A few stats from Summerson’s book:

• Elevation Gain: 5169 ft
• Length: 12.5 miles
• Average Grade: 7.8%
• Steepest Mile: 9.2%
• Steepest 3 Miles: 8.5%
• #1 Most Difficult Road Bike Climb in California
• #3 Most Difficult Road Bike Climb in the US
• Steepest 10 Mile Climbing Section in California (8.3%)
• #5 Steepest 5 Mile Climbing Section in California (8.5%)

Onion in all its glory:

I’ve now ridden Onion twice – once from 395 and once from Gray’s Meadow – and truly enjoyed both ascents. Of course, this is Owens Valley – just about all of the climbs are incredible. This last trip, I took a long weekend and enjoyed some fun cycling, hiking and camping. This was my schedule:

• Camp at Horseshoe Meadows Thursday night (just over 10,000ft)
• Friday, descend down Horseshoe Meadows Road, then climb back up to camp (reverse climb!)
• Camp at Onion Valley Friday & Saturday nights (just over 9,000ft)
• Saturday, hike Kearsarge Pass
• Sunday, descend down Onion Valley Road, then climb back up to camp (one more reverse climb!)

Horseshoe Meadows, needless to say, deserves its own entry. If you’ve ever driven 395 through Lone Pine, you’ve probably seen the massive switchbacks carved into the mountains above Lone Pine. An impressive sight, and an impressive climb.

This ride, however, is all about Onion Valley. This time, since I was camped at the Onion Valley Campground (the top of Onion Valley Road), my plan was to descend down to Gray’s Meadow Campground (situated right where the road finishes climbing the valley floor and starts climbing the mountain itself), then climb back up. However, if you want credit for conquering Onion Valley, you’ll have to start at the bottom at 395 (which I did on my first ascent of Onion Valley).

Starting from 395 is mentally challenging, as you climb up a (nearly) unchanging desert floor for nearly 2,000 ft of elevation gain. A few shots from my 2011 climb of this stretch:

Looking back:

The one cool oasis you pass on this grueling stretch:

Finally, Gray’s Meadow!

If you made it this far, you’ve already climbed 2,000 ft. And, if you climbed Onion like I did in 2011 during midday temperatures, you climbed it in 90 degree heat. Not that fun (hint: in summer, wake up early and start climbing as soon as you wake up).

This time, I made sure to start climbing at a saner time. After a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal at Onion Valley, and packing everything up at camp, I started the descent from the OV campground at 8:04AM to start climbing from Gray’s (3,000 ft lower) at 8:15AM (yes, this is one fast descent). A quick note about this descent – ridiculous. I averaged over 37mph descending, hit over 50mph – all while taking the curves cautiously and never pedaling to gain speed. This is one quick descent. Just watch the expansion joints in the asphalt, especially up higher, and the occasional rock debris.

Back to Gray’s.. the very first part of climbing from Gray’s is a fun little traverse up a hill that goes straight to the sky:

.. before throwing you towards the mountains themselves:

The drainage you will (eventually) be climbing up (if you look closely, you might just see the road carved into the terrain):

At this point, the terrain is still dry, but the scenery starts opening up as you finally start switch-backing up:

The road to be climbed:

Yup. Pretty tough to beat the eastern Sierras.

That little hill you climbed from Gray’s Meadows (Gray’s is that splotch of green next to the road):

Rugged scenery along the way:

The scenery stays spectacular as you climb up the valley:

As you climb through this section, you slowly close in on the creek that provides nourishment to the trees in the above photo.

A quick glance right, and more ruggedness:

Nearing the creek:

After switchbacking at the creek, you are rewarded with the first of many views back down the road just climbed:

Of course, you aren’t rewarded with an easy grade – this is solid 8%+ suffering. One more view back to distract you from your suffering:

You wanted rugged? No problem!

Nearing 7800ft, the grade kicks up a bit for a few tough switchbacks:

Steep, but scenic:

Wait, I climbed up this?

The last thousand feet of vertical gain are quite striking and rugged:

Again, does it get any better than this?

The road above, as seen through a couple of sentinel trees:

One of the final switchbacks, only about 500 vertical feet below the finish:

What?

When you hit the point where I took that photo above, I guarantee you’ll look right and take a second look. A set of switchbacks like that is not something you see everyday.

Same spot, but looking up the valley:

Words? I lack appropriate ones to describe such scenes.

The final, very scenic push to the top:

This last section rewards you with a very slight mellowing of the grade, at least compared to the last 5 or so miles at 8-10%. By no means is this last stretch easy – it is still a solid 6-8% at nearly 9,000ft elevation.

Enjoy the final, slightly more mellow finish:

The top!

Tough climb? Yes. Climbing from 395 is especially tough, as the first 2,000ft involves relatively monotonous climbing. While not very steep, it wears on you. Once you finally hit the mountain and start the switchbacks, the grade kicks up and never really lets up – the one saving grace is that the grade never really gets that steep.

So, toughest climb in California? No, not in my opinion. Personally, I’d put a few climbs ahead of Onion Valley. White Mountain, Horseshoe Meadows, Shirley Meadows East – at a minimum, I think I’d rank those as tougher. With that said, Onion Valley is right up there as one of the toughest and most scenic (assuming you enjoy desert scenery for the first half) climbs in California.

In short, if you live in California and enjoy climbing by bike, Onion Valley should be on your short list. Do it.

Strava’s Segment:

The rest of the photos from the climb.

Cheers, and happy climbing!

Mix Canyon

Stats from John Summerson’s Climbing (By Bike) In California book for Mix Canyon:

Needless to say, Mix Canyon, by the stats, is an epic climb. Gates Canyon is no easier.

Anyway, I started out at Alamo Creek Park Park in Vacaville. From here, I headed north on Alamo Dr, quickly turned left on Foothill Dr, then turned right right on Pleasants Valley Rd. Pleasants Valley is a pleasant, scenic road:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

After about 4 miles of rolling terrain along Pleasants Valley Rd, I hit the infamous Mix Canyon:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

Initially, Mix is an easy, scenic ride through pleasant farms:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

Soon, the canyon closes in and you ride along a lightly flowing creek:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

As you can see, the road is rather narrow. The last section, while easy compared to the rest of the ride, is no walk in the park. Shortly after, the road rises above the creek and the grade kicks up a bit:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

A short while later and you experience true suffering:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

Bring your climbing gears!

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From HQ Panoramas

Click on the last image for a nice HQ panorama.

Cute house at this point in the climb:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

The climbing from this point is just insane. The scenery, however, is great:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

Of course, you are likely to miss the beauty while trying to keep upright at 15%+. Keep in mind that this mile averages 15.8%. Fun. If that is not ridiculous enough, this half mile averages nearly 17.5% (assuming semi-accurate numbers from mapmyride). Insane.

Finally, a sane switchback:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

Why is this sane? This switchback contains the easiest grade encountered for the last half mile or so. This is, basically, your respite. Enjoy, as it won’t last..

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

Climbing up from that switchback the even more insane section starts. Still can’t quite believe I climbed this road..and, without stopping. It doesn’t get any easier..

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

Ridiculous climb:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

Beautiful:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

The top of the climb:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From here, you can continue to the right:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

And continue along Blue Ridge Road (hard pack/gravel) for some nice views..

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

The descent sucks. Prepare yourself. Overly steep. Rough. Poor engineering (technical curves). Narrow road (one lane width, basically). This is one of the toughest descents in California. Be careful.

