Mariners Riders

Los Angeles Forest Tour. 78 Miles, 7000' elevation gain. You ride from Pasadena over to a lightly used canyon road, then up this to the mountains. After that you travel in the mountains behind the front range on a small road, then return on the Los Angeles Crest Hwy, going up Mt. Wilson on the way back. There is a store on the Los Angeles Forest Rd that is open sometimes. Be careful of motorcycles.

Start: Pasadena/Arroyo Blvd -> L Oak Grove -> L Berkshire Av -> R Chevy Chase -> L Descanso -> R Verdugo turns into Honolulu turns into Pennsylvania -> L Honolulu -> R Tujunga Canyon Rd -> L Foothill -> R Mt. Gleason -> R Big Tujunga Canyon Rd -> L Los Angeles Forest Rd (at T) -> R Upper Big Tujunga Canyon (there are some hard climbs along here, and you can find snow and ice in the winter) -> R Los Angeles Crest Hwy -> L Mount Wilson/Red Box Rd -> back to Los Angeles Crest Hwy -> L Foothill Blvd -> R Oak Grove -> R Arroyo.

To do a short version of 54 miles with 3000' gain, turn right off Big Tujunga Canyon onto Los Angeles Forest Rd (at the T), then go right onto Los Angeles Crest Hwy and follow the rest home.

Glendora Mountain Road. 40 miles, 4000' elevation gain. This is a great ride for a date, a "gentleman's" mountain ride. In the winter, you may find ice and snow for long stretches of the ridge road.

Start: Claremont/Indian Hill Blvd -> L Base Line Rd turns into College Way -> R Garey (at T) -> L Base Line Rd -> R Foothill Blvd -> R Amelia Av -> L Foothill Blvd -> R Valley Center turns left into Sierra Madre -> quick R Glendora Mountain Rd -> Take right turnoff onto Glendora Ridge Rd, the turnoff comes after the descent starts -> R Mt. Baldy Rd -> bears left and turns into Mills Av -> R Base Line -> L Indian Hill.

Mt. Baldy Ski Lifts 16 miles, 5000' elevation gain. Oh, switchbacks! Oh, baby! Be prepared for steep sustained climbs. The steepest sections are through and just past the tunnels, approaching the switchbacks and the switchbacks, and the driveway to the parking lot at the top.

Start: Claremont/Indian Hill Blvd -> R Base Line Rd -> L Mills Ave -> bears right and becomes Mt. Baldy Rd. Follow this until you reach the ski lifts. Then ride back down.

Crystal Lake - Mount Baldy Loop. 80 miles, 10,500' elevation gain. This is a beautiful ride in the mountains. Be sure to take plenty of food and water, and be prepared for long steep climbs that go on and on. There is a little store halfway along East Fork Rd.

Start: Azusa/N Azusa -> turns into San Gabriel Canyon Rd/Hwy 39 -> continuing straight past the East Fork turnoff, follow this road to the end where it was ruined by an earthquake. It is uphill almost all the way. -> Turn around and go back down. (You pass the side road bearing left up to the Crystal Lake campground. There is a store there open in the summer) -> L East Fork Rd -> R Glendora Mountain Rd -> L Glendora Ridge Rd -> L Mt Baldy Rd -> Continue to Mt. Baldy Ski Lifts -> Down Mt. Baldy Rd -> bears left and turns into Mill Ave -> R Base Line -> L Indian Hill -> Claremont.
You can make this into a closed loop century by riding back to Azusa (follow directions for the Glendora Mountain Ride above to get to Glendora, then continue on Foothill to Azusa) or by riding back over the ridge road and then down Glendora Mountain road to Glendora and over to Azusa on Foothill.

Where is Aliso Canyon? 70 miles, 6000' elevation gain. A nice, desert ride with some steep climbs. Don't do this during the height of summer.

Start: Big Tujunga Canyon Rd -> bears left and turns into Oro Vista Rd -> R Foothill Blvd -> R Osborne St/Little Tujunga Rd -> bear right onto Sand Canyon Rd -> R Soledad Canyon Rd -> R Aliso Canyon Rd -> R Los Angeles Forest Rd -> R Big Tujunga Canyon Rd.

Is the bridge out? 80 miles, 4000' elevation gain. This starts off on the coast and then follows the nice Ortega Highway through some interesting landscape as it climbs up the mountains overlooking Lake Elsinore and the desert. After a long descent, follow the city streets (you should have a map for this) over to Old Highway 395. This is a great road for riding, parallel to a big freeway, with little traffic and nice terrain. There are some spectacular bridge crossings back and forth over the freeway (if the bridges are open!). We did this ride as part of a two day tour to San Diego, stopping in Escondido the first day and then going on.

