Pleasanton's First Mountain Bike Trail Now Open

PLEASANTON, CA — It may be hot out, but adventurous riders can attempt Pleasanton’s first mountain bike trail. The Augustin Bernal Mountain Bike Trail is a 0.7-mile downhill-only trail in Augustin Bernal Park. It can be accessed at the Augustin Bernal staging area at 8200 Golden Eagle Way.

The city has been considering options for mountain bike-specific trails since the 1990s, but the need wasn’t clearly identified until the city adopted the Pleasanton Trails Master Plan in 2019, according to Pleasanton Landscape Architect Matt Gruber. Until now, all trails in Pleasanton have been shared-used, but during the process of drafting the plan, bikers and hikers advocated trails for different uses to relieve congestion.

“The City hopes that by providing a dedicated, professionally designed trail that was fun, yet challenging, for mountain bikers, it could limit the number of unsanctioned trails being constructed on the ridge that have created stormwater and erosion challenges,” Gruber told Patch in an email.

The 0.7-mile trail is a single, unpaved track descending from 1400 feet to 600 feet of elevation. It is for mountain bikes and e-mountain bikes only, and with banked turns, rollers, jumps and drops, is recommended only for intermediate and advanced riders.

The creation of the trail cost just over $350,000, which included design and environmental services, environmental mitigation, and trail construction, according to Gruber.

Reactions to a Facebook post from the city announcing the trail were overwhelmingly positive.

“Great job Pleasanton in the first step towards addressing the needs of your MTB community. This trail gives riders a trail that they can test their skills while reducing the amount of traffic on the fire roads,” one user wrote.

“Bravo Pleasanton! Thank you to all the local residents and city staff who have worked hard across many years to make this happen. This is so positive for people walking and biking!” wrote another.