DATE: 4-24 TIME: 7am PLACE: Carlmont Shopping Center
The start and finish will be near Water Dog, with Carlmont Shopping Center serving as a post ride calibration area. There are a few good semi-casual eating options and Hola’s serves margaritas and beer! The ride is a mix of Open Space trails (some of it is technical) and paved roads. Helmets are mandatory for MidPen Open Space areas! MTB riding is inherently dangerous, understand that cars are a constant danger and that we are NOT responsible your safety, or the safety of others. Again, this is an informal, long distance MTB loop. It is NOT a race, so no checkpoints, no support, no prizes! But heck, no entry fees either. All we are providing, is the trail information, meeting place, the opportunity to group and ride with like minded riders and a bit of trail side water. The rest is up to you. You must were helmets and obey all trail and traffic laws. Based on trying to amalgamate everyone's requests, well have 2 loops. An A loop, with about 12K of climbing, covers 80 miles, and offers many great bailout points. The A loop passes thru 11MTB areas in one day! There is also a B loop WITH WAY LESS CLIMBING covering 60 miles and offers many great bailout points. Don't forget to view and print maps from our map page |
||||
A loop: 11 mtb Areas, 80 miles and 12K in climbingYou will start by immediately challenging yourself, climbing a few technical pitches in DMC, then climbing thru Water Dog for a bit of enjoyable single-track. The road-spin over to Windy Hill should be used to rest for the climb up Windy Hill. The 1,400 foot climb will feel longer, a few of the grades tip past 20%. Turning south on skyline 35 you'll need to be careful as the shoulder is almost nonexistent. Finding the sign on your left to Crazy Pete's will seem comforting; but it feels like somebody's driveway as you descend on the way to (CC04) Coal Creek. Heading right, you'll make your way to and then climb Alpine fire road. At the top, cross Page Mill road, enter Monte Bello via (MB05,) and take a left. Enjoy a bit of nice single track by staying near the same elevation but keeping right. Turning right onto Steven Creek fire road, you will descend nearly 4 miles! PLEASE beware and EXPECT this to be radar enforced at 15mph! Once at the bottom you'll hook a hard right onto Grizzly. It is single-track until you cross the creek. Then you will have a relatively easy 2 mile climb back to the top of Skyline. Crossing 35 you'll enter Long Ridge. At the bottom of the single-track decent you make a hard right and continue into (SL01), Skyline Ridge. You'll find a short easy climb, followed by smiles on a short but sweet single-track decent. Your smiles wont last too long, as just past Horse Shoe Lake you will climb 500' in less than a mile. Entering Russian Ridge you find restrooms (and water if you walk through the tunnel at Alpine road). Russian Ridge is a open grassy area with GREAT views towards the Pacific. You will see single-track off to your left. This is very nice and easy flowing. Again, please take note of your speed. About 4 miles later you will exit at Highway 35. Turning north you'll mostly descend towards the intersection of 84. BECAREFUL, I hate the section of 35 form 84 to Bear Gulch road. Cars and trucks go WAY to fast and do not give you much room. The shoulder here is nonexistent! Use a blinkie or other rear light. Turning left on Bear Gulch road, travel about .5 miles and enter (CM05), at ECdM. A fast downhill section (again the radar thing) will be followed by a ton of great flowing single-track. Once you hit Gordon Mill, (a gravel infused fire road) make a right to begin your climb. Then continue via Crossover (up left), Crosscut (up left), Timberview (up right), Manzanita (up left). Be careful if your running carbon cranks and pedals on Manzanita! There is at least one section were you might want to dismount rather than bashing your high $ parts. After your first climbing sequence in ECdM, you will descend down Fir to Resolution. Resolution is a bit bumpy like Manzanita in one section, but a very nice trail. You'll climb a short fire road up and out (CM07), turning right on Star Hill road and left on Tunits Creek road, entering Purisima Creek, via (PC04). You will get a nice 1K decent via Boarden Hatch Mill to the bottom of Purisima Creek. You now have in about 64 miles in your legs and must climb 1,400' in the next 3.5 miles. Making a right on 35, turn left down Kings Mountain. The 4 mile decent followed by the easy ride back via Canada will have you rested for your final assent up Crestview. Crestview is the only real grind in on the pavement; it is however, a short climb. After crossing the top and dropping back down the other side of Crestview, the road dead-ends. Bikes can pass. On your right as the road becomes divided you need to enter John Brooks at Water Dog. This is a tricky entry, make sure you view the starlight map before you ride! Go down the tiny trail and make a right on Rambler to Lower Creek and out... Whew, now get a beer at one of the restaurants at Carlmont Village. We suggest that you visit the maps page and print all maps and turn-by-turn instructions. Please note that this ride is a mix of single track, fire road and travels along Skyline Highway 35. The section of Highway 35 you will ride doesn't have much of a shoulder, and we advise extreme caution. Some of the single track and fire roads have steep cliffs just off to the side. Crashing could result in death. or worse yet, your spouse getting really mad!
