Local Mountain Bike Trail Discovery Guide 2026: Apps, Maps, Tips

Finding cycling routes near you shouldn’t be guesswork. At Hiking Manual, the fastest, safest path is to pair a trail-first app for legal singletrack and conditions with a routing tool for smooth navigation. If you want one answer now, use Trailforks for discovery and current status, then layer Komoot or OS Maps for turn-by-turn and logistics. This guide shows how to choose the best tool for finding local mountain bike trails, cross-check legality, export a route to your bike computer in minutes, and ride responsibly with offline maps and emergency readiness.

How to choose the best local trail discovery tool

Trail-first, routing-first, and context-layer tools each solve a different piece of MTB route planning. Start with clear goals—legal singletrack, efficient loops, and offline safety—then stack the right tools for your area and skills.

Trail-first app — A platform centered on a curated trail database and community reports. It emphasizes discovering real trail networks with permitted-use filters, difficulty, popularity, POIs, and conditions. It is optimized for finding quality singletrack and loops over simple A-to-B routing, often adding heatmaps and weather/context layers.

• Trailforks covers riding in over 100 countries and layers in topo, POIs, heatmaps, conditions, and weather, plus permitted-use and eBike filters (source: Trailforks, https://www.trailforks.com/).
• Komoot uses OpenStreetMap data and tailors routing to MTB with surface, elevation, difficulty, and fitness insights; it supports offline navigation in paid tiers (source: BikeRadar’s best cycling apps guide, https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/best-cycling-apps).

Decision guide by purpose

Hiking Manual approach to safe, smart trail discovery

Plan conservatively, verify legality, and prioritize offline readiness. Our layered workflow:

• Discover: Use Trailforks for trail networks, difficulty, popularity, and current conditions, then shortlist options.
• Optimize: Build a coherent loop in Komoot (or OS Maps in the UK) to balance elevation, surfaces, and fitness.
• Verify: Check access with land manager or OS layers; confirm seasonal rules and closures with local trail associations.
• Prepare: Download offline maps and enable live-share and emergency coordinate features if riding solo or new areas (see BikeRadar’s guide above).
• Progress skills gradually and pick terrain that matches your confidence, especially when riding new networks.

Trailforks

Trailforks is the best trail-specific foundation for local mountain bike trails. The platform combines a global, user-contributed database backed by staff moderation with topo layers, POIs, popularity and heatmaps, conditions, and a weather map; it also offers eBike and adaptive filters plus permitted-use overlays. Pro subscribers get unlimited offline trail maps and mobile sync. Trailforks spans over 100 countries, includes a Route Planner, supports custom Garmin maps (with some Edge units preloaded), and integrates Strava segments and live condition reporting (source: Trailforks, https://www.trailforks.com/).

Three-step mini workflow:

1. Search your town or trail system; apply MTB/eBike and difficulty filters.
2. Open recent condition reports and the weather map to avoid wet zones.
3. Choose a loop via the network view, then save and sync to your phone or device.

Komoot

Komoot is a powerful routing companion that stitches multiple trails into one coherent loop and estimates effort. It builds routes from OpenStreetMap data, tuned for MTB with surface types, elevation profiles, difficulty, and fitness requirements. Route creation and recording are free; paid tiers unlock offline, turn-by-turn, cue sheets, and deeper editing (source: BikeRadar’s best cycling apps guide, https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/best-cycling-apps).

OpenStreetMap (OSM) — A community-maintained, editable map of the world that many apps use to calculate routes. Contributors add paths, surfaces, and access tags that inform routing choices. Its openness means rapid updates are possible, but coverage and accuracy vary by region and volunteer activity.

Use cases:

• Combine several local singletrack segments into a smooth loop with favorable gradients.
• Compare surfaces and elevation to choose beginner-friendly options and realistic ride times.

OS Maps

For UK riders, OS Maps provides authoritative topo context and rights-of-way layers. Landranger maps excel for long and multi-day planning, with Premium priced around £6.99/month or £34.99/year, plus a free tier (source: BikeRadar’s best cycling apps guide, https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/best-cycling-apps).

