Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park offers riding opportunities from beginner through advanced routes on a combination of easy fire road climbs and great single track descents. Continue reading
Blog Archives
Aliso and Wood Canyons
Tags: aliso viejo, beginner, fall, fire roads, flowy, half day, intermediate, laguna beach, laguna hills, laguna niguel, loop, ocean views, OCPARKS, orange county, quarter day, rocky, scenic, single tracks, smooth, spring, strong beginner, summer, winter, xc
Anaheim Hills / Weir Canyon Loop
This loops winds through the local trails and connects with Weir Canyon. Continue reading
Tags: cross country, fall, fire roads, intermediate, loop, orange county, quarter day, scenic, single tracks, smooth, spring, strong beginner, summer, winter, xc
Arroyo / Trabuco / Tijeras Loop
The Arroyo / Trabuco / Tijeras Loop runs through O’Neill Regional Park and the surrounding communities of Trabuco Canyon, Rancho Santa Margarita and Ladera Ranch Continue reading
Caspers Wilderness Park
Caspers Wilderness Park contains 25 miles of possible mountain biking rides ranging from short, relatively flat rides to steep technical inclines and descents. Continue reading
Tags: creek crossings, cross country, fall, fire roads, half day, intermediate, loop, meadows, orange county, remote, rocky, scenic, spring, stream crossings, summer, technical, winter
Chino Hills State Park
XEN MTB provides mountain biking tours throughout Chino Hills State Park for riders at all experience and fitness levels. Whether you’re interested in a quick and easy ride up Telegraph Canyon to Four Corners, or a grand tour of the entire park, there’s a ride for you.
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Chino Hills: East Side Loop
XEN MTB provides mountain biking tours throughout Chino Hills State Park for riders at all experience and fitness levels. Whether you’re interested in a quick and easy ride up Telegraph Canyon to Four Corners, or a grand tour of the entire park, there’s a ride for you.
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Chino Hills: Green River to Rolling M Ranch via Lower Aliso Canyon
XEN MTB provides mountain biking tours throughout Chino Hills State Park for riders at all experience and fitness levels. Whether you’re interested in a quick and easy ride up Telegraph Canyon to Four Corners, or a grand tour of the entire park, there’s a ride for you.
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Chino Hills: North Ridge and South Ridge
XEN MTB provides mountain biking tours throughout Chino Hills State Park for riders at all experience and fitness levels. Whether you’re interested in a quick and easy ride up Telegraph Canyon to Four Corners, or a grand tour of the entire park, there’s a ride for you. In Chino Hills you’ll find classic California terrain: beautiful rolling hills,
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Chino Hills: Rimcrest Loop
XEN MTB provides mountain biking tours throughout Chino Hills State Park for riders at all experience and fitness levels. Whether you’re interested in a quick and easy ride up Telegraph Canyon to Four Corners, or a grand tour of the entire park, there’s a ride for you.
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Chino Hills: Telegraph Canyon to Four Corners
XEN MTB provides mountain biking tours throughout Chino Hills State Park for riders at all experience and fitness levels. Whether you’re interested in a quick and easy ride up Telegraph Canyon to Four Corners, or a grand tour of the entire park, there’s a ride for you.
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Chiquito Trail via Blue Jay Campground
The Chiquito Trail may seem like a short route down from Blue Jay campground, but don’t let the mileage fool you. And don’t think that just because this a shuttle ride that it’s going to be an easy downhill ride. It’s not! This trail has some of the most Advanced technical features of the entire area.
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Chiquito Trail via the Upper San Juan Loop
This route combines the upper section of the San Juan trail with the Viejo Tie and Chiquito trails. Although only 14 miles, it will feel like double that. This route for Advanced and Expert riders only. Count on 3-4+ hours of riding on 100% single track trails with plenty of rocks and some cliff exposure.
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Crystal Cove State Park
With scenic coastal views and deep canyons, Crystal Cove State Park is a classic California ride. This park is a climber’s delight with some some seriously steep fire roads and offers up a few fun single tracks as well. Combine this with the neighboring areas of Laguna Coast Wilderness,
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El Moro: No Name – Deer – Rattlesnake – Moro Ridge – Fenceline
Tags: fall, flowy, intermediate, irvine, laguna beach, newport beach, ocean views, orange county, quarter day, rocky, scenic, single tracks, spring, strong beginner, summer, winter, xc
Fullerton Loop
The Fullerton Loop is an easy ride, good for beginners, in an urban setting Continue reading
Tags: beginner, cross country, fall, fire roads, loop, orange county, quarter day, single tracks, spring, strong beginner, summer, winter, xc
Irvine Regional Park
Irvine Regional Park is a Beginner-friendly area for mountain biking and also a good starting point for longer rides, such as the adjacent Santiago Oaks Regional Park. If you are parking within the park, bring $5.00 for parking. Free parking is available outside the park as shown in the map below.
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Tags: beginner, cross country, fall, fire roads, loop, meadows, orange county, quarter day, single tracks, spring, summer, winter, xc
Laguna Coast Wilderness
Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is part of the Orange County coastal region, seated between Aliso and Wood Canyons to the east, Crystal Cove State Park to the west and Bommer Canyon areas to the north. Per square mile of territory, it features a greater variety of single track trails compared to its neighbors,
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Maple Springs
Maple Springs is the Silverado Canyon gateway to the Santa Ana Mountains. Popular destinations from this entry include the Maple Springs to Four Corners out and back ride, Santiago Peak, and for the ultra long distance riders, connections to Harding Truck Trail, Joplin, and Holy Jim.