Gates Canyon

Gates Canyon is only 2 miles from Mix Canyon, yet is rarely mentioned. This is unfortunate. Gates is nearly as tough as Mix. Despite its proximity to Mix and a mention on Stanford’s cycling site, Gates seems to be basically invisible. I hope to change that as Gates deserves a place on the list of ridiculous climbs in California. Gates is arguably tougher than Mix..and that is saying quite a bit.

Gates is gentle and scenic initially:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

Gates stays gentle for quite a while along a small creek:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

Eventually, the grade kicks up a bit:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

And the pavement ends:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

The next 0.65 miles are unpaved. Well, sort of.. This section appears to have been paved at some point in the last few decades. However, it has been left to degrade back to nature. As such, it is now basically hard pack with gravel on top. Despite an average grade of almost 11% for this stretch, a road bike with decent tires will get you through this. I ran Michelin Krylion tires and got up this section with minimal trouble (keep your pedaling steady and you won’t spin the rear tire too much).

Of course, just as the unpaved section ends, you hit a wall of pavement:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

The above photo does no justice to the grade of the road.

This, however, serves justice to the grade:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

As does this:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

Seriously? Those two photos are ridiculous. Have you ever seen a road as steep as that? Ever wonder what it is like to climb at 95% of your max heart rate and yet be crawling along at 3.5mph? Welcome to Gates. Masochists, please apply here.

A slightly easier section:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

Of course, that is by no means easy..

The views, however, just increase in beauty:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

A nice panorama from a bit farther up (click for a high res version):

From HQ Panoramas

More climbing:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

Apparently abandoned buildings near the end of the climb:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

Antenna towers up top:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

The final push:

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

The top..

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

Lake Curry (I think):

From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing

So yes, Gates Canyon is epic as well. I found Gates to be tougher than Mix Canyon. Of course, Gates was the second climb of the day, so I was already fatigued from having climbed Mix. Despite that, it seemed like Gates packed an even steeper section into an even shorter climbing section. I’m working on the stats and will update soon. In the meantime, you can assume Mix and Gates to be two of the hardest medium-length climbs in California. Enjoy!

Update: A couple of quick stats for Gates..

GarminConnect Page:

Mix Canyon:

Gates Canyon:

Enjoy!

If you start in Mentone, those are the stats. That is definitely a solid climb. You can also cut off a few miles of somewhat boring climbing and start at the intersection of 38 (Mill Creek Rd) and Bryant. If you do this, you will miss almost 900 feet of shallow climbing. With that said, the climbing you will miss is nothing special. So, if you are going for overall climbing, start in Mentone. If you are going for scenic climbing, start at 38/Bryant. Additionally, if you start at 38/Bryant, your average grade will be 6.3% for over 10 miles. Not bad. The rest of this post assumes a starting point at 38/Bryant.

The initial section of 38 (above Bryant) has a minimal shoulder:

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

Given the relatively steady traffic, this is the only somewhat unpleasant section. Luckily, the shoulders open up pretty quickly for the rest of the ride:

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

The rest of the ride along 38 is a very scenic ride up a valley with few curves:

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

The traffic, while not heavy, is relatively constant and somewhat fast. The wide shoulder for most of 38, however, makes this section surprisingly pleasant.

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

The grade is, for the most part, extremely steady and relatively shallow. While I love steep climbs, it is also nice to be able to shift up a few gears and power on at more than 6 mph at times! And, of course, some pleasant scenery doesn’t hurt.

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

Awesome valley to be riding up!

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

4,000 feet in elevation!

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

Beautiful.

This last stretch along 38 includes a little bump up with regard to the grade…nothing steep, but just enough for you to notice after such a constant grade. Shortly, you come to the only big switchback along 38 that you will encounter:

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

From this point:

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

You can stay left to stay on 38 and climb to Angelus Oaks (a solid climb) and even climb all the way to Onyx Summit (8,443 ft elevation!). Or, you can turn right and climb up Valley of the Falls Dr to Forest Falls (as I did). The climb up Valley of the Falls Dr is significantly tougher than the last stretch along 38. Averaging over 6.8% for nearly 4.5 miles (and ~1600 ft of elevation gain), Valley of the Falls is a challenging climb. Thankfully, the climb starts out mellow after the turnoff from 38:

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

Of course, maybe that is not so fortunate since that means the rest of the climb has to be steeper..

Pretty quickly, you hit the Welcome to Forest Falls sign:

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

This is a bit deceptive, as you are far from hitting 5700 feet in elevation. Keep on climbing (now through steeper stuff), and you hit the Forest Home community:

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

Note that the trees provide much more shade along this stretch..and for most all of Valley of the Falls Dr. Pleasant on a hot day.

Continue climbing and you finally get to the outskirts of Forest Falls itself. The cute post office:

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

And Fire Station:

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

At this point, after having dealt with some steep sections, you finally get a well-earned descent into the heart of Forest Falls:

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

Brief, but deserved! This heart of Forest Falls will be a welcome oasis to all hill climbing cyclists…there is both a Mexican restaurant and a general store here!

The Mexican restaurant (El Mexicano):

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

The reviews on yelp are decent. The general store should also be able to provide you with nourishment:

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

Continuing on from this point, the road soon turns to a one lane road:

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

And climbs into the Falls Recreation Area:

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

This area was quite popular:

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

There are also some larger falls upstream a bit if you hike to them (search for Big Falls).

Anyway, the cycling up this last section puts 38 to shame. Some of the ramps along here will definitely get your attention. The middle 2.3 miles of this climb average over 7.4%…definitely not too shabby. And, considering that this grade is not consistent and that there are some steeper sections thrown in, you will work a bit. With all that said, this climb also isn’t ridiculously tough, so hopefully you can enjoy the challenge and the scenery at the same time.

The descent down is pretty nice as well. Initially, you will have have to watch your speed, as there are a lot of side streets. However, about 1.5 miles down, you get to really let it fly – 35-45 mph should be easily doable. Of course, you will all too quickly hit 38 and slow down a bit.

From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls

Pedal a bit, though, and you can still maintain 30+ for the rest of the descent (and 35+ for much of it). This is definitely a pedal-assisted descent if you want to keep your speeds up.

And, the whole route from the intersection of 38 and Bryant (remember, you can also start 900 feet lower in Mentone if you want some more climbing):

And, just the Valley of the Falls Dr section:

Click View Elevation for the above section. Definitely not a bad climb.

My GarminConnect page for the ride:

Anyway, this is a great climb to tackle if you are near the Redlands area. The section along 38 is consistent and mellow and offers a nice warm-up before tackling the steeper, tougher, but not overly ridiculous climb up to Forest Falls. One solid climb.

Let that sink in for a minute. Over 4 miles of climbing at over 10%. If that doesn’t scare you just a little bit, I don’t know what will.

Anyway, this is, not surprisingly, another climb listed in Summerson’s The Complete Guide to Climbing (By Bike) in California. In this book, Hicks Road North/Mt Umunhum gets a few noteworthy mentions..

For all of California:

For the San Francisco Bay Area:

With this many mentions..and an entire mile at 13.9% (!), I had to try this out. Somehow, I actually also convinced my mom to attempt it as well. She is an avid cyclist, but stats like these give her pause. Anyway, despite the ridiculousness of the grade, she was game (after thinking it over for a few minutes). Sweet.