Please understand we are not responsible your safety or the safety of others.
|
B loop: 5 mtb areas, 60 miles 6.5K in climbingThis ride is mostly paved roads, but you have way more energy in Skeggs and when you return and ride the single track in Water Dog. Anybody wishing to ad more dirt should john the "A" loop after cresting the climb on Alpine road or joing the "A" Loop once at Skeggs. Skipping the technical climb up DMC and bypassing the climbing up finch in Water Dog, you'll take the gentle fire road climb past the lake, across Hallmark onto upper lake and thru Fox school. You ride Canada road to Windy Hill. Turning into Windy Hill, you'll skip the monster climb and instead go straight to Alpine road. The climb up Alpine starts as a road, but at the end you will merge right passed the gates onto the dirt. Alpine is an easy climb; but there is one single track bypass that takes a bit of power to cleanly ride. It is however, very short and you will be back on the main fire road in no time. At the top turn right on Page Mill road, cross Skyline 35. Entering Russian Ridge you find restrooms (and water if you walk through the tunnel at Alpine road). Russian Ridge is an open grassy area with GREAT views towards the Pacific. You will see single-track off to your left. This is very nice and easy flowing. Again please take note of your speed. About 4 miles later you will exit at Highway 35. Turning north you'll mostly descend towards the intersection of 84. BECAREFUL, I hate the section of 35 form 84 to Bear Gulch road. Cars and trucks go WAY to fast and do not give you much room. The shoulder here is nonexistent! Use a blinkie or other rear light. Turning left on Bear Gulch road, travel about .5 miles and enter (CM05), at ECdM. A fast downhill section (again the radar thing) will be followed by a ton of great flowing single-track. Once you hit Gordon Mill, (a gravel infused fire road) make a right to begin your climb. Then continue via Crossover (up left), Crosscut (up left), Timberview (up right), Manzanita (up left). Be careful if your running carbon cranks and pedals on Manzanita! There is at least one section were you might want to dismount rather than bashing your high $ parts. Once at the top of Manzanita, single-track, go straight on the fire road and make a right on Fir and out (CM01). Turning left on 35 and right down Kings Mountain. The 4 mile decent followed by the easy ride back via Canada should be a welcome stretch after riding ECdm. You will follow the way you came, back thru FoxSchool and down Upper Lake. Once you enter Water Dog make a right onto John Brooks. You'll get a couple of downhill sections and have two short climbs to make before hitting the single-track on Chaparral. Follw Chaparral until it "T"s at Ohlone. Climb Ohlone and follow the single-track on Rambler to Lower Creek and out... Whew, now get a beer at one of the restaurants at Carlmont Village.. I bet now you wish you rode the other loop! We suggest that you visit the maps page and print all maps and turn-by-turn instructions. Please note that this ride is a mix of single track, fire road and travels along Skyline Highway 35. The section of Highway 35 you will ride doesn't have much of a shoulder, and we advise extreme caution. Some of the single track and fire roads have steep cliffs just off to the side. Crashing could result in death. or worse yet, your spouse getting really mad!
Please understand we are not responsible your safety or the safety of others.
|
|||