Start: San Juan Capistrano/Ortega Hwy -> Lake Elsinore -> Old Hwy 395 -> Escondido.

Southern California

Palomar Mountain run. Twisty and scenic, low to medium traffic density, excellent road quality. This road starts on the I15 exit north of San Diego. Take Highway 76 E(about 30 miles north of San Diego) from I 15 and you are in for a nice scenic ride through So Cal canyons. About 25 miles of medium twisties and then the real fun starts at the base of Mount Palomar. There are two routes on Palomar, the west face and the east face. The west face is an extremely twisty 7.5 mile run to the summit and the east face is a 10 mile very twisty run with a high speed section towards the base. The traffic is moderate during the weekend and light during the week. The roads are usually excellent but due to poor weather lately (Dec-Mar) there is some debris on the roads. Mount Palomar offers fantastic views and there are usually less than 40 riders on the mountain at any one time. If you have extreme mods then please consider that the mountain goes from 520ft to 5,400ft in about 7 miles. There is no gas station on the mountain or at the base the closest station is on the Indian reservation 15 miles away. There are only two places to eat on the mountain (one is a vegetarian joint called the mother earth the other place is the Lodge).

Angeles/San Bernardino National Forests

Angeles Crest Highway - route 2. Twisty and scenic. Medium to high traffic density, fair to good road quality. This road is basically the Mecca of So Cal sport riding. It may not be the absolute best road, but you have to ride it at least once. If you've read a magazine test, chances are they've tested the bikes on the Crest. Start near Glendale or from the north by way of Angeles Forest. The road works its way up into the mountains, and then winds through them until it finally lets you out past Wrightwood, onto 138. From there you can turn back or take 138 to the 15. Fairly heavily trafficked on the weekends, but the weekdays are alright. Some rough spots in the pavement as you get into the mountains, so be careful. Also, parts of it are closed in the winter, due to snow. Have fun!

Sand Canyon Road. Absolutely an awesome road! Very twisty, low traffic density, mostly excellent road quality. From Santa Clarita on the 14 freeway at the north end to the San Fernando Valley. This road is super tight and twisty. From the north, you start out going through some horse ranches. This ends after a couple miles and the fun begins. Head up the mountain then back down; 40-50 mph turns for the most part. Some blind turns, so be careful, but the pavement is generally in great condition. A good road for practicing flicking the bike back and forth, transitioning between turns. This took the place of Angeles Forest as my favorite road. Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road. Fast sweepers, satisfactory road condition, very low traffic density. This road extends from the Angeles Forest Highway southeast to the Angeles Crest. Lots of fast sweepers, and a good shortcut from the Angeles Forest to head up the Angeles Crest. Some areas of extensive tar sealant, which will cause your wheels to squirm around a little, just take it easy in these sections.

Big Pines Highway - N4. Very twisty, low traffic density, good road quality. From Angeles Crest a couple miles west of Wrightwood, take Big Pines Highway. This road winds itself down the north side of the Angeles Mountains. There are lots of VERY tight turns, some where 20 mph seems fast! It will let you out near 138; you can take this east or west or go back up to the Crest.

Azusa Canyon - 39, Twisty - mildly scenic, low to medium traffic density, excellent road quality. Traffic density varies from low to medium, very rarely to high. Mirror to Angeles Crest Highway as far as road difficulty. Road condition is much better. Goes back about 25 miles and has junctions to East Fork Road and Mount Baldy. Always 1 CHP officer toward the bottom for us speeders to watch for. During the week it is desolate.

Angeles Forest from the Crest to Hwy 14. Twisty, good road condition, low to medium traffic. From the 14 freeway at the north end to the Angeles Crest highway at the south end. It has everything from tight uphill and downhill turns, to some of the fastest sweepers in So Cal. Some good open stretches as well. Great ride, and not many cops (haven't seen any yet, they're always on the Crest). (Length 24 mi.)

Glendora Mountain Road, above the 210/57 split. Very, very twisty. Good road for learning how to turn and transition between turns. Very rarely will your bike ever be straight up. Good road quality in most areas. As you get toward the top the road quality decreases a bit. Some incredible views of the Angeles Mountains and Mount Baldy. Joins to Azusa Canyon via East Fork or can be ridden all the way to Mount Baldy for breakfast and a song.

