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
Catalina Island Mountain Biking
Catalina Island is located about 22 miles off the coast of Southern California. Most people only visit the small town of Avalon, which is tiny compared to the rest of the island, especially at 1,500′ above it!
Catalina Island offers 75 square miles of open terrain where you’ll be lucky to spot many others on bikes.
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Tags: all day, avalon, beginner, catalina island, cross country, fall, fire roads, intermediate, ocean views, remote, scenic, smooth, spring, strong beginner, strong intermediate, summer, winter, xc
Chilao / Charlton Area
The Chilao / Charlton area ride consists of easy fire road climbs and single track descents down mostly smooth terrain. It can be done all year round so long as long as there is no snow. Even in the hottest days of summer, the temperatures here are typically 10 degrees cooler than anywhere else.
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Chilao / Charlton Area
The Chilao / Charlton area ride consists of easy fire road climbs and single track descents down mostly smooth terrain. It can be done all year round so long as long as there is no snow. Even in the hottest days of summer, the temperatures here are typically 10 degrees cooler than anywhere else.
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Chilao Area to Arcadia
This ride requires a drop off near the Angelus Christian Camp deep within the Angelus National Forest. It is a 26 mile all-day adventure with about 3,300′ of varied terrain including single tracks, fire roads and some pavement sections. It is truly an EPIC ride by any standards,
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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. In Chino Hills you’ll find classic California terrain: beautiful rolling hills, oak and sycamore trees and during the wetter months of the year, lush riparian areas with flowing streams. Chino Hills is also abundant in wild life. Coyote, deer, snakes, tarantulas and large raptors are common sights in the park. Continue reading
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. In Chino Hills you’ll find classic California terrain: beautiful rolling hills, oak and sycamore trees and during the wetter months of the year, lush riparian areas with flowing streams. Chino Hills is also abundant in wild life. Coyote, deer, snakes, tarantulas and large raptors are common sights in the park. Continue reading
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. In Chino Hills you’ll find classic California terrain: beautiful rolling hills, oak and sycamore trees and during the wetter months of the year, lush riparian areas with flowing streams. Chino Hills is also abundant in wild life. Coyote, deer, snakes, tarantulas and large raptors are common sights in the park. Continue reading
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. In Chino Hills you’ll find classic California terrain: beautiful rolling hills, oak and sycamore trees and during the wetter months of the year, lush riparian areas with flowing streams. Chino Hills is also abundant in wild life. Coyote, deer, snakes, tarantulas and large raptors are common sights in the park. Continue reading
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. In Chino Hills you’ll find classic California terrain: beautiful rolling hills, oak and sycamore trees and during the wetter months of the year, lush riparian areas with flowing streams. Chino Hills is also abundant in wild life. Coyote, deer, snakes, tarantulas and large raptors are common sights in the park. Continue reading
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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Eaton Saddle > Mt Lowe > Sunset Trail
This is a downhill ride requiring a shuttle service to get you to the Eaton Saddle near the top of Mt Wilson. It’s a nice alternative to the Mt Lowe Loop that cuts out most of the climbing of that ride that you would otherwise.
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El Moro + Laguna Coast Wilderness
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El Prieto Loop
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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
La Tuna Loop
If you’re looking for a quick ride with descent views of the Los Angeles area, this may be the one for you. It’s a great loop for beginners, but even Advanced riders will enjoy some of the technical bonus features along the trail. The loop begins with a 3.5 mile climb up a fire road.
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Tags: beginner, cross country, fall, fire roads, loop, los angeles county, quarter day, single tracks, spring, summer, switchbacks, winter, xc
Laguna Meadows Loop
A fun loop near Noble Canyon that can be ridden by most strong beginners and more experienced riders with options to extend or shorten mileage and difficulty Continue reading
Malibu Bowl Loop
Situated on the ocean side of Backbone trail overlooking Pepperdine University and Malibu Beach, this loop is about half pavement and half dirt fire road with impressive views of the ocean for the entire ride. Most of the climbing part is paved (first five miles), making this a suitable ride for beginners.
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Tags: fall, fire roads, loop, los angeles county, ocean views, quarter day, scenic, smooth, spring, strong beginner, summer, winter, xc
Malibu Creek State Park
Malibu Creek State Park features beautiful California grasslands, oaks, and impressive panoramic views of the coast from 2400′ above sea level. It’s also a historical site where you might see signs of native indians that lived here and more recently, the remnants of the M.A.S.H.
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Tags: cross country, fall, fire roads, half day, intermediate, loop, los angeles county, ocean views, scenic, single tracks, spring, state park, summer, winter
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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Monroe Truck Trail Downhill
Although this ride can be done as an up and down, it’s a lot more fun as a downhill run! Of course, you’ll need to coordinate shuttles but with a drive time up of about 20 minutes, this makes for a perfect place to session a few runs to increase the fun.
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Mt Lowe Fire Road via Shuttle
Tags: angeles forest, beginner, cross country, downhill, fall, fire roads, los angeles county, mt wilson, quarter day, rocky, scenic, shuttle, spring, summer, winter, xc
Mt Wilson Area
XEN MTB provides guided mountain biking tours all around the Mount Wilson area. There are many mountain bike rides to enjoy in the Mt Wilson area. Some, like the Mount Lowe Loop can be climbed as up and backs and some can be done as loops.
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Tags: advanced, altadena, angeles forest, cliff exposure, cross country, downhill, expert, fire roads, flowy, half day, intermediate, limited cell service, loop, los angeles county, pasadena, poison oak, poodle dog bush, remote, rocky, roots, scenic, shuttle, sierra madre, single tracks, smooth, stream crossings, strong intermediate, tree cover, xc
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
Point Mugu State Park
The first three miles of this route are a gentle fire road as we go into Sycamore Canyon. The next couple miles we climb up a single track, somewhat steep at times. At about 5.5 miles, the trail turns into an easy paved road climb for about 1 mile.
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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 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. Continue reading
Tags: cross country, fall, fire roads, intermediate, loop, ocean views, orange county, quarter day, scenic, single tracks, smooth, spring, strong beginner, summer, winter
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
Strawberry Peak Loop
A very strenuous and steep climb combined with technical sections and steep cliff edges makes this a rewarding, but very dangerous half-day loop recommended only for those in excellent shape and without a fear of heights. Continue reading
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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Turnbull Canyon
Turnbull Canyon is a popular spot both for mountain bikers and hikers between Whittier and Hacienda Heights. Continue reading
Tags: cross country, fall, fire roads, flowy, half day, intermediate, loop, los angeles county, meadows, scenic, single tracks, spring, strong beginner, winter, xc
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
