Showing posts with label Mountain Biking with Kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mountain Biking with Kids. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Mountain Biking Park City with Kids

Last week we loaded up our mountain bikes and our kids and headed off to find out if Round Valley in Park City, Utah is a place we can take our kids to mountain bike. Having never been there before, we stopped and purchased a trails map at Jans Sport. This is the second map I have owned and it is definitely worth purchasing. All the trails in Park City are on the map and it categorizes them like ski runs...beginner, intermediate and advanced.

Round Valley is near the National Ability Center
Once there we found the trail head we wanted at the South side of the turf fields. It is a nice wide road that didn't appear to be too steep. Keep in mind that we have a 6 year-old without a gear bike. This was a bit difficult for him. He did a great job, but I stayed by him and helped push him up the hills. I would just ride close, put my hand on his low back and pray that he could keep a straight line while I helped him up the hills. Our older 2 children did fantastic on their own.


We were only able to ride for about 45 minutes or so when the smoke from the Alpine fire got so bad that we couldn't breathe well. At that point we called it a day and loaded up to go see the new Spider-Man movie. Our trail was a loop and it was great for beginners. I think that by age 7 or 8, if a child has a gear bike, he/she should be able to bike around the beginner trails of round valley without much problem. If you take a younger child, plan on being on and off your bike, helping them up the hills and always know that when introducing kids to mountain biking you are less than likely not going to get your own ride in. By realizing this from the start, everyone will have a better time and in the future your kids will probably be waiting for you :)

Nice wide trail
Round Valley is located near the National Ability Center in Park City.
Happy Riding!

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Mountain Biking Solitude Ski Resort with Kids


Solitude Ski Resort in Utah.
My husband and I wanted to take our kids so they could get a feel for mountain biking. One of the issues with the Wasatch Front is that it can be fairly straight up and down. That scares me when I have my kids with me. My instinct is to keep them as safe as possible. With that in mind...

Down and Out Trail
We decided to head to Solitude. There is a short mountain bike trail along the base of the resort called "down and out" that is easy enough for the kids to do over and over again. We even had our 5 year old...which was a bit of a stretch. Click here to see the trail map. Solitude has a fish pond and the kids also rode the trail around the lower meadow next to the fish pond. 

Biking around the meadow near the pond
This is definitely just a start and to get them interested in mountain biking, but keeping it fun as well. After a few times around the meadow and a few out-n-backs on the lower trail, you can head over for some pizza. That always brings a smile to the boys.

Happy Riding!