Check out Road Riding, Mountain Biking,
or Group Rides. Check out the links
page for more places to ride.
Most of these rides tend to be fairly long (i.e. they'll all take more than
an hour of your time). If you're looking for short rides, San Marino (directly
south of campus) is probably your best bet, as the roads are paved well and
there is often very little traffic.
Road Riding
Click on the ride titles for details, maps and more!
This is one of the most popular and most accessible rides from campus. 30 miles round trip for ~2 hours on the bike.
Go east on Del Mar until you get to Sierra Madre Ave. Go left and continue all the way to Santa Anita Ave where you take a left and begin
climbing. This road is several miles long at a moderate grade. When you get to
the top, you will be at Chantry Flats Ranger Station. There's a little road to the
left on which you can climb a tiny bit more to the helipad, but you'll eventually end up on unpaved paths.
Some riders take Colorado East all the way to Santa Anita ave... that's another option.
Chaney Trail
Not a very long ride but one of the steepest around. Excellent workout if you want to work on your strength and climbing skills.
Go north on Lake. When you get to the end of Lake, make a left. Make a right
on Chaney Trail. This road will proceed for awhile until you come to a
T-intersection. Going left will take you to Millard Campground, which is
fairly uninteresting for roadies. Going right will shortly take you to a metal
gate. Once you get behind this gate, you can continue climbing for three miles.
Alternatively if, like me, you don't feel like riding in the traffic on Lake, you can go up Wilson to Washington, Right then first Left on Mar Vista up to Mendocino. Right then first Left on Ganesha up to Altadena dr. Left then first right on Maiden Ln. Follow Maiden Ln to a Right on Mt Curve. That will bring you about a block from the top of Lake. Right on Lake then Left at the top on Loma Alta. Right on Chaney Trail (under the yellow blinking light) and follow the directions above.
It sounds complicated but it you look it up on a map, you're just wiggling your way up on the streets parallel to Lake. It's actually pretty intuitive and much nicer than climbing Lake !
In case you don't know, Mt. Wilson is that big mountain directly to the north
of Pasadena. In order to go up it, you need to get onto Rte 2 (the Angeles Crest Highway). Go to the Rose Bowl. While heading north on West St. (on the west
side of the Rose Bowl), veer left onto Salvia Canyon Rd. and then make a right
onto Linda Vista. Now make a right onto Berkshire, a right onto Commonwealth,
and a left onto Lynnhaven. Lynnhaven will turn into Princess Anne, and then
you will make a left onto Green and a right onto the Angeles Crest Highway.
Once here, you're pretty much set. You will climb for perhaps 12 or 13 miles
at a moderate grade (~5%). You will then have a road off to your right called Mt.
Wilson Observatory Rd. You'll want to take this, as it will let you climb for
five more miles until you get to the observatory at the peak of Mt. Wilson.
The view while you climb is beautiful.
On the way back, you probably want to keep going down the 2 all the way to Foothill. At the bottom, make a right on Foothill and immediate left on Chevy Chase. It will take you back to Berkshire (make a left on Berkshire) and home the way you came. Some riders like to go up that way too.
A nice variation of the Mt Wilson ride is to climb one of its nearest neighbor: Mt. Disappointment. The ride is slightly shorter but quite a bit steeper near the top. A challenge with a rewarding view at the summit!
To get there, follow the directions as if you were going to ascend Mt. Wilson until after turning onto Mt Wilson road at the Red Box station. About a quarter of a mile up, you will see a wide turnout on the ride with a gated road going up. (it's a ~170° right turn onto that road) Go around the gate and start climbing for about 3 miles. The last 1/4 mile is especially steep.
Very popular road to ride on. It is usually closed to traffic which is extra nice. Hwy 39 on the way back often has quite a lot of traffic so some riders go down Glendora Mountain Road instead.
Getting there might seem like advanced navigation but it really isn't so bad...
This road starts out in the town of (surprise) Glendora.
To get there, go
east on Colorado until Madre St. Make a left, and then a right onto Foothill
Blvd. In the town of Monrovia, make a right on Shamrock and then a left onto
Huntington Blvd.
This will eventually turn into Foothill Blvd again. When you
get to the town of Azusa, make a left on Azusa Ave, and then a right onto
Sierra Madre.
Glendora Mtn Road will be on the left in a few miles The two
roads will eventually cross and you'll want to take a left.
