride to the creek and go swimming!”

As COVID-19 has prompted an unprecedented surge of interest in biking, John speaks for the cycling world as he encourages families to continue to bike even after the pandemic. “Ride as much as possible,” he says, “even if it’s just getting the family out to ride around the block. It’s just about getting comfortable and confident.”

Don’t have a bike in your garage? Visit a local bike shop! Most bike shops have thankfully remained open as essential businesses. If you’re feeling a little rusty, ask what lessons your bike shop offers, or check out biking videos online at Calbike California Bicycle Coalition or The League of American Bicyclists.

Some biking coalitions listed on these sites responded to COVID-19 by opening accessibility to digital resources like video bike lessons and safety tips, making it possible for beginning North State cyclists to access resources from throughout California. Both sites offer tips and resources for following the rules of the road, building a biking culture, and biking safely during COVID-19. Don’t forget to check out the websites listed throughout this article for locally tailored biking resources as well!

Family Biking in The North State: Siskiyou County

Megan Peterson, who works at Discover Siskiyou, loves taking her sons Soren, age six, and four-year-old Theo on biking adventures. They ride in the hills above their home and along the Gateway Trail System, an easy-access network of trails just outside of Mt. Shasta, CA. The boys always welcome this diversion, and as Megan explains, “Siskiyou County is awesome for biking because we have just 44,000 people, but are the fifth-largest county in California.” This means more room for social distancing, whether street biking or mountain biking.

“Our county is also one of the most ecologically diverse places in the world,” Megan says. “From high-desert terrain and challenging mountain climbs with waterfalls and lakes, to forested backroads, to charming little towns, to valley floor rides—you can choose your own adventure!”

For those who need a little help choosing their adventure or a little help with the required logistics,

Gravity Adventures in Mt. Shasta comes to the rescue. The company offers private mountain-biking skills clinics for kids and entire families. “Many parents who are good mountain cyclists find their kids need someone other than their parents to teach them,” co-owner Christian Birch says with a laugh.

“We give the fundamentals: balance, eyes, how you move the bike and what to look for on the trail.” After a thorough lesson, Gravity Adventure students take to the trails with a guide who can choose the best trail for success.

Thanks to bike suspension technology that absorbs more shock on rough terrain, Christian explains that mountain cyclists can enjoy faster, easier rides. Even so, there are practices for those just getting into the sport. “I think the biggest key to starting kids with mountain biking is riding downhill more than uphill, so they gain confidence and experience instead of getting discouraged,” says Christian.

Gravity Adventures offers shuttle services, including along the Gateway Trail System, so families with all skill levels can enjoy the downhill slopes together.

In response to the growing popularity of mountain biking, Mt. Shasta has just undertaken Gateway Phase II, a project to build 44 miles of new mountain biking trails close to town! While you wait for these trails to open, check out these other Siskiyou County resources:

• For a fun overnight destination at the end of a family bike ride, visit Railroad Park Resort.
• For a kid-friendly bike route around a summer splash zone, visit Lake Siskiyou Resort.
• For bike-accessible nature adventures the whole family will enjoy, see this list.

Even in the North State, the need for more bike routes persists. Unfortunately, new construction can take years and large sums of money to complete. However, there are quicker, less-expensive measures to create safe pathways for bikes and pedestrians.

Road signs urging slower driving in neighborhoods or painted lines to distinguish bike lanes, for example, increase vehicle drivers’ awareness of cyclists. To learn more about quick-build street design efforts in California, visit Calbike.

It is important to remember bike safety, you can see suggestions from the CDC here on how to stay safe.