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China Camp State Park Loop

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate Intermediate
 4.4 (171)
  1. Areas
  2. CA
  3. …Bay Area
  4. …Marin County
  5. China Camp State Park
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“A great beginner/intermediate ride with nice views of the bay and a well-maintained trail. ”

Shayne Holderby
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Map Key

8.7

Miles

14.0

KM

85%

Singletrack

610' 186 m

High

13' 4 m

Low

772' 235 m

Up

772' 235 m

Down

3%

Avg Grade (2°)

11%

Max Grade (6°)

Dogs No Dogs

E-Bikes Allowed

Dawn - Dusk Parking Fee Based Parking $10 or Poppy Pass.
$3 one-day trail use fee (or $35 annual pass), payable at self-pay stations at most trailheads.

Overview

This ride has great views of the bay and has a very wide, well maintained trail. This is an extremely high traffic trail but it's easy to pass in most areas. Watch out for tons of hikers, runners and walkers on the last three miles of the ride. The Bay View Trail (upper section) is used almost exclusively by mountain bikers.

Need to Know

The trail has multiple branches along the route with signs directing you back to the Shoreline Trail everywhere. Note that any trail sign pointing you to the "Ridge Trail" is actually taking you to a fireroad that runs along the ridge of the park.

Class I (pedal-assist) e-bikes are allowed on China Camp's trails, with a maximum speed of 15 mph (5 mph on blind corners and when passing other trail users).

Description

Start in the first listed parking area as you enter the park at the west end. You can't miss it - there will be a couple dozen cars with riders everywhere. Starting from the campsite entrance, look for Bay View Trail on your right. Proceed up the trail for about 2 miles of switchback climbing that will eventually flatten out to some nice rolling singletrack.

The appeal of this trail is about 6 miles of rolling mostly downhill after the initial two mile climb. After about 1.5 miles of downhill singletrack you'll come up on a fire road. Follow down this road and you'll see several turns taking you back towards the Shoreline Trail - make sure you take the last turn for Oak Ridge Trail and the best ride.

Ignore any signs taking you to the Ridge Trail as this is nothing but a fire road running along the ridge (nice view). The last section of the Oak Ridge Trail has some narrow, slightly rocky singletrack before it joins back up with Peacock Gap Connector and then back to Shoreline Trail again.

Shoreline Trail is a nice scenic rolling singletrack with a 1/4 mile section of fire road taking you back to your start point.

History & Background

Originally an old fishing village location.

Contacts

Land Manager: California State Parks - China Camp

Shared By:

Shayne Holderby with improvements by Anne Sauer and 4 others
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.4 from 171 votes

#1

in China Camp State Park

#60

Overall
  4.4 from 171 votes
5 Star
47%
4 Star
42%
3 Star
10%
2 Star
1%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in China Camp State Park

#6

in California

#60

Overall
428 Views Last Month
82,666 Since Sep 22, 2013
Intermediate Intermediate
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Add a Photo

Photos

Hitting the smooth and fast Shoreline Trail at China Camp State Park.
Aug 21, 2013 near Santa V…, CA
Sometimes you have to stop and enjoy the view!
Dec 30, 2015 near Santa V…, CA
The Bay View Trail has many different terrains, and this is one of the more wooded areas.
Nov 23, 2014 near Santa V…, CA
View of SF Bay Richmond Bridge and San Francisco in the distance.
May 13, 2015 near Santa V…, CA
Looking at the bay. Shoreline trail
Jul 30, 2015 near Santa V…, CA
Beautiful scenery, and well managed trails!
Dec 20, 2020 near Santa V…, CA

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