Tag Archive for: moderate duration

Case Mountain Trails Three Rivers

Case Mountain Trails - Three Rivers - California

Case Mountain Trails - Three Rivers - California

 

These trails came as a complete and pleasant surprise to me, I had never heard of these trails, and was here to visit the Sequoias on my way to Downieville. The Case Mountain Trails are about 3 miles from Three Rivers.
These trails were described to me as ” Like the Downieville Trails were before they became popular” .. Well in that case I was at the right place..

Trail Stats & Information

Nearby Town : Three Rivers
Length: 12.07 miles
Trail Type: Loop
Skill Level: [what the books say] no info
Skill Level: [My Opinion] Technically moderate. Physically moderate.
Duration : My time was 03:57:57
Elev Gain : 2.975 feet
Top Elev : 2,788 feet
Min. Elev : 979 feet

 

Book Description
 
I could not find any Mtb Trail books describing the Case Mountain Trails, so the below descriptions are based on my personal experience :
>> The Case Mountain Trails are riddled with fantastic singletracks. The area is not huge, but you can easily spend a day connecting these trails. One thing, these trails are NOT marked, and there are no maps available. I was very lucky to find a local ( Kevin from Three Rivers Hideaway) that was willing to get up at 6 am and show me the layout, and explain the possibilities. The trails here are sweeeet, but hard to know which ones to take.
 

 

My Experience

As I mentioned above, this whole area came as a pleasant surprise, I had not done any research at all, and had no plans to ride. While at the Three Rivers Hideaway Campground I noticed two nice looking Steeds, I asked at the office who they belonged to, and the rest is history. Kevin the owner of the steeds suggested we get an early ride in before it got too hot, the next day at 6 am we were on our way. Once on the trails we spent the first 20 min. on a sweet singletrack on one of the very few named Trails, this one was “Old Number One” the climb was gradual and easy, and it took us back onto a Fire Road. I could see 10’s of singletracks veering off in every direction, Kevin spent a great deal of time explaining each trail, cos a couple of days later I would be on my own.
We followed the fire road for about a good 30 min. all uphill, but nothing too serious. While climbing you will notice the very fast flowing singletracks to each side of the road .. These are trails that will be taking you back down.. FAST!!
We finally made it to the point where we had to prepare ourselves for the mayhem ride back down, all and only on sweet singletrack.
The descent was fast and fun, and I did not do too bad with keeping up with Kevin. I do confess that I did quite a spectacular Endo, luckily no serious damage done.
The downhill is really fast, and narrow, and there is zero room for any hesitation. All in all FANTASTIC!
2 days later I went back on my own and did the Trail that came highly recommended by Kevin, same kind of trail I did above, just higher and about 6 miles longer.. Again, it was fast and furious and a good 6 miles of sweet singletrack.
I wish I had more time to explore these trails, I will definitely be back one of these days to try the so many trails I did not manage to ride.

 

Conclusion
These trails really are sweet, and you are almost guaranteed the trails to yourself. They are however surprisingly well maintained by the local Mtb’ers ( Kudos to them for doing such a great job) Also, what is pretty nice, is that you can reach the High Spots by following the fire road, but 100% of the downhill is miles singletrack.
The downside is, the trails are not marked or mapped, making it very difficult for outsiders to know what the best routes are.. , but maybe this is a good thing!. I was lucky I had a guide that explained the layout to me.
Bottom line is, if you are ever near Three Rivers, you would be mad not to hit the Case Mountain Trails

 

Other Info:

Traffic on Trail : I had all the trails to myself, I did not see anyone.
Wild Life : King Snake and a Rattlesnake ( huge)
Scenery : Great scenery
Getting There : From Three Rivers continue about 4 miles along the 198 towards Hammond. Just past Three Rivers Hideaway (on the left) take a right at the church up Skyline Dr. Follow Skyline all the way to the Trailhead ( do not veer off of Skyline)
Other : Take sun lotion and extra fluids, in the summer it can get hot ( 104 when I was there )

 

My Trail Rating : 8.5 / 10



 


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Hurkey Creek and May Valley Trails Epic

Hurkey Creek Epic

May Valley & Hurkey Creek

 

My first attempt to ride the “24 hour loop” went a bit pear shaped, and I missed the turn off to Rage through the Sage and Tunnel of Love.  While getting my steed fixed up, I got a lot of useful trail intel from the shop owner. The trails he marked for me on a very basic map were some local secrets, and there is no way I would have been able to ride them without this inside intel. The good thing was, I managed to map a loop that included the Rage through the Sage and Tunnel of Love..

