Mountain & Road Biking in Wasatch Range with Park City

With more than 350 mi of public trails and smooth blacktop roads stretching in every direction, it's no wonder Park City is home to a number of internationally elite mountain and road bikers. You can join local road or mountain bikers three evenings a week for free group rides sponsored by Park City bike shops. Pick up a free map of area trails at any local bike shop or get details online from Mountain Trails Foundation (435/649-6839. www.mountaintrails.org).

Road bikers can ride with a pack each Monday and Thursday evening from mid-May through mid-September from Cole Sport (1615 Park Ave. 435/649-4800 or 800/345-2938. www.colesport.com). You can rent mountain and road bikes from Cole; be ready to ride from the shop at 6 PM. If you're looking to learn to mountain bike or improve your skills, Deer Valley Mountain Bike School (Silver Lake Village at Deer Valley. 435/649-6648 or 888/754-8477. www.deervalley.com) offers clinics and guided tours in myriad packages; a half-day group clinic is $40. For a little help getting uphill, Deer Valley Resort (Silver Lake Village and Snow Park Lodge at Deer Valley. 435/649-1000 or 888/754-8477. www.deervalley.com) offers lift-assisted mountain biking or hiking daily mid-June through mid-September; it's $24 for a lift ticket. Bike rentals are available. On Tuesday evenings from May through September, the bike experts at Jans Mountain Outfitters (1600 Park Ave. 435/649-4949 or 800/745-1020. www.jans.com) lead groups of mountain bikers up and down local trails. Meet at the shop at 6 PM for this free group ride, where you can also rent equipment. Mountain bikers and hikers can ride the chairs at Park City Mountain Resort (1310 Lowell Ave. 435/649-8111 or 800/222-7275. www.parkcitymountain.com) to access the on-mountain trail complex. An all-day lift pass is $18. Equipment rentals are available. Thursday evenings from May through September, mountain bikers of all levels get together for a free employee-led tour at White Pine Touring (1790 Bonanza Dr. 435/649-8710. www.whitepinetouring.com). Employees lead a women-only ride on Tuesdays. For both rides, meet at the shop at 6 PM, and rent equipment there.