I was first introduced to Thomas Mountain and the Ramona Trail in December of 2003 when Mike Kim showed me the route. Oh Crap! That was nearly 23 years ago. Does that mean I’m an OG? <Only the if it means Old Guy 🙂 >
Drew working his way up the fire road
I can’t say that Thomas Mountain has been a perineal ride since 2003 as there are lots of MTB options in the greater Garner Valley, Idyllwild area and its a bit of haul from San Diego. It has however been in the rotation and I have it up ever year for the last four or five years.
Views that don’t suck
During the most recent outings I have been adding the spur up to the summit proper into the mix. The normal loop gets you so close you might as well take that little extra to take in the summit.
Final segment to the summit
I have noticed some some little dotted lines on old maps as well some more recent digital ones. On this outing Drew and I decided to investigate to see if those dotted lines correlated to some of interest in the real world.
The path less followed
It did! At the summit we found a faint trail right where the map intel showed it. Shortly off the summit it was better defined and rather easy to follow.
View of Anza Valley and Cahuilla Mountain to the south
This looks like a very old jeep or moto route that momma nature has nearly reclaimed with the occasional foot, hoof, bike or moto keeping things at singletrack width.
Some TLC needed in a spot or two
It was mostly downhill and quite fun. The trail followed the ridgeline from the summit east-southeast for about two miles before popping out across from the Toolbox Spring Campground at the top of the Ramona Downhill. It was certainly a nice variation on the classic Thomas Mountain, Thomas Mountain Bike Trail and Ramona Downhill Loop. Here is my ridelog that contain this trail. Not a Trailforks person, here is the Strava
On the Ramona Trail
We discussed for a moment climbing the remainder of the fireroad again to catch the Thomas Mountain singletrack we had bypassed with the upper ridge route. The final vote tally was brains/ego – 2, legs – four.
Singletrack Goodness
We hopped on the Ramona downhill and enjoyed some nice singletrack goodness through the pines before the trail transitioned into the more open sage brush.
We enjoyed some well earn beer and tasty burgers and the Paradise Valley Cafe before the drive back to San Diego. It was a might fine day to be on a bike.
Spring time riding the Cuyamaca and the Laguna Mountains is quite a treat. I set out on a very early morning start from the San Diego River Staging area. My truck read 42 degrees when I stepped out of it. I did not dally around much and got to moving. I made my way south along the west side trail to East Mesa fire road. Most of the climb was in shade of the mountain with the occasional spot of early morning sunshine hitting me to take a bit of the briskness out of the bones.
By the time I got up onto East Mesa there was plenty of sunshine and temps had become comfortable. I have been on this mesa before when wildflowers were in bloom and it is an amazing sight. There were some flowers but things had not kicked off yet. I connected up with the Deer Park Trail and took along the mesa’s and then eastward out of state park back into Cleveland National Forest to Deer Park Road and the junction of Indian Creek trail. The descent down from the mesa to the road was every bit as good as I remember it.
All of my previous outing in this area involved climbing up Indian Creek trail. Today I wanted to check out a different route so I turned north of Deer Park Road. This is a forest service double track that climbs with intention for about 1.2 miles before you get to Pine Mountain Road where took it to continue my climbing. Pine Mountain Road (another forest service double track) gains a little under 700 feet over two miles to its high point so most will find it not steep, but also not mild. (Your grunting milage may vary). I really appreciated the different views I was able to get along this first for me route. Near the top you will get back into a lovely stand of pine trees.
Once over the top I continued on for about half a mile until the Pine Mountain Trail crossed the road. From here I turned north (left) on the trail and enjoyed the slightly downhill singletrack for a little over a mile to Sunrise Highway and the Pioneer Mail Trailhead just across the road.
The Pioneer Mail Trailhead has pit toilets and some picnic tables. The Perfect Cycling Trail Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) runs right through here as it makes it was northward loosely following just east of Sunrise highway. The PCT is off-limits to mountain bikes. It has been since 1988 when a order that some MTB advocates believe to be of questionable legal standing was promulgated. Yes, back in the day folks could and did ride their bikes on the PCT. It is my understanding that no one has ever been issued a ticket for riding their MTB on the PCT. Folks have been issued warnings. Folks have gotten ticketed while riding the PCT in wilderness, but the ticket was for riding in wilderness not specifically the PCT. To the best of my knowledge no one has ever been ticketed for riding a MTB on the PCT. I wonder why that is. Some think it is because getting a ticket would provide standing in challenge it in a court of law. That could be interesting in light of Chevron deference doctrine being overturned by the Supreme Court in 2024. A friend of mine just a few weeks ago was issued a warning for riding his MTB on the PCT. He was told it was $50 bucks for the first offense and $100 for the second offense. So $50 for a ticket that is believed to have never been issued in 38 years, shoot take my money….please. For reference, while generally decriminalized by the state’s Freedom to Walk Act (AB2147), if you were to get a ticket for jaywalking in the city of San Diego the ticket $196 plus state-mandated fees.
Enough on legalities, your options from here are to commit the mala prohibita crime of putting down some tire tracks on the PCT for a wonderful 5.4 miles to the junction of the Lucky 5 trail or you could proceed legally on the Sunrise Highway for 4.3 miles to the same Lucky 5 trail. Either option involves maybe a mile of climbing at the start and mostly downhill after that. You will have to make your own personal accountability choices at this point.