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Peters Canyon
Peters Canyon is a very popular area for hikers, runners, dog walkers, stroller pushers and yes, even mountain bikers. It’s a great ride for beginners to hone their skills. Continue reading
Tags: beginner, cross country, fall, fire roads, loop, orange county, quarter day, scenic, single tracks, spring, strong beginner, summer, winter, xc
Quail Hill to Bommer Canyon Loop
A great loop comprised of publicly accessible trails meandering through Irvine, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach with sweeping vista views of the ocean and surrounding mountains.
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Tags: cross country, fall, fire roads, half day, intermediate, loop, meadows, ocean views, orange county, scenic, smooth, spring, summer, winter
San Clemente Singletracks
The San Clemente Single tracks, also known as “The Weed Patch” are official part of the San Onofre State Park system. So many people visit San Onofre for camping and surfing year round that the wait list for camp spots opens up in February for late summer camping and is sold out within an hour.
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San Juan Capistrano Hills
The San Juan Capistrano Hills are a blend of single tracks, double tracks and fire roads that wind above the hills of San Jan Capistrano. Many of these trails are dead ends, as such, it’s difficult to piece together loops in the area without the experience of actually riding those areas.
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Tags: cross country, fall, fire roads, intermediate, loop, ocean views, orange county, quarter day, scenic, single tracks, smooth, spring, strong beginner, summer, winter
San Juan Trail
Whether you ride up San Juan trail or down as a shuttle option, there’s plenty of steady technical riding to be had here. This trail surface is smooth in most parts and extremely fast. The dirt grips amazingly well to your tires,
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San Juan Trail: Up, Around and Down
For most people, this is the traditional San Juan Trail route. You ride up to “cocktail rock”, then around the upper loop in either direction (each way has its advantages and disadvantages), and then come right back down the way you came. Getting to the rock is the easy part to navigate.
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San Juan Upper Loop via Blue Jay Campground
Please note: This is NOT a shuttle-assisted ride. You start at the top, drop down, climb a hill, go down again and then back up what you started at the end. This cuts about half the climbing of starting from the bottom of the San Juan trail and effectively doubles the climbing of the shuttle-assisted option.
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Santiago Oaks
Santiago Oaks Regional Park and adjacent Irvine Regional Park are a couple areas within a broader region of open spaces on the border of residential areas. Passing through both parks is the Santiago Creek which is fed from the nearby Santa Ana mountain range which is typically dry most of the year.
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Tags: anaheim, beginner, creek crossings, cross country, fall, flowy, half day, loop, meadows, OCPARKS, orange, orange county, quarter day, scenic, single tracks, spring, strong beginner, summer, switchbacks, tustin, winter, xc
Santiago Truck Trail
Santiago Truck Trail to the Luge is a Beginner level ride just outside Foothill Ranch that begins with a moderate single/double track climb, and ends with a very narrow, twisty and fun single track to reward your efforts. It is one of the few places that can also be ridden at night.
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Santiago Truck Trail and O’Neill Park Loop
A beautiful ride with great views and the most Oak Trees you’ll likely see in one area of Orange County.
Photos of this route:
http://photos.3fbc.com/Santa_Ana_Mountains/20131129_STT_to_Luge_Plus_ONeill/
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Tags: cross country, fire roads, flowy, half day, intermediate, loop, orange county, scenic, single tracks, spring, switchbacks, winter
Trabuco Canyon
Trabuco Canyon is one of the most beautiful places in the Santa Ana Mountains. The Trabuco Wash ride from the street to the Holy Jim parking area is a great Beginner ride featuring a gentle climb, a lot of it under the canopy of Oak trees.
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Trabuco to Holy Jim
The Trabuco trail is a narrow, steep and rocky climb with cliff edges in some parts that is challenging even to the most fit riders.
There’s an optional hike-a-bike short cut (West Horsethief) but XEN MTB recommends doing the whole route. Once at the Main Divide,
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Tags: advanced, cleveland national forest, cliff exposure, creek crossings, cross country, fall, flowy, half day, limited cell service, loop, orange county, out and back, poison oak, rancho santa margarita, remote, rocky, scenic, single tracks, spring, stream crossings, switchbacks, technical, trabuco canyon, winter, xc
Trabuco Wash
The Trabuco Wash is a fire road that provides access to the Holy Jim area and Trabuco Trail, following the Trabuco Creek the entire way. There is one water crossing on the way up that is usually no more than a foot deep.
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Weir Canyon Loop
Tags: beginner, cross country, fall, fire roads, flowy, loop, meadows, orange county, quarter day, scenic, single tracks, smooth, spring, summer, winter
Whiting Ranch > Santiago Truck > Luge > O’Neill Park
The “grand tour” of the foothills, on this Intermediate level ride covering 20 miles of local terrain, you’ll see everything that the Santiago Truck Trail has to offer, plus Whiting Ranch and O’Neill Regional Parks. There will be plenty of Oak lined trails and if you’re lucky enough to visit here in the winter or spring,
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Whiting Ranch South
This route inside Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park avoids all the trails which were closed due to the 2020 Silverado Fire. Although short on miles, you’ll get plenty of climbing. This route can be extended by starting near the corner of Bake Parkway and Toledo Way in Lake Forest and also be combining it with the Santiago Truck Trail to the Luge ride or the Santiago Truck Trail / O’Neil Park Loop.
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Tags: beginner, cross country, fall, fire roads, loop, orange county, quarter day, scenic, single tracks, spring, summer, winter
Whiting Ranch to the Luge
This is a combination of two areas to ride: Whiting Ranch and the Santiago Truck Trail. Individually, both are great and could be done by themselves for a shorter ride. Together, they make up an endurance-testing combination that will leave you exhausted and thrilled at the same time.
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