SR 138 east of I-15. Not very twisty to very twisty, medium traffic density, good road condition. Depending on the time of day or weekend/weekday/holiday, this road can get fairly busy as people make their way to Silverwood Lake and Lake Arrowhead. From I-15 at Cajon Junction, it starts out as a four lane highway winding up into the mountains. Once you get past Silverwood Lake, though, it quickly gets very twisty, with some very slow corners. If there's no traffic, it's wonderful, but any traffic will really clog things up. Take it to the town of Crestline, and then go explore the many other scenic and twisty roads in this area.

Decker Rd. Twisty, low traffic density, good road condition. This road connects PCH to the 101 west of Malibu (at the north end it's known as Westlake Blvd). Wonderfully twisty, with good elevation changes thrown in there too. A lot of 1st and 2nd gear corners, followed by a quick run through 3rd, followed by hard braking into another slow corner, so lots of fun!

Grimes Canyon Road/SR 23. Twisty, medium traffic density, good road condition. This road connects SR 118 and SR 126, with Fillmore at the north end. A good road that would be even better if there was less traffic. Early on weekend morning would be best if you can't go during the week.

Latigo Canyon. Twisty and scenic, low density, good quality. It is a canyon road that goes from PCH to Kanan Dume Rd. For sportbike riding it is by far THE TWISTIEST road I've ever ridden. I've explored roads from one end of California to the other, from San Diego to Oregon, and by car or bike this road will test your limits. It is NOT a fast road like Angeles Crest. It is a DANGEROUSLY twisty road. The number of skid marks attest to its nasty nature. A friend of mine lives on this road and even he went off the road on a off-camber corner. If you think you need a challenge, this road will give you all you can handle. There are several very scenic locations where you can see all the way to Catalina Island.

Carbon Canyon from Lambert to Chino Hills. This road is more famous as the route to La Vida Hot Springs, but a few hairpins will keep you on your toes (length 14 mi).

Old Topanga Canyon from Topanga to Mulholland. The scenery is great, the switchbacks are a good mild challenge and the road tends to be less traveled. (Length 7 mi.)

Mulholland through Malibu State Park. This short stretch right before the Rock Store is one of the more challenging pieces of road. The uphill, decreasing radius turns still give me trouble from time to time (length 3 mi.)

Pacific Coast Highway from Jamboree south to Laguna Beach. If you watch out for the speed traps, you will see some beautiful scenery (length 6 mi.)

Rt. 76 East to Palomar Mountain
People, including me usually say, this is one of the best routes I have taken in my whole life. After a while you realize that there are really a lot of good rides out there and going up to Palomar Mountain, North East of San Diego is without doubts one of them.

You can take it from Vista if you go 76 easts. Actually 76 is fairly nice from the very beginning. However where you will see the real stuff is when you get to about Pauma Valley. You will have to make a left turn to go to Palomar, you will see the sign. If you continue on 76 east you can also take a nice "easier" route going up but I would recommend this one to go back down the mountain.

Right before the Palomar Observatory you will find a good restaurant to stop by and have a bite to eat; Mother's Kitchen. There you will see anywhere from 20-30 motorcyclists with whom you can share your experiences.

Rt. 79 from Descanso to Julian
You can take this route off Highway 8 at Descanso, after you pass Alpine. The route offers good twists and scenery. Once you get to the Cuyamaca State Park area, you can head towards Julian. On the way you will enjoy all the beauty of the Cleveland National Forest. In Julian there are just too many places to list that are good to eat.

Sunrise Hwy
You can take Sunrise highway also off Highway 8. This route will take you through Mount Laguna and all the way to Cuyamaca State Park. Below is a picture of the area.

Route 38 through Big Bear Lake and 18 through Lake Arrowhead
Route 38 takes you all the way through Big Bear Lake. You can later take route 18 also known as Rim of the World Drive which will take you al the way through the Lake Arrowhead area.

Route 2 San Gabriel Mountains
You will find route 2 north off Hwy 210 at La Canada Flintridge, between Pasadena and San Fernando. The route goes thought the San Gabriel Mountains, Very twisty and fun. Traffic may be a little heavy at times during the weekend but excellent on a weekday to go for a spin with a few friends. Some motorcycle magazine editors/bike testers use this area to test sport bikes on the canyons

Route 33 in Ventura
Route 33 is a very twisty road that starts on Highway 101 right at Ventura. Especially twisty after Ojai. Beautiful scenery going through the Los Padres National Forest.

Stay tuned, Mariners Riders has more great rides