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If you’ve started mountain biking in North Texas, you’ve probably learned there are many fantastic options available either within the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, or within a few hour’s drive or less. There are trails available at every skill level from super-easy to extremely dangerous. Determining which one you should ride can be difficult.

Almost all trails in the greater North Texas area use the standard IMBA Trail Difficulty Rating System to let riders know what they might expect to find on any given trail. As your confidence and abilities grow you can push yourself to try out the next level of trails.

A quick explanation of IMBA’s rating system is as follows:

• Easiest (white circle)
• Easy—Beginner (green circle)
• More Difficult—Intermediate (blue square)
• Very Difficult—Advanced (black diamond)
• Extremely Difficult—Expert (double-black diamond)

Not sure where to start? Check out the NTX Trails Progression Guide to learn which trails in North Texas are best-suited to your skills and experience.

Greenways

Greenways—also possibly known as greenbelts—are a perfect first step for newbie mountain bikers, especially for newbies who can’t find a riding buddy but still want to put down some miles.

Greenways are sometimes designated by signs bearing a white circle as shown in the chart above.

A greenway can be either a paved or non-paved surface that is mostly flat and very wide—think wide enough to drive a car on or wider. Greenways are typically home to two-way traffic that consists of both walkers and cyclists.

While a greenway may sound like little more than a sidewalk, they’re really much more than that in most instances. A greenway is typically purpose-built for multiple uses such as walkers and cyclists, and tends to be a long, contiguous surface that has minimal interruptions by cross streets or other motorized traffic.

A greenway is also often constructed near or through natural green spaces and preserves, whereas sidewalks are built close to neighborhoods and businesses for the purpose of aiding pedestrian traffic. In some municipalities bicycles are prohibited from using sidewalks, but rarely prohibited from utilizing greenways. If you can safely pedal a bike down the sidewalk or a street, you can pedal down a greenway.

Another reason greenways are a great first step is because it can be a new MTBer’s first exposure to riding a soft surface trail—which in the case of a greenway means hardened dirt or possibly gravel. Bicycle handling on dirt or gravel is somewhat different than riding on pavement, and if you’re using an actual mountain bike that bike’s handling will be better on a soft surface trail. Knobby tires actually don’t perform well on paved surfaces, and slick road tires don’t fare all that well on dirt or gravel.

Not sure what some of the words in this article mean? Be sure to check out our Glossary of MTB Terms and Slang.

New riders are often surprised how much stamina is needed to pedal their bike for several miles, so greenways are a smart choice to put in some saddle time and start building up endurance—both leg and rear end endurance.

Greenbelts also offer the lowest-risk type of trail riding possible. A rider on a greenway is extremely unlikely to encounter technical trail obstacles that might throw them from their bike. A greenway is almost impossible to get lost on as well. Most greenways are either mostly straight lengths of trail where the rider can bike to the end then turn around to come back, or a closed loop that begins and ends at the same place. Greenways usually have great signage as well, especially in the middle of the city.

When riding a greenway, always remember that walkers have the right of way. Be courteous and don’t go faster than you can handle, and slow down as traffic increases. It’s a good idea to get a bike bell and ring it as you approach walkers and other riders from behind. When you get close enough, announce yourself and your intention to pass by saying something like, “On your left!” This phrase is fairly universally understood, and simple enough for most English speakers to parse your meaning even when hearing it for the first time. Pass walkers and riders on their left shoulder and give them as wide a berth as possible—an abundance of caution and politeness will give you a great reputation with local users. Finally, don’t try to pass until the left side of the path is free of oncoming traffic. Remember, greenways are almost always home to two-way traffic.

Beginner Trails

Most new mountain bikers cut their teeth on beginner-level trails. Such trails are typically designated with signage bearing a green circle as shown in the chart above.

Typically, green trails are safe for beginners to try out on their own, though we still recommend that new riders do their first trail rides with a friend or in a group. Trail riding on a mountain bike is somewhat different than riding a street bike or cruiser on pavement.

Green trails, while beginner-friendly, still offer increased grades for uphills and downhills, and may have both avoidable and unavoidable obstacles. As the chart above shows, the unavoidable obstacles should be 2-inches tall or shorter, which is small enough for mountain bike tires to simply roll over. Having said that, even tiny obstacles can throw an unprepared rider from their bike, so new riders should use caution and discretion as they learn new bike-handling skills.

In addition, and this cannot be stressed enough, a trail that is rated green for beginners will not necessarily adhere to the standards laid out on the chart above. Many times, trail ratings are subjective, meaning that the person(s) who gave the trail its rating may be under- or overestimating the trail’s actual difficulty—especially for a new rider. On top of this, when you look up trails online on sites such as Trailforks or MTB Project, the rating shown may not be the official rating, but rather the editor’s personal estimation of the trail’s difficulty in relation to their own skills.