It starts out with
an 8-10 mile climb into the San Gabriels at a fairly easy grade. If you're
feeling ambitious, near the top of this climb there will be a road veering off
to the right. It will take you to Mt. Baldy. If you don't feel like climbing
for 20 miles, stay to the left. The road is very remote and scenic. After
descending for awhile, you'll start to go west again (you'll be on East Fork
Rd.). Eventually you'll come to a T-intersection. Make a left. This is Hwy 39,
and it'll eventually take you to Azusa Ave., back in the town of Azusa.
A little out of Pasadena, very nice ride through the mountains to the 14 freeway.
It starts in Sunland (if you drive there, go north on the 210 and exit Osborne.
If you want to ride there, I would suggest you follow the same road as for the Mt Wilson ride until you get to Foothill boulevard where you go left (North-West) for about 13 miles. Turn right on Osborne. Osborne turns into Little Tujunga Canyon which becomes Sand Canyon when you descend towards the 14. There's an In-n-Out there if you need to refuel. (I find an order or fries does wonders before climbing back!)
There are two passes to climb and since it's an out-and-back route, there are two passes to get back. They are quite steep but not too long and the downhills are rewarding and quite easy.
The round trip is about 40 miles.
Linking Clear Creek Ranger station on the Angeles crest (see the directions to Mt Wilson to get there) to Sunland, Big Tujunga canyon is a nice alternative to going up Mt Wilson.
I personally recommend starting in Sunland: go west on Foothill (see the beginning of the directions to Mt Wilson to get to Foothill in La Cañada) all the way to Oro Vista Ave in Sunland. (Note that you're only a few miles from the bottom of Little Tujunga Canyon, another very nice ride that I recommend you drive to as it doesn't get you back to Pasadena) Make a Right and start climbing. Oro Vista Ave quickly turns into Big Tujunga Canyon Rd. Climb to Angeles Forest Highway, make a right and it will take you up to Clear Creek. Right on the Angeles Crest Highway to go down to La Cañada. Get back to campus with (again!) the directions from Mt Wilson.
The climb from Sunland to Clear Creek is about 16 miles long.
A 15 minute ride from campus, the road surrounding the Rose Bowl is right
around 3 miles long (almost exactly 5km) and features a very well paved surface with little car
traffic at most times of the day. If you ride clockwise, you can go for as
long as you want, virtually uninterrupted. This street is fairly flat.
Mountain Biking
Chantry Flats
Look here for directionsfrom Caltech. When you get to the Chantry
Flats ranger station, you can either go left (up the small paved road) or
right (down a paved road which is chain to prevent auto access). The former
eventually leads to Mt. Wilson. The latter is very popular with hikers and
not very fun on a mountain bike.
Brown Mountain
Head up Arroyo Parkway until you get to JPL. If you keep going straight, you
will be on a small paved road. Take this until the road forks with a wide
semi-paved road on the left and a smaller paved road leading right with a sign
saying "Through traffic stay left." Go right and pass through the small
stream. After a quarter of a mile, you have the choice of continuing up the
hill to the left or up El Prieto straight. It is recommended that you do not
take El Prieto uphill, as many people come screaming down it, and it is a
narrow trail. Going left, you will climb on fireroads until you come to a
3-way intersection. Going straight will take you to Millard/Chaney Trail. A
left will take you to the summit of Brown Mountain. Once at the top, there
will be a small trail ahead and to the right. This is the Ken Burton Trail.
Overall, mostly unpaved fireroads.
Chaney Trail
Look here for directions. Midway up Chaney Trail, the
Altadena Crest trail will cross the road. If you make a right at the
T-intersection, you will be on a steep paved road. After several miles the
road will no longer be paved. Around this point there will be a turn off to
the right that connects with Echo Mtn., and a turn off to the left that
connects with the Sunset Ridge Trail. Several miles further up the trail
you will come to Inspiration Point. Here you can take the Idlehour or the
Middle Sam Merril Trail. If you stay on the fireroad, you will eventually get
to Mt. Wilson.
Henninger Flats
Go east until you hit Allen Ave. Make a left. At the end of this road there's
a school. You'll want to take the road that veers right next to the school.
Keep going straight on this new road and you'll eventually be next to a small
canyon with an entrance on the left. This is where you enter. Before the
bridge, there will be a trail to the left. This is the Altadena Crest trail.
Stay straight and you will be able to climb for several miles until you get to
Henninger Flats campground. If you want to keep climbing, the trail eventually
leads to Mt. Wilson. You will pass the Idlehour on your way up. There is no
shade on this trail, so be prepared for the heat on warmer days.
