more stats
1,690 ft
Distance
10 ft
Climb
-234 ft
Descent
00:02:43
Avg time
-223 ft
Altitude change
759 ft
Altitude min
982 ft
Altitude max
982 ft
Altitude start
758 ft
Altitude end
-13.2%
Grade
-28.5%
Grade max
11%
Grade min
151 ft
Distance climb
1,391 ft
Distance down
148 ft
Distance flat
00:02:43
Avg time

Sparkles Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    Harry A Barbier Memorial Park
    San Rafael, California
  • Difficulty Rating
    Black Diamond Rate
  • Local Popularity
    95 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 65 in Trail Running
    • 55 in Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM
  • Physical Rating
    Hard
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • TTFs on Trail
    Drop
  • Land Owner
    City of San Rafael

No community description for Sparkles trail has been added yet!

AI Generated Description

Sparkles is a 1,690 ft popular black diamond difficulty singletrack trail located near San Rafael California. This multi-use trail and has a hard overall physical rating. It features drop. On average it takes 2 minutes to complete this trail.

Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week
  • 1 rides
  • 9 miles average
6 Months
  • 56 rides
  • 13 miles avg distance
All
  • 652 rides
  • Last: Aug 15, 2026
c1c2c3c4
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Sparkles Trail Reports

statusdatedescription
Aug 10, 2026 @ 10:45am (America/Los_Angeles)
Aug 10, 2026
 chunky and rutted
Jun 17, 2026 @ 2:51pm (America/Los_Angeles)
Jun 17, 2026
May 27, 2026 @ 2:53pm (America/Los_Angeles)
May 27, 2026
Feb 21, 2026 @ 1:07pm (America/Los_Angeles)
Feb 21, 2026
 Pretty damn good. A little rough from the erosion but rocks are dry and dirt is tacky.
Jan 13, 2026 @ 3:29pm (America/Los_Angeles)
Jan 13, 2026
more »
Status:
on Aug 10, 2026
Very Dry
Avg: 4.11 (2 votes)
Your vote: 0

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Trail Conditions
  • Unknown
  • Snow Groomed
  • Snow Packed
  • Snow Covered
  • Snow Cover Partial
  • Freeze/thaw Cycle
  • Icy
  • Prevalent Mud
  • Wet
  • Variable
  • Ideal
  • Dry
  • Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
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  • > 90%
  • > 80%
  • > 70%
  • > 50%
  • < 50%
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  • no data
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  • < 1 week
  • < 2 weeks
  • < 1 month
  • < 6 months
  • > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
  • Downhill Only
  • Downhill Primary
  • Both Directions
  • Uphill Primary
  • Uphill Only
  • One Direction
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Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months. Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. Think of this as a heatmap, more activities = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
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BC Backroad Status

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Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
Flat N NE E SE S SW W NW
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        Directions to sparkles trailhead (37.997380, -122.505510)

        Photos

        2 more »
        mtb
        546 |
        Dec 26, 2012 @ 10:37am
        Dec 26, 2012
        mtb
        380 |
        Dec 26, 2012 @ 10:37am
        Dec 26, 2012

        Videos

        1 more »
        hard crash on hitler
        mtb
        0:17 | 2654 | Jan 1, 2013 , San Rafael

        Routes with this trail

        7
        China Camp dark
        ★ 4.3 • 13 miles • 1,878 ft • 4 • Loop •
        This is a longer China Camp SP route that drops into the backside (aka the Darkside) after peaking at the...

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        Nearby Trails

        Harry A Barbier Memorial Park

        • By FRguild & contributors
        • #24018 - 77 views

        Frequently Asked Questions About Sparkles

        ▼ Where is Sparkles located?
        Sparkles is located in Harry A Barbier Memorial Park, San Rafael, California, United States. It is part of the Harry A Barbier Memorial Park trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 37.99738, -122.50551.
        ▼ How hard is Sparkles?
        Sparkles is rated as Black Diamond difficulty. The physical rating is Hard. The average grade is 13.2%.
        ▼ What is the elevation gain for Sparkles?
        Sparkles has 10 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 234 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 759 ft to 982 ft.
        ▼ How long is Sparkles?
        Sparkles is 1,690 ft long. The trail type is singletrack.
        ▼ Are dogs allowed on Sparkles?
        Yes, dogs are allowed on Sparkles. Please keep dogs on a leash where required and clean up after them.
        ▼ When is the best time of year to ride Sparkles?
        Based on activity log data, the most popular months to ride Sparkles are:
        • August (136 activities)
        • July (64 activities)
        • February (60 activities)
        Check the reports page for current trail conditions.
        ▼ How do I access Sparkles? Where is the closest parking trailhead?
        The closest parking and trailhead locations to Sparkles are: View all parking locations in the area.
        ▼ How long does it take to ride Sparkles?
        Based on recorded activities, it takes an average of 3 minutes to ride Sparkles. The trail is 1,690 ft long. Actual times will vary based on fitness level, conditions, and pace. View recent activity logs for more details.
        ▼ How busy is Sparkles?
        Sparkles is a very popular trail. There have been 7,076 recorded activities on this trail. The trail has received 7,920 check-ins. View recent activity on this trail.

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