On more caveat about green trails—and really any trail—is that the rating given is the average rating for the entire trail or trail segment. This means that, in the instance of a green trail, the majority of the trail may be beginner-friendly but still contain short segments or individual features that are more difficult. Thankfully for most beginner trails, you’ll find bypasses for such technical trail features but there’s no guarantee.

Intermediate Trails

Intermediate trails offer increased difficulty for those riders whose skills have progressed beyond the beginner level. Such trails are typically designated with signage bearing a blue square as shown on the chart above.

In general, blue trails are about one-third narrower than green trails at an average width of 24-inches. The trail surfaces remain mostly stable—meaning you won’t find a great deal of loose gravel, rock, or sand. Having said that, this doesn’t mean you won’t encounter some loose surfaces.

Intermediate trails will often also offer unavoidable obstacles much larger than those found on green trails—features such as roots, rocks, and drops that are up to 8-inches tall. The grade of uphills and downhills will also be greater on the average, increasing the difficulty and danger on those sections.

A trail rated blue for intermediate riders will not necessarily adhere to the standards laid out in the chart above. Many times, trail ratings are subjective, meaning that the person(s) who gave the trail its rating may be under- or overestimating the trail’s actual difficulty—especially for a new rider. On top of this, when you look up trails online on sites such as Trailforks or MTB Project, the rating shown may not be the official rating, but rather the editor’s personal estimation of the trail’s difficulty in relation to their own skills.

Another caveat is that the rating given is the average rating for the entire trail or trail segment.

This means that, in the instance of a blue trail, the majority of the trail may be intermediate-level but still contain short segments or technical trails features that are more difficult. Bypasses may be available for some of the more difficult TTFs, but there’s no guarantee.

Advanced Trails

Advanced trails offer increased difficulty for those riders whose skills have progressed beyond the intermediate level. Such trails are typically designated with signage bearing a black diamond as shown on the chart above.

In general, black trails are about half as wide as blue trails at an average width of 12-inches. The trail surfaces are variable—meaning you’ll find loose gravel, rock, and sand.

Advanced trails often feature unavoidable obstacles much larger than those found on green or blue trails—features such as roots, rocks, and drops that are up to 15-inches tall. The grade of uphills and downhills will also be much greater on the average, increasing the difficulty and danger on those sections. Advanced trails may also feature increased exposure (drop offs on either side of the trail).

A trail rated black for advanced riders will not necessarily adhere to the standards laid out in the chart above. Many times, trail ratings are subjective, meaning that the person(s) who gave the trail its rating may be under- or overestimating the trail’s actual difficulty—especially for a new rider. On top of this, when you look up trails online on sites such as Trailforks or MTB Project, the rating shown may not be the official rating, but rather the editor’s personal estimation of the trail’s difficulty in relation to their own skills.

Another caveat is that the rating given is the average rating for the entire trail or trail segment.

This means that, in the instance of a black trail, the majority of the trail may be advanced-level but still contain short segments or technical trails features that are more (or less) difficult. Bypasses may be available for some of the more difficult TTFs but there’s no guarantee, particularly on black trails.

Expert Trails

Expert trails offer increased difficulty for those riders whose skills have progressed beyond the advanced level. Such trails are typically designated with signage bearing a double black diamond as shown on the chart above.

In general, double black trails are about half as wide as black trails at an average width of 6-inches. The trail surfaces are extremely variable and unpredictable—meaning you’ll find loose gravel, rock, sand, and other technically-difficult surfaces..

Expert trails feature unavoidable obstacles much larger than those found on blue or black trails—features such as roots, rocks, and drops that are up to 20-inches tall or larger. The grade of uphills and downhills will also be much greater on the average, increasing the difficulty and danger on those sections. Expert trails may also feature increased exposure (drop offs on either side of the trail).

A trail rated double black for expert riders will not necessarily adhere to the standards laid out in the chart above. Many times, trail ratings are subjective, meaning that the person(s) who gave the trail its rating may be under- or overestimating the trail’s actual difficulty—especially for a new rider. On top of this, when you look up trails online on sites such as Trailforks or MTB Project, the rating shown may not be the official rating, but rather the editor’s personal estimation of the trail’s difficulty in relation to their own skills.

Another caveat is that the rating given is the average rating for the entire trail or trail segment.

This means that, in the instance of a double black trail, the majority of the trail may be expert-level but still contain short segments or technical trails features that are more (or less) difficult. Bypasses may be available for some of the more difficult TTFs but there’s no guarantee, particularly on black trails.

Have fun, ride smart, and keep shredding!