Rockville Park is best known in the Bay Area for the abundance of rocky terrain. Although the total area of the park is fairly small, the massive number of trails and lines that criss cross the area offer a variety of trail surfaces and ride options. Unlike many Bay Area parks, Rockville is extremely friendly towards mountain biking. The trails also are known to dry very quickly in the wet season, making the park one of the most sustainable parks in the area, and it is open year-round— even after rain.
Kenny Roberts of Syntace USA and Maurice Tierney from Dirt Rag on one of the many trails to choose from at Rockville Park
Riders looking for a riding experience that racks up miles will likely be disappointed, although numerous loops can be put together with a minimal amount of backtracking and overlap. For those looking to work on their technical riding skills though, the terrain has a lot to offer, and there are even black diamond rated sections that can offer challenging lines to anyone.
Most just see a huge stack of rocks. Ian on the other hand, sees a double black diamond line comparable to Goat’s Gully at Whistler.
It’s also a great place to break in new gear. Although we’ve seen folks out riding on 29″ hardtails on the more tame trail sections, there are plenty of black diamond and double black diamond rated features worthy of a long travel steed. It’s been a while since I rode stuff in the Bay Area that made me really nervous, but with local rider Ian Massey as our guide for the day, I quickly regretted not donning my knee pads after following him down an extremely steep chute. Ian’s been riding at Rockville Park before he was old enough to drive, and his local knowledge of the park was extremely apparent.
The park also happens to be one of the most scenic and photogenic spots around.
This blast from the past is from a ride over two years ago.
Find it:
2149 Rockville Rd
Fairfield, CA 94534
Rockville Hills Regional Park and Open Space Management site
