"Yungas road/Death road" by AHLN via Flickr Creative Commons

With new mountain biking routes popping up all over the world, this list is perpetually evolving. Adrenaline junkies are riding down active volcanoes and besides Stone Age glaciers. Jungles, mountains, dry riverbeds - these are all fare game these days. The more bizarre, the hotter the trail. Many routes were practically unheard of a few years ago outside of the local enthusiasts, but the willingness of tour companies to take on the trails and the desire of riders to fill the spots has lead to the spawning of many new local mountain biking cultures.

  1. Molass to Durango, Colorado This larger-than-life, 60-mile backcountry run is extreme in every way from the skill level involved to the scenery. This is a difficult trail that only the advanced of the advanced should attempt.
  2. World’s Most Dangerous Road, Bolivia The La Paz-to-Coroico road descends approximately 11,811 feet. The 40 mile route starts in the Bolivian altiplano and ends in the sub-tropical Yungas.
  3. Southern Highlands, Iceland Waterfalls line jeep and single-track routes across lava fields, deserts, jagged mountains, and gorges in truly untouched and spectacular scenery. Finish your day with a dip in the many hot springs.
  4. Lake Garda, Italy Cliffside trails and awesome views of a pristine alpine lake make this one of the best trails anywhere. These Northern Italian trails zig zag down vertical nearly drops. Home to a major bike festival.
  5. Carretera Austral, Northern Patagonia, Chile Ride through temperate rain forests while glacier capped mountains spew waterfalls during Chile’s summer months, the only time this difficult ride is possible.
  6. Celestial Mountains to Kirghizstan, Kazakhstan This spectacular journey under 22,965 foot peaks, through vast open steppes filled home to nomadic horsemen, would make even Borat proud.
  7. Surveyor’s Ridge, Oregon You’ll need to power through an intense climb on this empty trail to get a good view of Mount Hood, but it’s well worth the effort.
  8. Hokitika, New Zealand The West coast of the South island is singletrack redefined. Trails around Lake Kaniere through pine plantations under the eye of snow capped peaks are simply stunning.
  9. Garden Route, South Africa Departing from crowd pleaser Knysna and its salt water estuary, this favorite collection of trails offers cliff top riding, river gorges, and ostrich farms.
  10. Chamonix, France The French Alps are the setting for some of the world’s best known single track trails within an earshot of charming chateaus and under the shadow of Mont Blanc.

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