Begin your ride from the Igo Trailhead, climbing up the steep Lower Hotshots trail to access the MERA Loop. Comprised of buff, fast, flowy dark dirt singletrack snaking through the deep forest along the steep sides of Mount Emily, the MERA Loop is representative of what most of the trails in the MERA trail system have to offer. Tight turns and switchbacks punctuate the high-speed straightaways, and even for a so-called cross country loop, there’s plenty of climbing and descending to be had. Despite being classified as a died-in-the-wool XC trail, swoop and flow is the name of the game on the MERA loop with rollers, berms, and a delightful undulation to the trail at all times.

Tacking on the Sasquatch trail adds more climbing (and descending) to the standard MERA loop, and high up on Sasquatch you’ll enjoy some brief views of the valley below as the trees thin out. Once you reach the far end of Sasquatch, hang on because it’s time to rip down the mountain! Sasquatch leads into Ricochet, and the descent continues with big berms and small jumps providing high entertainment value.

After Ricochet, pick up part of the MERA loop, then veer off onto Peebles for a high-speed finish dropping all the way back down to the Igo Trailhead.