From Wheel of Fortune

For a sweet sampler of mountain-bike rides with coastal views, head to Wilder Ranch State Park in Santa Cruz. With over 30 miles of well-marked trails, this former dairy farm is a destination for mountain bikers of all abilities. Beginners and casual riders can take the wide and easy Bluffs Ride, a 4-mile (one-way) cliffside path that leads to several beaches including a fern grotto. For mountain bikers who want some ups and downs with sections of swooping singletrack, point the wheels inland to the grassy hills and redwood forests of the Wilder Ranch Loop and Englesman Loop trails. More experienced riders can whoop it up on toothpick-tight trails like Old Cabin, Wild Boar, and Zane Gray Cutoff. With so much variety, bikers can create a route all their own. That's fat!

TIP: For some tasty Mexican grub after your ride, head to Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz, where El Palomar makes its corn tortillas fresh and its margaritas strong. This place is consistently voted best Mexican food by the local weekly newspaper. Olé!

Wilder Ranch is north of Santa Cruz, immediately west of Highway 1, about a mile past the Western Drive stoplight. There are plenty of loop options with multiple linking trails, so riders should pick up a map at the visitor center before heading up either the Wilder Ranch Loop or Englesman Loop trails. Call the park at 831-423-9703 to see if maps are available (they were out last week). If not, pick one up at a sports store or bike shop in town.

El Palomar, 1336 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz; 831-425-7575.