I didn't think to say where I actually look. The local area has a site that lists the trails and a rating system. There are actually a couple of local sites with pretty decent descriptions. As a newbie I find most of the ratings are a little higher, for example most intermediate stuff is very hard for me. So I kind of take the ratings with a grain of salt since I only have about 10 trips to the trail under me, I find their easy is still a challenge for me.
Amanda
2011 Specialized Epic Comp 29er | Specialized Phenom | "Marie Laveau"
2007 Cannondale Synapse Carbon Road | Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow | "Miranda"
You don't have to be great to get started, but you do have to get started to be great. -Lee J. Colan