How to save big at mountain bike parks

June 10, 4:03 PMLA Adventure Travel ExaminerDana Nichols

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Photo: Kirkwood.com

Having trouble coughing up a hundred bucks for a day of mountain biking? Regular all-day tickets at Northstar and Mammoth are $39. Couple that with the cost a full-day full suspension bike rental and you're looking at at least $100 out of your wallet, and that's before beer and nachos. Instead, ride the trails at Mammoth, Northstar and other Cali bike parks without paying full price by visiting in the afternoon or using a package deal. Keep reading for the dirty details.

Afternoon rides
Visit Northstar on a Friday afternoon when tickets are $20 3-7pm. Kirkwood knocks ten bucks off on any afternoon of the week, bringing the pass price to $22. Keep in mind: Kirkwood rentals charge $55 for a full suspension full day but you can go midweek and rent hourly for just $15 an hour. Snow Summit is the most affordable -- take one ride up the Sky Chair for just $10 -- that's like the price of going to the movies -- and they're open until 4pm; 5pm on Saturdays (no downhillers though).

Need a bed?
Package deals enable a weekend of mountain biking, pus lodging, for only $150. Northstar will throw in a 2-day bike park pass with a $75-a-night room (per person). Mammoth's take on a similar package deal is $85 per person per night.

Pedal yourself up
Cheapskates, get to know the pedal pass. Northstar's pedal pass is free; so is Kirkwood's. Mammoth charges $10 for a whole day of pedaling. I don't know many people who pedal straight up to the top of mammoth's 11,000-foot summit, but there are some great traversing trails that are totally doable (and less dusty, too).

Season pass, schmeason pass
Mammoth has a nice little twist on the season pass. It's what they call the quad pack. Avoid the $309 season pass and pay for four days up front (they can be any four days 'till the end of summer) and you're only looking at $116.