Los Piños Ridge trail
Santa Ana Mountains, Cleveland National Forest
The remote ridge-top trail is just a few miles in length, but its difficult approach, technical downhills, looseness, roughness, and legendary HABs all conspire to keep it somewhat shrouded in heresy. Or at least keep it unpopular. To my knowledge just four Aye Emtybeers beside myself have done it.
The sheer difficulty of the ride is one reason I’m drawn to it – it’s a barometer of every MTB fitness metric. So I try to ride it often, as I did Saturday. For me it’s the quintessential taste of Stanta Anas ST…an ungroomed homage of past travels as much as a multi-use path. The trail delivers…but the question is, what did you order? If it was a spate of raw mountain travel and a decent workout, you’ll be all smiles. Buffed or flow? You’ll hate it.
The classic LP loop starts and ends at San Juan Trailhead. To top Los Piños Peak from there is around 14 miles of mostly climbing (one DH section on the Old San Juan trail north of Cocktail Rock). Climb San Jan/Old San Juan trail to Bluejay Campground, and refill water there. I rode this ~11-mi portion in a little over two hours. Not fast, but steady, and a pace to leave me some juice for the goods. The two miles of westbound Main Divide Rd was in firm condition thanks to recent rains, but that grade would be formidable even paved...
8am is way too late to start a big SA ride this time of year; my attempt to dangle a comfort carrot to would-be partners would have ended up an evil trap at noon in the sections where the breeze waned. These are the days that beat down the unsuspecting on LP and other committing trails. My current fitness made conditions little more than noteworthy.
Once past LP summit, the goods come fast and hard, including five main HABs in reducing order of difficulty. The rut is a little annoying only in a couple of spots. The chunder is chunder-licious, steep junk sublime. Still a few small HABs on the side ridge into Hot Springs Canyon – good for cooling the brakes. The switchbacks, embedded rocks and stairs down into Lazy W Ranch are always a primo ending to the difficulties.
Completion time of 5.5 hours represents a normal quick time for me on this loop. A little better than normal considering conditions. As always, I’m grateful for the places that few travel. I hope that Los Piños never gets any kind of reputation as a must-do. I doubt it will. “HAB” will keep it low on most riders’ to-do list, and keep the trail a place for motivated riders, runners, and the occasional peak bagger.
These photos don't begin to do the outing justice – it's full value, up and down.
From Bluejay CG the Ridge appears innocuous. Main Divide Rd meets the Ridge out the right side of the photo.
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On the DH side of the Ridge, looking back from HAB #1 with Inland Empire in the background.
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Down on the side ridge (the southern rampart of Hot Springs Canyon); Los P Peak and Ridge standing tall.
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