The first part of Hicks Road consists of rolling bumps that gradually bring you upwards (<400 feet gain in 5 miles). This stretch is semi-scenic:

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

There is a bit of car traffic along here though, so watch your line. The only real climbing in this first stretch is a short, but steep, bump up to Guadalupe Reservoir:

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

Enjoy the respite along the reservoir. It will not last. After you round a sharp bend (and cross a second small creek crossing), you are suddenly faced with a wall of pain..

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

Sadly, I was not able to capture the full extent of the misery/steepness of this portion. There are no real switchbacks that easily show the grade. So, keeping in mind the 14% nature of this part of the climb, here is my mom powering on up:

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

And looking up from that point:

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

Looking back from the top of Hicks:

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

The last section of Hicks is quite mellow compared to the first climbing section. It is still in the 8-10% range, but is a welcome break from 14%. Of course, despite this easier section, the Hicks Road North section still averages about 12.4% for the entire climbing section. So yes, 13.9% for an entire mile and 12.4% overall. Of course, why not make it harder by including Mt. Umunhum? This is just another 2.9 miles at 9.5% (and 1,450 ft ascent). Easy, right?

If you are up for that, turn right on Mt. Umunhum Road to complete the rest of the climb:

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

Along here you will be riding through the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve:

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

The climbing is initially mellow, but gets tough (once again!) pretty quickly:

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

Occasional shade along this steep route:

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

Partway up Mt. Umunhum Road, the road is closed to car traffic (aside from government and resident traffic):

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

The gate at this point means that, basically, you have the road to yourself for the next 1.2 miles.

Climbing higher and higher:

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

Almost there!

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

So close..

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

Success!

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

Elevation at the No Trespassing line (beyond here, there are private property issues): 2,846 feet. How I wish I could continue on up.. maybe in 2013 when they finish cleaning up the asbestos and lead that will be a possibility. Until then, this is still an epic climb (I’d say epic is fair wording for 4 miles at over 10%). And, despite not getting to summit Mount Umunhum itself, you do get some rather close views of the infamous summit:

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

Mt. Umunhum is easily recognized by its five-story box-shaped radar tower (the building seen in the above photo). This tower operated as an early-warning radar station until 1980. While no longer in operation, it is still a landmark in the Bay Area (even 30 years later!). So yeah, while ascending or descending, stop a second and enjoy the view of Umunhum and appreciate the history of this mountain.

And, appreciate the fact that you will now be descending while taking in epic views:

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

That would be me appreciating said fact.

More of those views:

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

Steep, but beautiful, descending:

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

And some more descending..

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

Nice. Those two pictures should be all that is necessary to convince you to try this ride. But, if not, some more scenery..

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

And one more descending picture:

From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb

So yeah…not a bad ride. Extremely demanding and very scenic. This is a must-do for anyone looking for either tough climbs (and this is a tough climb) or scenic climbs (the views along Mt Umunhum Rd are very scenic).

MapMyRide map of the whole climb (including the 5 mile warm-up):

MapMyRide map of the Hicks Road North Climb (click the elevation profile for this climb!):

And the MapMyRide map of the Mt. Umunhum Road Section (also an impressive elevation profile):

Garmin Connect data:

If you are wondering..yes, I did forget to turn the Garmin back on for the descent (of all the times to forget..oh well..).

So, in conclusion, this is an excellent climb. Tough (very tough), scenic and fun. Give it a try.

Stats:

Anyway, the climbing starts just north of Meiners Oaks along Route 33. From Ojai, head west along 150 (Ojai Ave) for about 1 mile before turning right (& heading north) on 33. At about 4.5 miles in, the climbing starts in earnest as you pass by Matilija Lake. This first section, before the real climbing, is quite pleasant:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Nearing Matilija Lake:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

As you approach Matilija Lake, the actual climbing begins:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Me..getting ready for a long climb..

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Just a bit north of this point, I elected to throw in a touch of brief, steep climbing. Matilija Canyon Road presents an awesomely steep section of road:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From HQ Panoramas

Crazy, no?

Continuing on up 33:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

A cool restaurant along the way:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

A little bit further and the first tunnel (of three) is encountered:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Looking back at the circa 1931 tunnel:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Shortly thereafter, you will pass through two more short tunnels. These tunnels are quite beautiful and are worthy of a picture stop:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

On your right, after the tunnels, there is a nice mini-waterfall. A little further and you hit the Wheeler Gorge Fire Station:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

This is when the climbing starts to really get scenic. 2000 ft and climbing up and up:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

What a road!

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Looking back on the road just climbed:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

A waterfall along the way:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

More climbing along one beautiful route:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

3000 ft elevation:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

And the scenery really starts getting ridiculous:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

You know you want to cycle up that. More..

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Looking back on the road just climbed:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From HQ Panoramas

The road ahead:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

And, a couple more shots looking back with some wildflowers enhancing the view:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Insane. That is one epic viewpoint. And a look back at all the climbing along 33:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

HQ Panorama:

From HQ Panoramas

Continuing on:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Too much green and color?

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Maybe.

At just over 3400 ft in elevation, you will hit the turnoff for Rose Valley Recreation Area:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

This is a brief respite after suffering through a tough 6-7% stretch a mile back. Rose Valley provides you with a very quick descent that is followed by a final, short climb to a summit at just over 3700 ft. This last summit attempt is, not surprisingly, quite beautiful:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Looking back from an excellent vantage point:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

At this point, you have a choice. Since this is the top of the main climb, you can turn around here and enjoy the descent. With about 3,000 feet of climbing completed, this is a very solid ride. The other option, of course, is to continue riding! From Rose Valley to Pine Mountain Summit, you can expect gentle, rolling scenery that slowly climbs upward and finishes with a solid little climb to the summit.

Anyway, if you choose to continue, you are greeted with a pleasant descent after the Rose Valley Summit:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Wow. This, right here, is why I cycle. The scenery along 33 is insane:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Welcome to Sespe Creek and all of its beauty.

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

A very impressive canyon:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

A sheer wall along the canyon:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

This impressive wall appeared to be dotted with rock climbing instruments. I can definitely see why..it looked quite spectacular from below!

As you leave the canyon:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Nice creek and hiking area a bit later:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Lovely scenery:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Lovely road:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

And here’s hoping Wolf’s Pine Mountain Inn reopens sometime in the near future:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

It seems that the owner, Tom Wolf, has been trying to reopen the place since having a heart attack a few years ago. The Ventura County Star has a nice set of videos on the place and an article about his quest to reopen. Given that there are no services for basically the whole ride to Pine Mountain Summit, I do really hope the place reopens. That, and it seems like a cool place anyway.

Continuing on, the road starts climbing in earnest again:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

While this last climb only averages about 5%, you will still be climbing for about 3.5 miles and encounter a couple of smaller stretches in the 7% range. At 30 miles in and nearly 5000 feet of climbing, you will relish seeing the summit sign:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Success!

Some day, I would like to cycle the rest of 33. It looks awesome:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

So, just to reiterate, Pine Mountain Summit is 30 miles in and just under 5000 feet of climbing. The round-trip to here equates to a 60 mile, 5000 foot elevation gain suffer-fest. Not too shabby. Not at all. Of course, you still have one way to further punish yourself. This punishment is known as Pine Mountain Ridge Road. This ridiculous road is technically paved. However, the last paving was done sometime in the far, far distant past. The road surface basically varies from rough tarmac to rougher tarmac to gravel to dirt. And those are the good sections. Bring a cross bike or some tough tires along.