I must say though, there was one thing that made me (almost) hate these trails….

 

Hurkey Creek Trails Map
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Trail Stats & Information

 

Nearby Town : Idyllwild
Length: 17.29 miles
Trail Type: Loops
Skill Level: [what the books say] no info
Skill Level: [My Opinion] Technically easy to moderate. Physically moderate.
Duration : My time was 04:25:15
Elev Gain : 2,181 feet
Top Elev : 5,435 feet
Min. Elev : 4,378 feet
 

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Book Description

I could not find any Mtb Trail books describing the Hurkey Creek Trails, so the below descriptions are based on my personal experience :
>> The Hurkey Creek Trails just a few miles from Idyllwild offer some fantastic and scenic trails. Some of the trails are pretty popular, and are used in the 24 Hour Race held in the Spring. Trails such as Johnson Meadow, Exfoliator, Rage through the Sage and Tunnel of Love are some of the must do rides in this area.
May Valley offers some fantastic loop trails that can easily be combined. To get the most out of these trails you will really need a local to show you, or some local advice on which trails to take and HOW to ride them, for example the Lower South Ridge must be done counter clock, giving you an excellent downhill experience, rather than a hike up.
Visit the Hub bike shop, and get a map and  some advice before heading out.
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My Experience

Luckily for me, I had done a section of this ride a couple of days previous, so I had a much better grasp of the layout, I also had a slightly better map and a head full of trail info.
Again I set out early, I was on the trails at 6 am. the first 45 min. was on trails I had done before, so that went pretty smooth. Then onto the un-mapped “Meadow Trail” a sweet short trail that connected me to the Murkwood Trail. From here it was a gradual climb that took me to the Lower South Ridge Trail. From here it was a funtastic and pretty technical downhill to Coldwater Trail.  The Coldwater Trail is a moderate climb, it coud be an easy climb, seeing as it is pretty gradual however the sandy singletrack makes it some what demanding. You then continue pass the Murkwood Trail where you were more than an hour ago. When you hit the fire road, make a left, and immediately look for a well hidden singletrack on the RIGHT hand side, this will connect you to the Second Brother, that will then connect you to Cahuilla Cutoff. The Cahuilla Cutoff is also a really nice fast trail with a few “no warning” tech spots, so be careful. At the end of this trail, you cross a fire road and continue straight onto the “Coffee Pot” … Why is it called the Coffee Pot?.. ride it and you will know where the name came from.
The Coffee Pot ends at the beginning of the Exfoliator. I described this trail in my previous review, and all I can say is that the second time on this trail was just as mental as the first.. A MUST!!
This time I took the right left hand turn and crossed the creek and started the short but demanding climb to the top of Rage through the Sage.
Rage through the Sage is another fantastic and fast roller coaster ride,  not highly technical, but because of the potential speed you can reach, it’s not a trail to hesitate on which line you are gonna choose. If you choose the wrong line, my advice is to stick with it and hope for the best, ‘cos chances are you will bite the “Sage” if you try and change.
The Tunnel of Love is also a fantastic trail, a lot like the Exfoliator,  fast and sweet… Very Sweet!

 

Conclusion
I would say that 98% of the trails I did here are on singletrack, and sweet singletrack at that!. This ride is both technically and physically moderate, but there are one or two sections that are demanding . Lower South Ridge can even be pretty dangerous if things turn sour on certain sections. ( I actually endo’d on this section, and miraculously landed on my feet)
Exfoliator, Rage through the Sage and Tunnel of Love  are pretty well known trails, and once you’ve experienced them, you know why they are well known.
These trails are fantastic, but there was one thing that really put a damper on things.. Horse flies!!.. I’m not talking 2 or 3, I’m talking swarms!. I could not stop for 20 seconds to study my map without being attacked.
I mentioned this to some of the locals, and they said that it was really bad for some reason, and they confinced me that it is never this bad.