• Use OS layers to verify rights of way and access land.
• Plan resupplies, bailouts, and post-ride logistics like train stations or campsites.
• Validate Trailforks trail legality and Komoot routing before downloading offline tiles.

Geograph

UK riders can add local texture with Geograph.org overlays like Greenspace and the National Cycle Network, which help connect bridleways and green corridors when riding to the trailhead or linking segments (source: BikeRadar’s best cycling apps guide, https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/best-cycling-apps).

Quick visual checklist:

• Turn on the relevant overlay.
• Zoom to confirm corridor continuity and legal access points.
• Cross-check with OS rights-of-way and land-manager information before committing.

Strava heatmap and fitness ecosystems

Heatmap — A visual layer that shows relative activity density along routes. It can reveal common connections and popular loops, but it often underrepresents newer or less-traveled trails and may include unpermitted lines. Treat it as a clue, not proof of legality or suitability, and always cross-check.

Use heatmaps as a secondary signal, validating with Trailforks permitted-use filters and local associations. At Hiking Manual, we treat heatmaps as a hint—never a green light (source: BikeMag’s 2025 MTB trends, https://www.bikemag.com/news/6-mountain-bike-trends-2025).

Offline navigation and paper map backups

Trailforks supports downloadable map tiles, with Pro enabling unlimited offline trail maps; many apps include emergency info that can produce exact GPS coordinates for responders (sources: Trailforks, https://www.trailforks.com/ and BikeRadar’s best cycling apps guide, https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/best-cycling-apps). Hiking Manual plans offline-first and tests in airplane mode before leaving service.

Offline map tiles — Pre-downloaded map data saved on your device, allowing full map use without mobile service. They include basemaps and often routing data, enabling navigation, search, and coordinate readouts even in dead zones. Essential for remote rides where safety should not rely on cell coverage.

Step-by-step:

• Download offline tiles for your ride area in both Trailforks and your routing app.
• Test airplane mode and verify the map and route still function.
• Pack a power bank and short cable.
• Carry a paper map for critical zones and a simple compass as a fail-safe.

Cross-checking access, closures and conditions

Before you ride, verify that your plan is legal and current:

• In Trailforks, filter by activity and permitted use; read recent condition reports and view popularity.
• Check official sources (OS Maps in the UK; park/forest websites elsewhere) for rights-of-way and seasonal rules.
• Scan local trail association updates for closures, wet-weather guidance, and maintenance notes.

Status at a glance

Trailforks supports permitted-use filters, live tracking, and condition reports to help this process (source: Trailforks, https://www.trailforks.com/). In the Hiking Manual workflow, this access check is non-negotiable.

Local intel from shops, clubs and trail associations

Call your local shop for drying times and skill-matched loops, and scan association social feeds for closures and volunteer days. IMBA emphasizes building “a common language” among riders, advocates, and land managers to sustain access and quality trails (source: IMBA trail development guidelines, https://www.imba.com/resource/mountain-bike-trail-development-guidelines).

Callout: Ask about etiquette norms and peak traffic patterns. Riding off-peak reduces crowding and preserves trail quality. Hiking Manual leans on local expertise to ground-truth what maps suggest.

eMTB considerations and permitted use

Pedal-assist eMTBs provide power only when pedaling and are regulated by support limits; they exclude throttles in most jurisdictions. The segment is growing, particularly in parts of Europe, according to industry coverage (source: eMTB overview video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqD72QcfnT0). Trailforks includes eBike-specific filters and permitted-use overlays to help you choose appropriate routes (source: Trailforks, https://www.trailforks.com/). Always confirm local rules, read trailhead signage, and use IMBA-aligned language when discussing access with land managers (source: IMBA trail development guidelines, https://www.imba.com/resource/mountain-bike-trail-development-guidelines).

Exporting routes to bike computers and GPS units

Trailforks offers custom MTB Garmin maps and some Edge units come preloaded; Komoot supports cue sheets and offline navigation with paid tiers (sources: Trailforks, https://www.trailforks.com/ and BikeRadar’s best cycling apps guide, https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/best-cycling-apps).