The grade itself along Pine Mountain Ridge Road averages 6.4% for 6.1 miles. That doesn’t seem too bad. However, the first 1.2 miles or so are at 3% or less. Additionally, the grade until mile 2 is at or under 6%. This will lull you. The steeper section of the climb (3.7 miles) averages 7.8% and has the worst road quality with the steepest 1.75 miles at 9.1% (850 feet elevation gain in that distance!).

Anyway, the first stretch:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

What I am climbing to:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

The first stretch is both scenic and fun:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

That decent road surface? Yeah, it doesn’t last:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

But the views stay nice:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Getting up above 6400 feet (about 3/4 of the way up) and into the camping/hiking/rock climbing areas:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Also, a huge thank you to the great rock climber in the pickup truck who, on your way down the road, replenished my depleted water supplies. Yeah, I did kind of beg you for water..but you were awesome and took pity on me and refilled both of my bottles. Thank you.

And, finally, the top of the paved road at just below 7200 feet in elevation:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Looking back down the road:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

And yes, the descent is brutal. The horrible and varying road surface means a very technical descent that is heavy on the brakes and scary at times. At least it is scenic:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

After the technical descent along Pine Mountain Ridge Road, the rest of the ride back is quite pleasant. The first stretch is nice and scenic with no pedaling necessary. After dropping almost 1000 feet from Pine Mountain Summit, you will have to pedal on occasion as you roll through the rolling section once again. At least the views stay nice:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

After that gorgeous, but long, rolling section, you have a quick climb back up to the Rose Valley Summit. Don’t worry..it is only a few hundred feet in elevation gain. And, once you hit that summit, you get a wonderful, long descent. While never incredibly fast, you do get to descend for basically 14 miles. Not bad!

Finally, 72+ miles and 7000+ feet of climbing later, I am back to the car..with a few horses looking on:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Me, happy to have finished this epic ride:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Most importantly, post-ride food:

From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!)

Tasty and cheap tacos from Productos La Flor de Michoacan in Meiners Oaks (at El Roblar Dr and Amaz St). Those tacos hit the spot.

MapMyRide maps..

The full ride from Meiners Oaks to Pine Mountain proper (at 7k+ ft elevation):

To Pine Mountain Summit at 5160 ft:

The shorter climb to Rose Valley:

The Pine Mountain Ridge Road Section:

The GarminConnect page for the ride:

33 is an epic, beautiful climb. Get out there and ride it.

I found this climb in The Complete Guide to Climbing (By Bike) in California (full disclosure: if you purchase the book from the link above I do earn a commission – with that said, I highly recommend the book as it is the most complete resource for climbs in California).

So, a couple of stats on this climb.. First, from the above book:

Needless to say, this is a stout climb. To put it simply, this is a road that does not believe in switchbacks. In 2k feet of climbing, you get some slight curves and one 90 degree bend…and nothing more. Up, up and up some more is an accurate description of the climb. During summer (and late spring, and fall…), the temperatures are generally unbearable. In the afternoon, the winds are strong. This climb has a small window of opportunity. If you hit that window, however, you will be rewarded with a challenging, beautiful climb. This last week, I enjoyed an altogether too hot week in Palm Springs (temperatures hit 115-118 degrees). Given these excessively hot temperatures, I headed out to climb Tramway as early as possible. While I left my hotel before 7AM, I didn’t actually get to start climbing until about 7:20AM (the drive from La Quinta to Palm Springs takes a while). At this time, temperatures were already hovering around 90 degrees. Hot? Yes. Bearable? Just barely.

Anyway, I started climbing Tramway Road from the intersection with 111 (aka Palm Canyon Dr) and enjoyed the views from the start:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

Such incredible mountains that you climb into:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

Starting at just below 700ft in elevation, you will quickly hit the 1k marker:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

As you continue to climb, the views just get more spectacular:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

Turn off your air conditioner:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

Given the 10%+ nature of this road and the summertime temperatures of 110+…that sign is probably necessary. If you (or your car) can make it beyond that sign, the scenery just gets better:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

Wow, a stream crossing:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

Definitely unexpected. Coming to the Palm Springs desert in July, I did not expect to cross a running stream. Tramway Road, it would seem, delivers the unexpected. This is nice – you get to climb the rest of the climb with some greenery (helped out by that stream):

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

But what an amazing (and steep) road to climb:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

2,000 feet elevation and lots of green along the stream:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

Climbing up to the last, challenging steep section:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

Entering through the gates:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

Ridiculous Scenery:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

Success!

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

The tram itself is a marvel of engineering:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

And the view down Tramway Road is not too shabby:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

The only photo I took that accurately represents the grade of the road:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

Steep.

The speed limit is 25mph. Descending, you will go faster:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

This first part is very fast. Scrub some speed before the 90 degree turn at the bottom of this section. After the 90 degree section (and the awesome, smooth asphalt above it), you will get one last fast, smooth descent before the rough road begins. The first half of the descent is smooth and very fast (except for that one 90 degree turn). 50+ mph is easily doable. The second half, however, is torture. Still steep, but riddled with creases and bumps, this section of roadway is just no fun. Too bad. The grade and lack of curves would make for a truly epic final descent. Maybe someday. Until then, enjoy that fast top section. And enjoy the views. They really are quite nice:

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

From 2010-07-14 – Palm Springs Cycling – Tramway Road Climb (to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

Tramway Road is one great climb. If you find yourself in Palm Springs in the winter, give this a try. In any other season, give this a try in the early morning hours. Weekdays, the tram opens at 10AM. Weekends, it opens at 8AM. Climb the road before 10/8AM and you will basically have the road to yourself.

Anyway, mapmyride maps..

The full climb:

The last 1.2 miles at 12%:

And, the tough, final 1/2 mile at 14%:

Not bad. Click the Elevation Profile buttons for those maps. They might just entice you (or scare you away).

Here is my GarminConnect page for the ride:

Prost!

Refugio has one more thing going for it that rarely gets mentioned – you can (and should) connect with West Camino Cielo at the top of the Refugio climb. The Camino Cielo section is much more mellow (aside from the last mile or so), but offers one of the most beautiful and scenic stretches of climbing in southern California. Taken together, this ride has it all – super steep stretches, great scenery and sustained climbing (you start at almost sea level and hit ~4000 ft in elevation).

Important Stats:
Refugio Rd Section:

Anyway, this last weekend I got to ride this with my mom. Since it has been about a year since I last rode this, I was definitely looking forward to it. We parked just off the 101 along Refugio Rd – one of the few spots you can park for free in the area. Being right near the ocean, this spot was covered in fog:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

The fog was actually welcome – on a climbing ride fog is very pleasant to have. Unfortunately, the fog quickly disappeared:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

On the other hand, this meant the views would be nice. After a couple of miles of cycling through orchards, we start hitting some more forested sections:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Soon, we hit the gorgeous Circle Bar B Guest Ranch:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Most traffic you encounter will be going no further than here. After passing by Circle Bar B, the climbing starts in earnest (and with some great color!):

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Of course, the shade disappears just as you really start climbing:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

The next 2+ miles average over 10%. These are 2 tough miles. What a road to climb up though:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Some of the boulders above the road just don’t look very stable..

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

The climbing continues!

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

The views back down the valley (and of the road just ascended) start getting impressive:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

You’d be happy climbing through this scenery too:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

The start of the last really steep climbing section:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

A bit farther and you get a glimpse of one impressive house (and more than a glimpse of some more steep tarmac):

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Looking back:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

The views open up even more as you near the end of the Refugio climb:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

And, finally, one cool forested section before the end of the climb:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

And, success! The top of Refugio!

