Chino
Hills State Park
One of our
favorite “locals”, Chino Hills State Park offers something
for every skill level. There is an extensive network of fire roads
and singletracks through beautiful rolling hills. Chaparral and
sage cover the hillsides making this a delight for the senses.
There’s plenty of wildlife on the trail – bunnies
and ground squirrel galore. We once watched a beautiful, fat coyote
hunting mice, impervious to us stopping to watch him. This park
is huge, spanning over 11,000 acres with ample miles of hiking,
biking and equestrian trails. With all this room, there are many
trail variations to enjoy. What a nice surprise to find this little
oasis right off the 91 freeway where Orange County meets Riverside
County.
Marshall
Canyon
This is one
of our favorite trails. The ride starts from a quiet, upscale
neighborhood in La Verne and quickly disappears into the oak forest.
Amazing!!! This area also features some rather interesting signs
telling mountain bikers not to change their clothes in public
and other common sense rules that we should all live by. In general,
the area welcomes mountain bikers. There are lots of fun trails
with smooth downhills, steep climbs, and technical sections. Creeks
to cross, a few fallen trees and ruts add to the challenge. This
area is a maze of inter-connecting singletrack and dirt roads
to just hop on and have fun. You can make the ride as difficult
or as gentle as you choose.
Santa
Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve
Kathy calls
this trail “the Disneyland of mountain biking” because
it seems perfectly made for the thrill of off-roading without
being too technically difficult. The Santa Rosa Plateau includes
more than 8,000 acres – some 13 square miles of ecological
reserve. The landscape is comprised of rippling grasses, statuesque
oak trees, meandering streams, and a whole host of native plants
and animals. There are just enough boulders to negotiate around,
technical sections to climb, and gradual descents to roll down.
Oh – there are also some sandy sections, some mud to ride
through, and plenty of roots, branches and rocks to hop over if
you’re so inclined. Like Kathy says, “it’s the
Disneyland trail”.
Group
Ride Along:
If you’re
in the mood for a less structured group ride, you can join us
for that too. We ride at various times during the weekdays and
weekends and we’d love to have you ride along. Just call
us to get the scoop - 951-264-6970.