 

Other Info:

Traffic on Trail : I had all the trails to myself, I did not see anyone.
Wild Life : A few dear along the Johnson Meadow section
Scenery : Great scenery
Getting There : Click HERE for directions from Idyllwild
Other : Take sun lotion and plenty of bug spray, the horse flies are terrible

 

My Trail Rating : 8 / 10


 

The Hub Cyclery IdyllwildThe Hurkey Creek and May Valley Trails review is proudly sponsored by :

The Hub Cyclery Idyllwild.

Don’t even consider riding the Hurkey Creek Trails before paying a visit to The Hub Cyclery. This is not your average Cycle Shop, the owners themselves are not just avid mountain bikers, they also build the popular Siren Mountain Bikes. The Hub Cyclery is well stocked with everything you and your bike will need on the trails, and a lot more. When you buy a Trails Map at The Hub, it comes with some free and unmissable advice and recommendations.

For more info please visit : www.hubcyclery.com

 


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Hollenbeck Canyon

Hollenbeck Canyon

Hollenbeck Canyon offers fantastic and scenic trails for some fun mountain biking

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Hollenbeck Canyon near Jamul, and just 25 minutes east of San Diego offers some fantastic trails through stunning and unique scenery. A seasoned mtb’er can easily put together a fantastic 12-20 miles ( or more) ride, but just exploring all the paths, trails and tracks. From lush green meadows through fantastic shady oak groves to high and open trails with great scenery of the canyon and surroundings

Hollenbeck Canyon Trail Map.


Trail Stats & Information

Nearby Town : Jamul

Length: You decide : the trail I did was just under 10 miles

Trail Type: You decide

Skill Level: [what the books say] no info

Skill Level: [My Opinion] Technically easy. Physically moderate

Duration : My time was 02:07:34

 Elev Gain : 1,265 feet

Top Elev : 1,506 feet

Min. Elev : 761 feet

Book Description

I could not find any Mtb Trail books describing the Highline Trail, because it is not really an “official” trail, so the below descriptions are based on my personal experience :
>> Hollenbeck Canyon offers some really nice trails, both singletrack and doubletrack among scenery that will come as a pleasant surprise. Lush green pastures, shady oak groves and open trails with great panoramic scenery. Their are tons of options for the mountain biker in the canyon, just explore all the trails and tracks for a great day of mountain biking.

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My Experience

Hollenbeck Canyon came as a complete but pleasant surprise to me. The scenery from the trailhead is quite unique and different from what you might expect. I was lucky that I met 2 fellow mountain bikers at the trailhead, they had just returned from their ride, and I was able to get some very useful info on what trails to take. Even though it was January, it was hot!!, and I can only imagine how unbearable it would be in the summer.

The loop I did was very enjoyable and pretty easy going, even the climb was not too bad, but I did notice that I was drinking more than I normally do, due to the heat. The trails were compact dirt tracks, and pretty fast flowing through fantastic scenery. There are numerous very fast singletrack downhill sections, that require full concentration, because of some gnarly ruts and loose rocks on the trail.

 

Conclusion
Definitely worth riding, Hollenbeck Canyon offers some fantastic trails with unique scenery. Next time I’m in the area I will definitely spend more time exploring these trails.
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Other Info:

Traffic on Trail : Although the trail head was fairly busy, I did not see many people on the trails

Wild Life : Snake and plenty of buzzards

Scenery : Great scenery, pretty unique for this area

Getting There : Hollenbeck Canyon Trailhead : the trailhead is just off Campo Rd ( CA94) on Honey Springs Rd

Other : Take lots of fluids, in January it was hot, so just imagine what the summers must be like.

 

My Trail Rating : 8 / 10

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