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

At this point, we have gone from just above sea level to just over 2200 feet in elevation. Additionally, we have conquered the really tough part. The rest of the climb is cake in comparison. Speaking of which (the climb, not cake!), the rest of the ride continues climbing up along West Camino Cielo to about 4000 feet in elevation.

Camino Cielo is marked as not maintained by the county:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Oddly enough, this “not maintained” stretch had the best asphalt of the whole ride.

The climbing along Camino Cielo gets beautiful very quickly:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

We saw one other rider during our whole ride:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Nice road:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

After a couple of miles, you get some views of the Santa Ynez valley (you are basically climbing along a ridgeline along Camino Cielo):

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

The scenery is amazing:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Amazingly, there were still a lot of flowers in bloom (late June in southern California!):

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

The panoramas really open up along this road:

From HQ Panoramas

Climbing to the sky:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From HQ Panoramas

Click on those for larger, much more awesome panoramas. From the picasa site, you can download the full size versions of those photos.

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Amazing mountains:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Amazing valley views:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

And this was the oddest site to stumble upon:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

A little pool/reservoir perched up along the ridge. I have no idea if this is natural or man-made, but I can say that this was a very surprising sight along this climb.

The last stretch of Camino Cielo gets ridiculously scenic:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Wow.

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

The last 9% push to the end:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

And, finally, the last paved portion (and the end of the climb!):

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Take a little jaunt up the paved portion on the left to hit 4000 feet in elevation.

And, be happy that you conquered this amazing climb:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Sweet views. And the views along the descent are simply stunning:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Again, wow.

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

The descent along Camino Cielo is very pleasant – generally good road surface and minimal rock debris. With that said, you still have to slow down for the blind corners (this is basically a one lane road, after all). The descent down Refugio, however, is one of the worst descents I have ever suffered down. The patchwork that is the tarmac is extremely rough and bumpy. The road seems to constantly want to pry your handlebars from your control. The grade also quickly gets you up to speeds that are too fast for the road surface quality. This is a demanding descent that is heavy on the brakes.

Since you will be going slow down Refugio, you might as well appreciate the crazy switchbacks and climbing that you conquered earlier in the day:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From HQ Panoramas

Click on that last image for a much higher quality version of that truly insane switchback. And proof that I can climb said insane switchback:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

And descending down the last steep section:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

That switchback – at the very beginning of the climb – is what lets you know that Refugio is a rather stiff climb. Crazy, quite definitely.

Finally, after all that descending, you get some gentle road riding back to the coast:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Head on down below the parking area and check out Refugio State Beach:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

This gorgeous beach is quite popular in the summer for both day use and camping. If you’ve got a family, this is a perfect set up. You and the family park at Refugio. The family enjoys a nice day at the beach. You enjoy a nice climb up Refugio/Camino Cielo. You reconvene with the family at the beach and take a soak in the ocean to cool down after the ride. Even better, you then have a picnic/bbq at this point. Sounds like a good plan, no?

Ok, there is one last part to this ride report. Yeah, I know. It is long enough already! True. However, this report would not be complete without mention of Aniso Trail:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

This bike path connects Refugio Beach State Park with El Capitan Beach State Park (about 3 miles away). This path is technically closed (and the people working at the beaches will tell you that it is impassable) due to erosion. This, however, is not entirely true. The entire stretch can be traversed – you just have to skirt two closure fences (as many hikers/walkers do). Normally, this would not be worth the trouble. However, in the case of this bike path, it is definitely worth it. The scenery is spectacular (like you need more spectacular scenery after climbing Refugio/Camino Cielo!):

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

One of the closure gates:

From 2010-06-27 – Santa Barbara Cycling – Refugio Road to W Camino Cielo to Santa Ynez Peak

Just hop around it to the left. Yes, you will have to dismount.

Not bad for some final scenery, in my opinion.

Here is the full ride in mapmyride format:

Here is the full climb from the start of the climbing section on Refugio Rd to Santa Ynez Peak:

The Refugio Rd climbing section:

The steep part of the Refugio Rd climbing section (click on View Elevation for this one!):

And, the West Camino Cielo section:

My Garmin Connect page for the ride:

Refugio is an under-appreciated climb in the Santa Barbara region. It really has everything you could want – steepness, scenery, length (if you include the Camino Cielo section, as you should) and low traffic. Yeah, the tarmac sucks, but that is a small price to pay for everything else that the climb has to offer. Get up there soon while the hills are still green and the flowers are still colorful.

Cheers,
Ryan

A few important stats:

If you only look at the overall climb numbers, 6.9% doesn’t sound too bad. This is deceptive. The first 2 miles climb steeply up to the ridge line while the following 1.5 miles meander gently (with a few steep portions thrown in) along the ridge. Basically, if you can get up those 2 steep miles, you are good to go.

Anyway, on to the pictures!

A nice place to start is near The Summit roadside food stand:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

The name refers to the fact that this is the summit of route 150 between Ojai and Santa Paula (at just over 1560 ft in elevation). In fact, this is the highest point along all of route 150 (the other high point along the Casitas Pass section tops out at under 1200 ft). 150 itself is a great road to ride on as well, so starting in either Ojai or Santa Paula and riding up 150 to Sulphur Mountain would be great as well. However, if you are pressed for time, as I was, the streets around The Summit provide the best relatively secure, close parking area for this ride. From here, you gradually descend a couple of miles along 150 towards Ojai before turning left on Sulphur Mountain Rd. Watch for this intersection as it is not well marked.

The first part of Sulphur Mountain Rd is relatively flat with some houses along the road:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

The hill in the background is what you are about to climb up. Very quickly, the climbing starts:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Some of this steep climbing is shaded:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Some is not well shaded:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Sections like this will test you:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Steep (10%+), exposed and sun-drenched (the sun just bounces off those rock walls). Luckily, you do get a lot of shaded sections:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Still steep, but not so brutal midday. As you ascend, you will pass a few ranches:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

One nice section of road:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

The last part of the steep section:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

2 miles of steep climbing later and you hit the ridgeline:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Along this stretch you will enjoy rolling hills (with a couple of steep ramps) along with a number of impressive residences:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

And some beautiful mini-descents:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Oh, and the views are occasionally quite nice:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Finally, after 4.3 miles of riding from the bottom of the climb, you hit the end of the road:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

The road beyond this point is not paved (but can be ridden and is a common mountain bike route). Looking back from this point, the view is very nice:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Of course, heading back, you have some small climbs to do (remember, you did descend some along this route!):

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

This is the toughest ascent along the way back. It is not very tough though – only a few hundred feet in elevation gain. As you climb, make sure to look to your left for some great views inland:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Also, please don’t run over the snakes:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Again, some awesome views:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Too bad you have to seek out these viewpoints. Most of the road is bordered by trees that block your view. Keep an eye out though and seek out these viewpoints. They are worth it.

Looking towards the ocean (click on the photo below and check out the sweet house on the right of the photo):

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

A couple of cool houses along the road:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

That first house had a gazebo overlooking the whole inland valley. Amazing.

Possibly the best vantage point along the road:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Although this one isn’t too bad:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

The “Tower” along the road:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

After this stretch, you start a very fast descent. The road surface is decent, but there is a fair amount of rock debris scattered along the road. This is complicated by all the shadows along the way that obscure the debris. There is also a lot of wildlife along the way – deer (lots of them in these hills), squirrels..all the way down to beautiful butterflies:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Be careful on the descent. With that said, enjoy the beauty along the way:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Finally, finish the ride by heading back to The Summit and getting some food and drink:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Loaded Ortega Swiss Burger with a Fresh Blackberry Milkshake. The burger was huge and definitely hit the spot (and was only about $6). The shake was great – fresh picked blackberries blended into a milkshake (they are apparently somewhat famous for their fresh fruit/berry shakes). This is the perfect food stop after a ride in the area. Lots of outdoor seating. Excellent.