El Prieto
One of the most famous trails in Southern California for mountain biking.
The trailhead is off the fireroad between Chaney Trail and Brown Mtn., and
is even marked by a sign. Heavy poison oak in the summer. The trail is
actually fairly technical. You'll spend most of your time on this trail
testing your mountain bike skills. One nice thing about this trail is that
there aren't large drop offs (as it's in a valley), unlike many other good
singletrack trails in the area.
La Tuna Canyon
The easiest way to get here is unfortunately by car. Take the 210 East until
you get to La Tuna Canyon Rd. Go back under the freeway and immediately to
your left you will see a parking lot. Park here. Ride through the gates on
the paved road until you get to an unpaved fireroad (this is called Hostetter
fireroad). You will climb for several miles until the road makes a
T-intersection with another fireroad (this is one is named Verdugo). Turn
right. After you ride 2.4 miles, there will be an unmarked trail on the right.
This is where you want to turn. After several miles of singletrack, you'll be
back on La Tuna Canyon Rd. This is a good ride for people who want easier
singletrack.
Ken Burton Trail
Go to the end of the Brown Mountain fireroad. The trailhead for this trail is
straight ahead. You will be riding singletrack for quite a few miles.
Eventually you will stop going downhill and will be at a campground (named
Oakwilde). If you go right, you will be heading towards Switzers Camp on the
Gabrielino Trail. If you go left, you will be heading along Arroyo Seco trail
back towards JPL. Watch out for lots of poison oak in the spring/summer.
Arroyo Seco
Directions to Arroyo Seco are the same as those to Brown Mtn., except that
you want to veer left onto the semipaved road. Expect to cross a stream at least
2 dozen times before you arrive at the Oakwilde picnic area. From here you can
either go right, up the Ken Burton Trail (not recommended) or you can keep on
going straight, up the Gabrielino trail towards Switzers Camp/The Red Box Gap.
Be prepared to walk parts of the way.
Lower Sam Millard
If you ride to the top of lake you will find Cobb Estates on your right. Enter
here and stay near the south fence until you hit the trail head. The trail is
generally a bit wider than single track. If you are going uphill, it is a good
work out that will get you closer to trails such as the Middle Sam Merril,
the Sunset Ridge Trail, the Idlehour, and Chaney Trail. This is not a good
trail for going downhill; in addition to some steep drop offs and a slippery
surface, the trail is very popular with hikers. As you generally won't be able
to see them until you're fairly close, either go slow when descending or use
other trails nearby (such as Sunset). If you do go up the trail, it will take
you to Echo Mtn after 2.7 miles. Here there will be a short trail that connects
with Chaney Trail.
Middle Sam Millard
Follow Chaney Trail to Inspiration Point. A few hundred feet before the look
the Point's look out will be the entrance to the Middle Sam Millard. Despite
the name, the trail is not very similar to the Lower Sam Millard. It is a much
better descent than ascent, and is quite rocky. Another bonus is that this
trail is much less popular with hikers, so you are able to go fast. It's
singletrack all the way to Echo Mtn and the top of the Lower Sam Millard trail.
Sunset Ridge Trail
Ride up Chaney Trail until the road is no longer paved. To the left there will
be a marker for the Sunset Ridge Trail. The Sunset is probably a little bit
less technical than El Prieto, but has some drop offs and a few sandy sections
to slow you down. It meets up with Chaney Trail several more times until you
finally end up near the Chaney gate.
Group Rides
Tuesday/Thursday at 6:00 pm. Meet at the corner of Arroyo and Secon (Rose
Bowl) for 10 very fast laps. You need a helmet for this ride. Quite a
few pro racers show up, and drag one or two hundred riders around the Rose
Bowl at 30+ miles an hour.
Pasadena has passed an ordinance that outlaws the pack around the Rose Bowl (and effectively anywhere in the city) because it was deemed unsafe/scary for the riders and especially the pedestrians so the future of this ride is uncertain.
Trader Joe's in South Pas
Saturday at 8:15 am. Meet at Trader Joe's in South Pas (corner of Mission and
Grand) for a fast road ride. Actual start is in Descanso Gardens at 8:00 am.
The ride usually splits in two, with one group going 10 miles less before they
both meet back up at the 'end' in Sierra Madre. Expect to ride at least 2 and
a half to 3 hours.
Last updated August 8, 2006.
