Thanks to the vision of a few garage tinkerers who slapped fat tires on fat frames, California is the Mecca of mountain biking. With a variety of terrain, it's also a magnet for road cyclists.

Marin County, located north of the Golden Gate Bridge, is considered the birthplace of mountain biking. More than 60 routes exist on fire roads and other byways in Mount Tamalpais State Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Marin Municipal Water District, and Point Reyes National Seashore. In nearby Santa Rosa, Annadel State Park offers trails on 5,000 acres.

Many of these trails have spectacular high-elevation views of San Francisco Bay, its bridges, and the skyline of the city. Some knowledgeable cyclists swear the most scenic is the 11-mile Bolinas Ridge Trail. This jaunt begins in redwood forest and meanders up and down until it makes a long descent through open pastureland. Along the way are breathtaking panoramas of the Pacific Ocean, including Tomales Bay and Bodega Head.

Mountain Biking

California's State Park System has excellent cycling trails for all ability levels. One unique outing is a cruise to Angel Island State Park, in the heart of San Francisco Bay, where you can rent a bike and tour the island. At Bethany Reservoir State Recreation Area, in the northwestern San Joaquin Valley, cyclists have access to the California Aqueduct Bikeway, which parallels the channel that brings water to Southern California. On the Central Coast, Montaña de Oro State Park, near San Luis Obispo, offers miles of wide and single-track mountain bike trails, and vistas of the Pacific. In the southern part of the state, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, east of San Diego, has a variety of mountain bike routes, including the popular Blair Valley Trail and the scenic, but challenging, Carrizo Badlands Trail. Both are best negotiated in the cooler months.

While mountain biking is permitted in a number of state parks and on many federal lands, the sport has evolved into a resort experience in the high country. During summer, ski areas often run their chairlifts for cyclists, and a few resorts have developed extensive trail systems. You'll find dedicated mountain biking parks at Lake Tahoe, east of Sacramento; Mammoth Lakes in the central Sierra; Mount Shasta, north of Redding; and Big Bear Lake in the San Bern-ardino National Forest, east of Los Angeles. You can rent bikes at any of these destinations.

Although everyone, it seems, has a mountain bike, that hasn't meant the end od road biking. Cross-country touring still has its fans, and several travel companies offer guided road trips at various destinations throughout the state. Most tours provide vans or "sag wagons" for repairs and timeouts, along with lavish buffet lunches at designated stops. On multi-day excursions, staying at comfortable bed-and-breakfast inns and small historic lodges has become a favorite cycling vacation.

Family Bicycling

Because cycling is so popular with families, many cities and towns have established paved bike trails, often shared with hikers and inline skaters. In Northern California, some of the more scenic paths include the West Shore of Lake Tahoe from Tahoe City to Sugar Pine Point State Park; trails along the American and Sacramento rivers near the state capital; Richardson Bay near Sausalito and Tiburon; Golden Gate Park in San Francisco; Sawyer Trail along Crystal Springs Reservoir, south of San Francisco; the west side of San Francisco Bay from Burlingame to Redwood City; south San Jose to Gilroy; and much of Monterey Bay, including the Cannery Row district and the Santa Cruz shoreline. Some highways and local roads have designated bike lanes, including popular routes in the Napa and Sonoma wine country, and the spectacular 17 Mile Drive, which skirts championship golf courses and rugged coastline dotted with Monterey cypress on the Monterey Peninsula.

In Southern California, paved promenades along Los Angeles County beaches extend for miles, but you'll have to share them with runners, skaters, and walkers. Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Redondo Beach, and Malibu Beach are just a few of the entry points for cyclists. In San Diego, Mission Bay is a veritable cycling wonderland, and one of the most popular road events is the annual San Diego-to-Ensenada (Baja California) tour.

Whether you bring your own bicycle or rent one locally, be sure to wear a helmet (it's state law for those 18 or younger), take plenty of water, and carry a hand pump and tire patch kit.