Finally, I have to mention one other mini-climb only a mile or so from here:

From 2010-06-28 – Ojai Cycling – Sulphur Mountain Rd

Koenigstein Rd averages about 9.5% for over 1 mile. The steepest stretch (about 0.6 miles) averages over 12% and gains almost 400 feet in elevation. While short, this would be a nice way to pad your climbing along route 150. Unfortunately, I did not actually get to ride this. I did, however, check it out in my car on my way out. It definitely looks like a fun little climb – but very exposed…so doing it in cooler temperatures would be recommended. If you do climb this, you will at least get some nice views (as you can see from the picture above).

Anyway, Sulphur Mountain is a nice little climb outside of Ojai and Santa Paula. While too short to warrant a long drive, this is a great climb to try if you happen to be in either Ojai or Santa Paula. The views are mostly obscured by trees, but the views you do get are outstanding. Additionally, the climb is stiff and challenging along the first 2 miles. I’d recommend making a weekend out of riding in the Ojai area. Ojai itself is a wonderful town that is worth exploring. The climb up 33 to Rose Valley or all the way up to Pine Mountain Summit is one of the best rides in the area. And, the shorter climb up 150 to the west (Casitas Pass) is great as well. Give yourself a few days in the area to ride those roads. Do that, and Sulphur Mountain is absolutely worth throwing in as a fun, short-to-medium length and challenging climb.

Now, map time!

The whole route (starting at The Summit food stand along 150):

The main climbing section of Sulphur Mountain Rd:

The steep climbing section (2 miles) to the ridge line (click the elevation profile for this):

The first mile (very steep..definitely click the elevation profile for it!):

And, finally, if you decide to throw in Koenigstein Rd into your climbing route, here is the profile for this steep, short climb:

Enjoy!

Prost,
Ryan

Needless to say, this is a stout climb. It is definitely one of the hardest climbs in southern California. It is long enough that you can’t just power up it (unlike many of the Santa Monica climbs) and it gets progressively harder (just as your legs get tired and the elevation starts robbing you of oxygen).

For more stats and an excellent elevation profile (broken down into lots of sections and with landmarks noted), check out SoCalVelo’s Mt. Baldy Road Page.

Anyway, despite all the riding and climbing I do, I had never actually ridden the portion of Mt. Baldy Rd from Claremont to Mt. Baldy Village (generally opting to ride Glendora Mountain Rd and Glendora Ridge Rd). Given how famous this climb is, I was long overdue. I started my ride today at Padua Avenue Park:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

You can also start from the intersection of Mt. Baldy Rd and Mills Ave (the most common starting point). Either way, they are close to each other and both provide quick access to the climb. After turning onto Mt. Baldy Rd, the first part of the climb is easy as you pass through the last of Claremont’s residential neighborhoods:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

The climbing then ramps up a little bit (but at a still moderate grade):

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Very quickly, the scenery becomes very nice:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Yup, one other cyclist braving the near 90 degree heat of the bottom section. While a slight breeze kept things almost tolerable, I would recommend an early start in the summer as the climb to the village can get rather hot. I was hoping to pace him for a while, but, sadly, he turned off onto Mountain Ave a short while later:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

At this point, the mountains really start surrounding you:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Impressive canyon to be riding up:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Still some nice color along the way:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Keep in mind that some of the peaks you see as you go up hit 10,000 feet in elevation:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Enjoy the scenery along this section:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Why? Because this section is easy. That will change very, very soon. You soon hit the first of two tunnels. This first one was built in 1949 and is the longer of the two:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

And the second, shorter tunnel (built in 1954):

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

The 2 miles following the tunnels will be your first test. Averaging 9.2%, these 2 grueling miles known as the Hogsback will make you wish you had easier gearing. Making it mentally tougher, this section doesn’t ever look steep. Why? You are following a canyon uphill. Since the whole canyon and the surrounding environment is tilted upwards, you don’t get any flat frame-of-reference to visually let you know that the road is steep. The only way you will be able to gauge the steepness is by noticing that you are having trouble staying upright because you are going so slow Oh, and in this section, the heat may kill you too in the warmer summer months. Also, the following 7.2 mile stretch from here to the ski lifts averages 8.1%. So yeah, Hogsback is awfully…fun. Right.

Looking back down Hogsback from the top of this section:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

If you make it up Hogsback, you are greeted with a well-earned and altogether too short descent:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

This is also the lead-in to the village of Mt. Baldy:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Lots of nice little residences up here. Coming up to the intersection with Glendora Ridge Rd:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

What a backdrop for this village! And, 4,000 feet elevation!

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Also, Mt. Baldy Lodge Restaurant is an excellent place to grab a bite to eat after your climb:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Get a burger and fries there after you finish your climbing – it will taste really, really good. In the village, there is also a visitor center where you can learn more about the area:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Lots of hiking trails in the area:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Give Devil’s Backbone a try if you like hiking. The scenery and views are spectacular. One of the most amazing hikes..anywhere.

Buckhorn Lodge on the outskirts of the village:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

What a setting! And, the climbing starts in earnest again, right here:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

These last 4 miles to the ski lifts will give you almost 1900 feet in elevation gain – an average of 8.8%! 8.8% for 4 miles. Seriously. This is the part that really tests you. The fact that you have already climbed a few thousand feet and you are getting to elevations where there is less oxygen makes it all that much harder. Enjoy!

At least the scenery is good!

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

About a mile after the village, you hit the intersection with Icehouse Canyon:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

This is where the real punishment starts. The next 1.9 miles average about 10.0% grade (ouch!). Yes, 1,000 feet in elevation gain in less than 2 miles. This is the crazy switchback section of the climb. There are 8 distinct, tight and steep switchbacks in this section. This section is even hard to do in a car (see if you can drive this in a manual transmission car without shifting to 1st gear). On a bike, it is also rather hard!

You quickly pass 5,000 feet:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

One of those tight switchbacks:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

One of the insane switchbacks:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

A panorama view:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

That is a steep road. The scenery, once again, is quite nice:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

As tough as this section is, try to look up on occasion and enjoy the scenery.

Another beautiful switchback (this one at the intersection with Iron Gate Rd):

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Rugged mountains:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Push on a little longer and you get a very brief respite (a respite in this section simply means the grade is slightly less steep) with some more nice scenery:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

You may want to take a little break here as the next push is the steepest yet. Midway along the this next super steep section, you get a nice view of the road just climbed:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

A bit later and a striking view down the valley:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

The final curve for this crazy section:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Stretch your legs a bit and enjoy a small descent and some easy climbing through Manker Flats:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Cute snack bar here:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

And, finally, the last push up to the ski lifts:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

This last stretch is your final test. Averaging 14-15% for 3/10 of a mile, your legs will suffer.

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Tough, but very rewarding. As you crawl up this last stretch, you are greeted with this sign, marking the end of the true climb:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

The last little bit of riding is through the multiple levels of parking for the ski area. This section climbs gently and gives you a last few dozen feet of gain to the chair lifts:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Yeah, the pavement is even worse than it looks. On the other hand, it is a nice and easy finish to this epic climb.

