Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25166
The Italian Dolomites, one of Europe's most spectacular mountain ranges, offer mountain bikers of all abilities thousands of miles of trail, dirt road and WWI cart paths. The area around Lago di Garda, with its centuries·old network of hiking trails and alpine refugios, is gaining renown as a European bike mecca. It's intox· icatingly scenic, with an intricate and well·maintained trail network completely open to bikes, and at ride's end you can kick back in the village and enjoy clas· sic Italian cuisine.-AT OUTFITTER TOO FAST-TRENTINO BIKE, Italy 7 days, $450, year-round, 39-464-50-61-49, www.mtb.ongarda.com A century and a half ago, the gold rush carried a whirlwind of prospectors into the wooded mountains of northern California. They took all the gold they could find before they disappeared, but mountain bikers will tell you they left some· thing even more valuable: unending singletrack. They also created the town of Downieville, which today serves as a launching pad for journeys onto some of America's finest trails. There are classic wilderness rides for all ability levels through old·growth ponderosa forest and whitewater gorges, and shadowy creek crossings on singletrack that changes from smooth and fast to off·camber and technical. And swimming holes abound.-AT OUTFITTER YUBA EXPEDITIONS, USA Yuba has been operating out of Downieville for over 10 years. 3 days, $350, May to November, 530-265-8779, www.yubaexpeditions.com I total miles: 120 00 @ GGG 00 GG It's the most overexposed name in mountain biking for a reason: Moab has some of the best riding in some of the most mind·bending countryside on the planet. Deep in the belly of Canyonlands National Park is The Maze, one of the most remote and beautiful crevasses of the greater Moab region. A five·day trip through ruddy ravines and craggy rock formations traverses rough jeep roads suitable for riders of intermediate skill and fitness.-AT OUTFITTER WESTERN SPIRIT, USA Western Spirit is one of the most experienced and well-equipped mountain bike outfitters in the US. 6 days, $995 (The Maze); 4 days, $625 (White Rim); weekly, September and October, 800-845-2453, www.westernspirit.com