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Where to ride kids dirt bike

atoyf

atoyf

Well-known member
Joined
May 30, 2004
Location
East Bay
Moto(s)
BMW
Got my son a dirt bike, it’s one of those small pit bikes.. where in east bay or around we can go to practice ?
 
Any dirt lot!! Oh wait this ain’t the 70’s. :laughing

Carnegie. :teeth

And go to dirty Barf man. :later
 
Metcalf in San Jose, it'll need an OHV sticker (red or green)
 
I live in Antioch so apparently from what I have seen you can ride dirt bikes on the street, down the bike trail and even in your neighbors yards.
 
Metcalf has beginners practice area and a mini track. Limited to less than 150cc bikes. Great place for kids to have fun.
 
There’s also Club Moto Motocross Track in Livermore at 7727 Altamont Pass Road very near the 580 freeway. It’s small but worth checking out. Clubmoto.com is their site.
 
It would help to know more specifically where you are in the east bay. There are three primary riding locations in the east and south bay. All have designated areas for kids and beginning riders. But each also have their pros and cons...

Carnegie OHV park is the farthest east and is located between Livermore and Tracy. Carnegie is known for its steep and very technical trail riding. People either love or hate Carnegie for this reason. If you stay down in the flat areas there are designated tracks for kids (engine size restricted) and intermediate riders. Carnegie was once the site of an old brick factory due to the high clay content in the soil. During wet months the clay can turn to a very thick mud and is not be desirable for riding, although some will try. During the summer Carnigie can get hot and very dusty.

Holister Hills OHV park is the farthest south and is located in the hills above Holister (I guess the name is fitting). Holister also has designated kids and intermediate riding areas. The majority of trails at Holister are well groomed, designated one-way, and in general are less technical than Carnegie. Holister has a high sand content in the soil so during wet weather the mud is much less sticky than the mud at Carnegie. Depending on your location it can be a long drive, but the town of Holister has some nice places to eat if you aren't in a rush to return home.

Metcalf Park is just south of San Jose, so it is fairly close. It is however much smaller than Carnegie and Holister Hills. It is run by the county, so California OHV season passes are not accepted. It also has designated areas for kids and beginner riders. The trail system is small, but does offer a variety of terrain for more experienced riders.

All three parks charge a daily fee of around $5, and you can purchase a California OHV season pass for $50 that is good at Holister and Carnegie.

Most important is to be safe and have fun:ride
 
greenmonster said:
There’s also Club Moto Motocross Track in Livermore at 7727 Altamont Pass Road very near the 580 freeway. It’s small but worth checking out. Clubmoto.com is their site.
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That is not an appropriate place to take a new rider or really any rider on a non-motocross bike.

I would suggest Carnegie. There is a nice beginner spot near the road east of the entrance. The map shows it as being west of the entrance - maybe it's changed since I used to ride there. And you can ride on the green roads once the kid gets tired of doing laps on the beginner track. I took my son there when he first started riding. It was a great place to develop off road skills.
 
Actually Metcalf is not a very beginner friendly place at least the trails aren't they immediately have steep downhills and climbs. Like Trail 1 for example has a steep downhill, I see lots of kids freak out and just stock at the top and the parent has to coax them go down. But yeah there is a beginners oval and mini mx track.

Hollister Hills probably has the best beginner friendly trails.
 
This thread helped me a lot !!

Do any of those places offer any intermediate training ? I ride street and we both ride dirt on private property. My son having the better learning curve.

I just want to know the rules of following trails correctly. And how would I know if I have enough gas to make it through without having to turn around?

All the beginner ovals need a parent rider with them ? Or is that just for trails ?
 
Primo1 said:
I just want to know the rules of following trails correctly. And how would I know if I have enough gas to make it through without having to turn around?
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At Carnegie there are no one-way trails. Although I can think of a few that are close to impossible to go up, so by default they're one way down.

Fill the tank before heading out and you ought to have enough to do all of the green and blue trails at Carnegie. The park isn't that big.
 
The rules are try to stick to the right and when you pass by a rider or group of riders going in your opposite direction, you indicate the number of riders in your group. Generally the lead rider does it but everyone else can. That way the know how many other bike to expect coming. Or if you pass someone and know there's someone behind indicate you had passed someone.

You do this but putting up a fist for no riders behind you (solo) that's usually me or 1 finger for one rider behind you 2 fingers for 2 riders behind you and so forth.

At Metcalf you don't have to worry about this as much since the trails are one way there are still intersections though.

If you've never been there before grab a park map and it should have the rules on the map.
 
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HadesOmega said:
The rules are try to stick to the right and when you pass by a rider or group of riders going in your opposite direction, you indicate the number of riders in your group. Generally the lead rider does it but everyone else can. That way the know how many other bike to expect coming. Or if you pass someone and know there's someone behind indicate you had passed someone.

You do this but putting up a fist for no riders behind you (solo) that's usually me or 1 finger for one rider behind you 2 fingers for 2 riders behind you and so forth.

At Metcalf you don't have to worry about this as much since the trails are one way there are still intersections though.

If you've never been there before grab a park map and it should have the rules on the map.
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Great info. Thank you!
 
If you're looking for a mostly big flat area with trails and no trees or random things to hit and is legally ride, then there is a little known riding area called San Luis Reservoir Off Highway Vehicle Recreation Area. Definitely head out there before it starts to get warm though.
 
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KooLaid said:
If you're looking for a mostly big flat area with trails and no trees or random things to hit and is legally ride, then there is a little known riding area called San Luis Reservoir Off Highway Vehicle Recreation Area. Definitely head out there before it starts to get warm though.
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thanks man, a bit far, but we will make it out there at some point ..!!
 
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