And, finally, the top of the climb – looking up the lift:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

6500 feet in elevation!

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

The chairlift goes up to the notch at about 7800 feet in elevation:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

There is a restaurant up there (the building you see in the picture above at the top of the lift) with an incredible view. I would highly recommend, on a nice summer day, driving up to the lifts, riding the lift to the notch, hiking up Devil’s Backbone to the top of Mt. Baldy (aka Mt. San Antonio), then getting a burger and beer at the restaurant at the notch. The view from the deck is really, really incredible. Note that, during summer, they are only open on weekends and holidays.

Anyway, obligatory shots of my bike at the top:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

After taking a well deserved rest at the top, it was finally time to descend:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

The descent from the ski lifts to the village is very technical. The road surface is not great, the grade is very steep and the curves are tight. Sections of it are definitely fun, but keep in mind that you will build speed extremely quickly and some of that speed will have to be quickly scrubbed for the switchbacks. Also, watch for rock debris from some of the crumbling hillsides. With that said, this section of the descent is a great test of your descending skills.

Once you hit the village, you are done with the technical section of the descent. The rest of your ride is a spectacular, fast descent. From the village all the way down to Claremont (over 7 miles), you will only hit the brakes a couple of times. That Hogsback section that was such a pain to climb? Easy 40+ mph on the descent (with the possibility of hitting 50mph if you pedal). The curves are gentle too, allowing you to sweep through them at that same 40+ mph.

After Hogsback, you hit the tunnels. I’d recommend scrubbing some speed here since your visibility goes down in the tunnels. After the tunnels and the one slightly harder right-hand curve, hammer a bit and get your speed back up. While you may not carry 40mph for the rest of the descent, you will still get to ride at 30+ with sections above 40. Just watch for occasional rocks on the road – especially through the sections that cut through the hillside.

With that said, this is an incredible descent overall. Very fast and very fun. A well earned reward after an epic climb.

Some MapMyRide maps below (click on them for more detail, elevation profiles, etc):

Full climb (Claremont to the ski lifts):

Hogsback section (the steep section between the last tunnel and the village of Mt. Baldy):

7.2 mile section from the last tunnel to the ski lifts (average 8.1%):

The last 4 miles (actually, slightly more than 4 miles) from the village to the ski lifts (average 8.8%!):

Icehouse Canyon to Manker Flats Switchback Section (ridiculous 10% grade for almost 2 miles!):

And, finally, the last super steep (14-15%) 3/10 of a mile climb to the ski lifts:

Make sure to click View Elevation on the maps above. The elevation profiles are rather impressive.

Also, here is my Garmin Connect data for this ride:

And, the rest of the photos:

2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Oh, and my reward for conquering the climb:

From 2010-06-23 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – Mt. Baldy

Legends Burgers has the most amazing and satisfying chili cheese fries in my opinion – loaded with salty fries and topped with tons of chili and cheese. Yum! Their burgers are really good too.

In summary, Mt. Baldy Road is one of the hardest climbs in southern California and is a must do for any serious cyclist. Give it a try. It is tough, but you will emerge a stronger rider having completed it.

Prost!

Actually, in the interest of technical accuracy, there are a couple of descents tilting just barely down that do last for a couple dozen feet. For all intents and purposes though, there are no descents for this 22.5 mile long climb. The whole climb averages just over 5.3%, with the majority section along 39 averaging about 5.6%. There is nothing here that is tough with respect to grade – it is only tough because of the rather large amount of climbing involved.

This alone should be enough to entice those riders who enjoy long, sustained climbs. If not though, there are two other good reasons to try this out. First, it is very scenic – especially late spring/early summer when the mountains are nice and green (this year was probably particularly good since we had a fair amount of precipitation). Second, most of this climb is free from traffic. Yes, all traffic. Due to road damage higher up, most of the road is completely closed to vehicles. Of course, this means, for most of the climb, you are entirely isolated from civilization. Bring more water/nutrition than usual to be safe (a camelback is not a bad idea for this ride). A riding partner would also be a good idea. This situation may change relatively soon though. Word is the road to Crystal Lake, at the very least, is hoped to be opened sometime later this summer. When that happens, there will likely be a snack bar open at Crystal Lake itself, so you will have access to water and food there. For now though, err on the side of caution and pack extras.

This time, I parked just above the OHV area along 39 – about 10 miles north of Azusa. You can also park in Azusa and add those 10 miles to your ride. The 10 mile stretch is scenic, rolling hills that gradually climb upwards (starting elevation ~800ft, finishing elevation ~1600ft). You get nice views of Morris Reservoir and San Gabriel Reservoir along the way, including ~1 mile long descents next to each one. However, traffic is heavy (especially on weekends) along these sections and the shoulder is often narrow, so I find it to be not so pleasant. I rode this section the first time I did this climb, and would still semi-recommend it as the scenery is pretty cool. However, if you want to skip this warm-up and start right at the point that the traffic dies down and the climb actually starts in earnest, park where I parked. There are a couple of large parking areas right after the OHV area. They are easy to spot – right after the OHV area and the first true parking lots that you see. There are a few lots – all right below and above West Fork (West Fork, by the way, is a paved road that is also closed to vehicles and is a popular hiking and cycling road…about 15 miles round trip for that section…I haven’t tried it but plan on adding it in next time). On this Sunday, there were probably a hundred or so cars parked around this area – quite popular! Note that you will need a Forest Service Adventure Pass to park anywhere around here – $5 for a day pass and $30 for an annual pass. Worth the money, in my opinion, to support areas like this.

Starting from this parking area, the scenery is immediately beautiful:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Cloud cover provided shade for much of the first part of the climb (nice to have given an 80 degree starting temperature):

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

There are a few stretches that stay straight as an arrow for longer than expected given the ruggedness of the mountains:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Looking up the canyon:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Beautiful pavement here:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Truly a beautiful valley:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Right after the last shot:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Talk about a scenic backdrop for this road! Even better, the permanent closure for cars is just slightly ahead. The previous section is also often closed to cars – but, at least on this June Sunday, was open to cars (although the traffic level was very light). Just after the gate that closes the road to vehicles (duck under or around with your bike):

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Amazing. A road like this, in scenery like this, all to your self.

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

What a road!

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Oh, I should mention my rattlesnake encounter. Just a bit before the above shot, I was merrily enjoying the scenery while slowly climbing when, somehow, I entirely missed noticing a snake on the side of the road. I’d like to note that, normally, I have a good eye for noticing most anything on a road. Distraction? Blending into the side of the road? Probably a combination of the two. Anyway, I finally did notice the snake. A scary hissing sound right next to you will make you notice a snake really, really quickly. In this next second, I realized three things. One, this snake was no more than two feet from me. Two, this snake had raised its head about 6 inches above the ground while hissing (apparently getting ready for an offensive attack to defend itself). Three, this snake was a rattlesnake (!). This combination is a really effective way to get your adrenaline pumping. From reading about 39 some more, it would seem that rattlesnakes are pretty common to the area. Keep your eyes open. Also, if near Crystal Lake, watch out for bears. Bears, apparently, like the Crystal Lake area and a few cyclists have spotted them around there. The bears are timid, generally speaking, and run away. However, you should still keep an eye out and keep your distance if you happen to spot one (and, of the couple times I have been up, I have not seen any).

