Fort Ord

The other reviewers were right on with what they said.
While the legendary Ft Ord sand can be an annoyance in midsummer it is transformed into a godsend by winter rains. Trails that were «undoable» in August are perfect in February. I suppose that’s why the Sea Otter Classic is held on Ft Ord this time of year.
As another reviewer mentioned, there are trails on Ft Ord that are better for mountain biking depending on the time of year. If you want the inside info… If you are planning on riding Ft Ord, get in touch with either the folks at MORCA or BETA.
Both are trail support/​use groups on Ft Ord and will be happy to fill you in on the up-​to-​date.

Fort ord is a wonderful place. If your just visiting Monterey for a short time rent a bike and go for a ride. Its rolling hills make it ideal for Mountain biking, hiking, and cross country jogging. Unlike Toro park Fort Ord often has a nice breeze blowing which feels great.
The nice thing about Fort ord is that you can have a great time there if its your first time ever mountain biking! The climbs don’t go on and on for ever, and the down hills on the roads are well graded. But take my advice and stay on the roads if you are a novice. The dirt roads are still very fun but with much less danger. To me mountain biking in Fort Ord is like riding a roller coaster. A nice work out to get up a hill then an exhilarating downhill, then repeat.
Yet for the experienced person there is world class technical single track.
I made a map of my favorite dirt road mountain bike route with pictures.
Just take out the spaces when you paste it into your browser.
http://maps. google. com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=118 025 071 431 529 644 032.0­4 5813d30fa631a6c08&ie=UTF8&z=9

If I want sand, I’ll go to the beach.
The sand is what cost this place a star — otherwise it’s got miles and miles of trails, single track, fire road, nice and gentle, super steep. You can plan many different routes around here and find the ride that suits you (sir). Once you’ve been here a couple of times, you can find routes that avoid nearly all the sand too — which is what I do.
There’s a fair amount of wildlife too — always see bunnies and occasionally see other stuff like coyotes and bobcats and there are plenty of birds of prey floating around too to help with the wildlife extravaganza factor.
The scenery and views deserve a +1 star, but the sheep and their poop lose that star again. The spent shell casings are a wash star wise.
Get here early in the summer to avoid the heat — and for a real challenge, take in the MTB course from the Sea Otter Classic event and try to beat the pros’ times (I’m not even close even in my ancient age bracket).
I had the biggest burton of my MTB life here about a week ago and I’m looking forward to hitting the same trails again this weekend — I think that says it all.