I was questioning how much gas I had in the tank at this point so Sunrise Highway was selection for the day. Once on the Lucky 5 trail it was more great springtime single track in the mostly downhill direction. From Lucky 5, I connected to the Upper La Cima trail which was in great shape. At the junction of the Upper Green Valley singletrack is an option to take that trail and cut out some mileage and climbing to finish off the loop. I assessed I had enough in legs left to do some a longer option so stuck to the La Cima trail for some more smiles on springtime singletrack back down into Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and the California Riding and Hiking Trail (CRHT).
I am a huge fan of this section of the CRHT. It is pretty singletrack all year long but springtime is particularly nice. There is some mild climbing to be had up to the highpoint of this section overlooking the greater Cuyamaca Lake watershed. The mild climbing did not feel mild at his point in the ride (22ish miles and 2,500’+ elevation gain at this point). After a snack break under an oak tree overlooking a large meadow, I continued along the CRHT to the Soapstone Grade doubletrack where I continued along the perimeter of the meadow. I then turned south at the junction of the Stonewall Creek fire road for a rather zippy descent to the Cold Spring Trail.
The Cold Spring Trail is fantastic singletrack completed in 2015 that the San Diego Mountain Biking Association (SDMBA) played a crucial role making happen. It is a fun trail in both directions that makes the climbs feel less than they actually are. The west side of the park could use some trails like this versus all of the fire road action they currently have.
After some miles of smiles along the Cold Spring trail I cross over Highway 79 and took the west side single south. I was ready to be done at this point. When I pulled back up to my truck the legs were empty and my soul was full. The stats were 31.53 miles with 3,248 feet of elevation gain and more smiles that I could count.
I have been sitting on some footage from Fish Lake Utah for quite some time. I lost a big chunk of footage from my Pelican Canyon outing. I finally decided to put out some of that footage and here is the first snippet of some of it. This is from the very upper portion of the trail which is also the most non-technical portion of the trail. The trail was often times uber faint in spots and while rolling at speed required a bit of concentration to pick it out ahead of you. Try looking ahead in this video to see where it is going to go and you will probably find yourself doing what I did, wondering and picking up the turns just in time more maybe being a little surprised. The very beginning of this video also includes a bit of footage from the summit of Fish Lake Highpoint at 11,634′. It is a worthy short side quest once you get to the top of Pelican Canyon.
This video does not do the trail any justice. At the end of my video I have a link to MinerBiker’s video of this trails which does a much better job that mine.
Still catching up with the summer festivities. Here is a video from the Alpine Trail out of Oakridge Oregon. The video really does not do it justice. I have not toyed with one of those 360 degree action cameras yet but I think it would have been useful to try and capture some of the views of the huge trees.
One thing is for certain, it is better enjoyed than viewed through a screen. There are plenty of days of riding to had in this area and we barely scratched the surface.
This place is definitely on our return list I think I would like to do a vacation that includes some time here and Bend along with another jaunt out to the Mckenzie River Trail.
Flow and Fall time goodness, what is not to like. The McGill trail located on Mt Pinos near Frazier Park well north of LA is pretty cool. Very nice if you and your buddies can shuttle it, but it is doable with a mild 8-mile road climb. You should put this trail on your list if you are going to be in the area.
I also did the the out and back route to the summit of Mt Pinos as well. If you made it that far up the mountain you might as well go all the way. Here is my route on this particular day where I started from the McGill Campground halfway up the mountain .
Note: I did this ride in back in late July. I am making an effort to semi-catch up on the summer adventures
The Lost Sierras area of NorCal is renowned for its killer trails with stunning views. Your average trail out there is typically a blue trail with some black diamond bits here and there. For the occasional rider, novice, beginner or someone just not into technical terrain, most of these trails can be a bit much.
The Lake Davis trail just north of Portola is an awesome green trail that is nearly guaranteed to not get you cross threaded with significant other. The elevation change is minimal and none of the climbs are long.
The view of Lake Davis from the Smith Peak Lookout west of the lake.
The trail is currently 7 miles long along the eastern side of the lake so it a nice 14 mile out-and-back. I’m not a gravel bike guys but looping around the lake on the mostly dirt roads is a thing. It would be incredibly awesome to see the singletrack segments expanded. So much potential out here
Pro Tip for Family/Group Travelers: If other members are your posse are not down for the more technical or big stuff this region is known for or they can’t ride multiple days in a row, this is a great trail to do as your “Rest Day” ride.
The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship rocks! The Brewing Lair is not be missed. Beers, food trucks and live music nestled on a wooded hill-side…What is not to like about that! (Oh, and dog-friendly!)
The Golden Eagle trail is my outer limit for how far I will go on a day trip for a ride. I did this outing as an overnighter that included some other adventures in the general area. There are some autumn color making a showing which is alway nice to see in SoCal. Oh yeah and miles of nice flowy MTB goodness.
Here is another video from the Lost Sierras visit back in July. The Mills Peak trail. Doing this trail as loop would be a mofo but my lovely wife drove me to the top! This trail rocks with plenty of character and views. From the bottom of the trail it is an easy spin back into Greagle where tasty grub and beer and be had. It is certainly well worth a go!
Back in July and August I spent some time in NorCal, Oregon and Washington doing a combination of biking, hiking as well as taking care of some work work. Part of the adventures were in the Lost Sierras area of NorCal.
Mount Hough which is easily accessible from Quincy has some pretty awesome trails. I was able sample a nice little slice of them while there.
During my summer vacation/road trip I spent some time in Colorado. I managed to catch up with my brother from another mother Jerry. Jerry took me out to American Lakes and Thunder Pass trail a fair ways out side of Fort Collins. It was a really cool trail that took us up above tree line to the backside border of Rocky Mountain National Park. The trails, the views and the hanging with an old friend made for a really awesome day.