Anyway, a bit farther:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Love the green on the mountains:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Just above 3600 ft elevation, some road construction to fix washed out sections:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

This is the point at which the road really starts getting incredible as it starts cutting directly into the rocky hillside:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

One beautifully green section:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Why so green? A stream flows through here. Lots of wildlife as well, including this squirrel:

And this awesome, long, fat snake:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Click for a larger version of that already large snake.

A little bit farther and the views back down the canyon open up:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

There are even a few houses along this road (they get a key that unlocks the gate lower down the road):

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

That would be quite a different place to live. Just up from that house, you get an incredible view of the road you just climbed:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

The shot above deserves a full-size view. Click it on it for said full-size view.

Nice greenery and color along the road:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

And a spectacular view of much of what you just climbed:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

That one is worthy of clicking on for a larger view.

Continuing on up (and up, up and up…), the mountains are still rather green:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Again, lots of wildlife along the ride:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Look down in that shot for the deer. That cute deer followed my route for a little while. Cool to have for climbing. Scary for descending.

Some larger trees start presenting themselves:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Another incredible view back along 39:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Seriously?

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Southern California, not a single car and scenery like that? Wow.

Yay, 5000 feet!

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

And right after, the turnoff for Crystal Lake itself:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

You can add to your climbing and climb to Crystal Lake itself. It appears to be about 1 mile of riding to the lake from the junction at 39 at just under a 7% grade. This road that takes you to the lake also appears to continue on for almost 2 miles beyond the lake – at a similar grade. I’ve yet to do this offshoot climb, but plan on trying it next time out. And, of course, if the state opens the road to Crystal Lake later this summer..and if the snack shop opens at Crystal Lake.. this would be a highly recommended add-on for the simple fact that you will be able refuel and rehydrate at this point. Anyway, we’ll see if these plans actually come to fruition. In the meantime, this is a nice way to add a bit of climbing to your ride.

A little farther on, looking back on the great climbing:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Some beautiful color on the hills:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Click for a larger image to appreciate the color.

And…(drum-roll please)…the start of the truly sucky section:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

And by sucky, I am referring to the road quality. The grade is no worse (and actually lessens up near the end), but the asphalt from here to the intersection with Angeles Crest Hwy (CA State Route 2) is riddled with rough tarmac thanks to the constantly eroding hillside. Despite the valiant efforts of CalTrans and contractors, the sheer hillsides along the road keep dropping rocks and boulders onto this incredible stretch of roadway. As a result, you can expect lots of small rocks and gravel to be present on the road itself, along with some larger rocks and some impressive divots from massive boulders. Ascending, this is not too much of a problem. Descending, however, requires that you pay a lot of attention to the road.

Despite the road conditions, the beauty is still hard to beat:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Flowers sprouting from the boulders:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

As though this would stop me (especially this far up!):

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Of course, with scenery like this:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Can you blame me?

This next section is even more rugged. The rock walls you pass are breathtaking and intimidating:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Yes, that is a massive boulder that ended up to the left of the road. So yeah, don’t climb this road during or right after storms. Thanks.

There is some serious construction going on to shore up this section of the road (many sections were washed out by storms in the last few years). As such, you will see some heavy equipment along here:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Seems to be a piece of the road missing…

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Looking up right at this point:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Ok, I can see how water draining down here during storms might just undermine the road. Anyway, yes, you can still go beyond here. It is dirt for about 20 feet, but it is actually ridable..and absolutely passable if you decide to walk it.

After this questionable segment, you are greeted with a most impressive view back:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Nice.

Again, what a seriously impressive road..

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

A beautiful mini-waterfall along the way:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

The final stretch to the junction with Angeles Crest Highway:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Thankfully, you get a break in the last mile or so with a very gentle grade. With the horrible road surface of the last few miles, the climbing you have done already and the miles already ridden, this is a thankful break (despite the fact that, technically, you are still going uphill!).

One of the last curves:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Finally!! The last sprint to Angeles Crest!

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

It feels really good to get here. Really good. Last time I rode this (over a year ago), I was thwarted by this:

From 2009-03-11 – CA-39 (San Gabriel Canyon Rd) North of Azusa Bike Ride

Three months makes a lot of difference:

From 2009-03-11 – CA-39 (San Gabriel Canyon Rd) North of Azusa Bike Ride

From 2009-03-11 – CA-39 (San Gabriel Canyon Rd) North of Azusa Bike Ride

So yeah, don’t expect to make it Angeles Crest in March. June, however, and you should be fine.

Success! Looking back on the road just conquered:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

The junction with Angeles Crest:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

At this point, I am at about 6800 feet elevation. Starting from 1600 feet, that is not too shabby! However, this time, I was set on doing the full climb (being thwarted by snow and all last time!). Turning right onto Angeles Crest from 39 and I continue climbing immediately:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Thankfully, the scenery is still quite beautiful. Additionally, vehicle traffic is virtually nil. This is at least partially due to the fact that the bottom portion of Angeles Crest above La Cañada Flintridge is still closed due to damage from the last storm season. The minimal traffic that did exist (a number of motorcycles, a couple of performance cars and a few scenery-chasing cars) gave me tons and tons of room – thank you.

More full size trees along this last climb:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

And, finally, the first snow encounter!

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Just over 7000 feet in elevation. This is why I love southern California. I can start climbing in 80 degree weather in June, climb 5500 feet without a break, and still find patches of snow. Yeah, in the Sierras, I’m sure this would be a common sight as well. But, seriously, this is right outside of Los Angeles. Pretty cool, in my opinion.

Leading up to the last push to Dawson Saddle:

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

Success!!

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

From 2010-06-13 – San Gabriel Mountains Cycling – CA-39 to Dawson Saddle

I have to say, this ride is incredible. Glendora Mountain Road/Glendora Ridge Road/Mt. Baldy Rd is still my absolute favorite climbing ride in the LA area…but 39 is a close second. 39 is one beautiful ride. If you live around here and haven’t ridden it…go, ride it. Right now. It is an epic ride.

A few mapmyride maps/routes:

From the start of the true climb to Dawson Saddle:

From Azusa, proper:

And the climb from my parking spot to the intersection with Angeles Crest Highway:

Here is the GarminConnect data from the ride:

I will personally certify this as an incredible ride. This is one of the most scenic rides around and probably has the most sustained climbing of any ride in southern California. Glendora Mountain/Glendora Ridge is, in my opinion, a little more scenic. 39, however, is still very scenic – and is free from cars (for most of it) and hits higher elevations. Anyway, both are incredible rides – and both are absolutely worth doing.

Also, much of the descent is great. The stretch along Angeles Crest is smooth and fast. You will be doing 30-40mph here. The top of 39 will suck (lots of small rocks and scarred roadway) – you will have to slow down quite a bit for a number of sections. The middle section of 39 is mostly free of rock debris (but there are a couple of sections to keep your eye on) and is quite fast. Despite the constant creases in the pavement, it is not hard to hit 40 mph in this section. Watch out for a few tighter turns. Finally, the bottom section…perfect pavement. This last section has been recently repaved and is a dream to ride down. You will have no problem maintaining 35+ mph for basically this whole stretch. This stretch is fun. Very fun.

The only word of caution – watch out for wildlife. Deer are common in the area, and you do not want to run into one. Coming down Angeles Crest, sprinting to 40 mph on one section, a lone deer darted across the road ahead of me. While this deer happened to be a few seconds ahead of me, things could have worked out differently (and very damaging) given a slightly different timing. Anyway, watch for deer (and all other wildlife) on your descent. That said, much of this descent is fun, fast and excellent.

Na Zdravi!
-Ryan