GPX/TCX export — Standard route file formats that store your planned track and, in some cases, navigation cues. They are widely compatible with bike computers and GPS apps, enabling breadcrumb lines or turn-by-turn prompts. Exporting or syncing these files gets your route onto devices reliably.

Fast flow:

1. Finalize your loop in Trailforks or Komoot.
2. Sync to the app account on your phone.
3. Connect your Garmin/Wahoo account in-app.
4. Verify the route and map layer appear on the device.
5. Start the ride and follow prompts.

On-the-ground scouting tactics

• Read terrain by matching contour lines to real gradients and aspect to anticipate traction.
• Use waypoint photos and POIs to confirm tricky junctions.
• Adjust if conditions deteriorate; Trailforks’ weather map can help target drier zones before you roll out (source: Trailforks, https://www.trailforks.com/).
• Avoid saturated soils, turn back on closed segments, and note signage for future route edits.

Safety features and emergency readiness

Many apps provide live tracking; Trailforks’ emergency info can produce exact coordinates for responders (sources: Trailforks, https://www.trailforks.com/ and BikeRadar’s best cycling apps guide, https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/best-cycling-apps).

GPS coordinates — Latitude/longitude numbers that uniquely pinpoint your position on Earth. Reading or sharing precise coordinates helps responders find you quickly, especially where trail names repeat, junctions are confusing, or cell reception is poor. Practice retrieving coordinates on your phone and bike computer before riding.

Emergency checklist:

• Share your plan and a live-tracking link with a contact.
• Carry ID, a basic first-aid kit, warm layer, lights, and a whistle.
• Know how to pull coordinates from your app/device.
• Enable phone and device SOS features.

Responsible riding, etiquette and stewardship

• Yield appropriately; slow down around others and blind corners.
• Don’t ride muddy trails; respect closures and reroutes.
• Report downed trees or hazards via app channels and local clubs.
• Volunteer for trail days and adopt a corridor if you can.
• Follow IMBA’s sustainability guidance to protect access (source: IMBA trail development guidelines, https://www.imba.com/resource/mountain-bike-trail-development-guidelines).
• Culture shift: Enjoy the ride and choose durable gear that suits your terrain over chasing segments (source: BikeMag’s 2025 MTB trends, https://www.bikemag.com/news/6-mountain-bike-trends-2025).

Quick start workflow for finding a ride today

• Open Trailforks; filter MTB/eBike and difficulty. Check conditions and the weather map (source: Trailforks, https://www.trailforks.com/).
• Build a loop in Komoot; review elevation, surface, difficulty, and fitness estimate (source: BikeRadar’s best cycling apps guide, https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/best-cycling-apps).
• In the UK, validate rights of way with OS Maps.
• Download offline tiles in both apps; add emergency info and share a live track.
• Export/sync the route to your bike computer and confirm it’s on-device.
• Pack basics plus a paper map; ride off-peak to reduce crowding.
• Post-ride, log a condition report to support the community (source: Trailforks, https://www.trailforks.com/).

Skill tip: Focus on looking ahead, staying low, and timing pedal input for smoother control and flow (source: Singletracks coaching insights, https://www.singletracks.com/mtb-tips/improve-your-mtb-skills-tips-and-flow-state-secrets-from-expert-coach-josh-whitmore/).

Frequently asked questions

What is the single best app for finding local mountain bike trails?

Use a trail-first app for discovery and conditions, then add a routing app for turn-by-turn; Hiking Manual recommends the layered approach outlined above.

Do I need offline maps if I ride near town?

Yes. Coverage is unpredictable at trail level—download offline maps and test airplane mode so navigation and coordinates still work.

How do I know if a trail is open and legal to ride?

Cross-check permitted-use filters and condition reports in your trail app with land-manager and local association updates; if signage says closed, choose an alternative.

What’s the simplest way to send a route to my bike computer or phone GPS?

Plan in your preferred trail or routing app, then sync or export a GPX/TCX to your bike computer; confirm the route appears before leaving the trailhead.

How should beginners pick appropriate trails and progress safely?

Start with green/blue flow trails, keep climbs manageable, and build gradually—look ahead, stay low, and time pedal input; progress when rides feel smooth and controlled.

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