Southern California - Turnbull Canyon Road

Last night for the first time I heard about Turnbull Canyon Rd. though I live a few miles from there. Does anyone have experience climbing there? I would like to get few opinions about it before checking it out.

Thanks

It's a fun drive in a car except when the cops are there w/ radar guns :)

Last night for the first time I heard about Turnbull Canyon Rd. though I live a few miles from there. Does anyone have experience climbing there? I would like to get few opinions about it before checking it out.

Thanks

You should go and climb it! I've ridden it a few times as part of a century. I like it, it's quiet, hardly any traffic the only thing is there's very little to no shoulder so be careful, take a buddy. Here is the route (http://www.caltriplecrown.com/centuries/EastForkCentury.xls) I took with the OCW guys. You could start at mile 15.5 at Central Park and take the route up and over Turnbull and turn around and climb up the back side for a nice little work out. I've always wanted to explore that area because there are a few other ways to the summit and you could make a great hill climbing session out of it. PM me if you want to go I will go with you on a Wednesday afternoon if you want.

You should go and climb it! I've ridden it a few times as part of a century. I like it, it's quiet, hardly any traffic the only thing is there's very little to no shoulder so be careful, take a buddy. Here is the route (http://www.caltriplecrown.com/centuries/EastForkCentury.xls) I took with the OCW guys. You could start at mile 15.5 at Central Park and take the route up and over Turnbull and turn around and climb up the back side for a nice little work out. I've always wanted to explore that area because there are a few other ways to the summit and you could make a great hill climbing session out of it. PM me if you want to go I will go with you on a Wednesday afternoon if you want.

Thanks, I'll let you know about Wednesdays!!!

Hi, I used to live around the corner from Turnbull and always used it as part of my training loops. It's pretty quiet up there, but you will encounters some traffic, so be heads up for that. But the good thing about the traffic is that the road snakes so much, with many 10, 15 and 25 mph corners, that they never get going that fast to be a problem, this also gives you more time to deal with it. It's roughly 2 miles long from the Whittier side and probably the same from Hacienda Hts, depending on where you hit it.

For me, the best side to descend is into Whittier. It's a bit more fun IMO, it's a bit more twisty-turny and the corners are banked a better. It's probably never steeper then 5 or 6%, that is if I remember right, but it's grade is consistent with very few irregularities in the angle of the dangle.

One note: I wouldn't ride it at night as its a favorite place for local nefarious types to hang out, drink, spin their tires...or, like what happened to me one time, though not at night. I went out to do some laps on a loop I would do which incorporated Turnbull. Typically a lap would take me a little over an hour and a half or so. So on the way up it for the first time, it''s cool, normal, nothing out of the ordianary. I was passed by a few cars in both directions, but really no more then 3 or 4. So I come back around for the 2nd lap and I see the road is blocked off at the base of Turnbull on the Whittier side with Police Line tape. It seems that someone had found a body off the side of the road in-between the time I had passed and an hour or so later. Go figure.

But for the area it's probably the premier ride/climb you can do and is a favorite of area riders.

Another good combo to ride in near Turnbull is by riding up Avacado Terrace/Edgeridge, which goes up the canyon directly to the west of Turnbull, on the Hacienda Hgts. side. It ends at the top of Turnbull Cyn., but is more direct and much steeper. It's a very quiet, almost single lane road and has to ridden to be appreciated.

Have fun

I also used to ride that often. the top of climb is 5 miles from my house.

You can certainly do loops around area easily by climbing up Edgeridge, Oak Canyon/Athel, and Oak Canyon/Decending. those climbs are 10 to 15% grades. the roads barely has any traffic and it is narrow and shadded. sometime i feels like i'm riding in Europe. the distance snow capped mtn (Mt Baldy) is the Mt Blanc :)

Turnbull Canyon is definitely a must climb ride. It's not too bad. I can't recall the grade, but I remember it not being too bad. Not terribly long or steep. But it still gets your heart rate up.

I also used to ride that often. the top of climb is 5 miles from my house.

You can certainly do loops around area easily by climbing up Edgeridge, Oak Canyon/Athel, and Oak Canyon/Decending. those climbs are 10 to 15% grades. the roads barely has any traffic and it is narrow and shadded. sometime i feels like i'm riding in Europe. the distance snow capped mtn (Mt Baldy) is the Mt Blanc :)

Agreed. You can spend tons of time up there doing repeats. Turnbull from the Whittier side is probably the longest duration climb (about 8 min.). Edgeridge and Descending are great. Very steep climbs. Edgeridge is pretty long also. I began riding those roads in the early 90s because a few of my teammates were from the Whittier area. My wife's family is also from that area so I still ride up there often. I agree with the car part also. I didn't race for a couple of years and so I needed something to keep my adrenaline going. I got into tuner cars. It's amazing when I race guys up Turnbull or GMR. I could drive or ride those climbs with my eyes closed, I've been up and down them so many times.

I was just up there this morning. It's 2 miles from the Whittier side to the top at about 6%. The backside is 1 1/2 miles and a little steeper in spots. There are other roads around on the North side that go 10% to close to 20% and they all meet at the top. It is a great spot for training, especially early weekend mornings. Just keep an eye out on Turnbul road, the first tight right hander going down towards La Puente, there are almost always rocks and debris on the road.

I did it on a club ride this spring, from the Whittier side. It was a great climb, which means that even I was able to do it, and it did a lot for my confidence on hills. And the descent down the Hacienda Heights side was fun too--lovely homes, not much traffic.

The problem is that once you're down below HH, there's not much to do except either to work your way back to the start point through busy streets w/ lots of traffic and strip malls. Ecch. Or turn around and go back up. Groan.

Checked it out at 6:30am yesterday and loved it. Only one guy taking his acura up and down the hill other than that.. no traffic!!! It's only a few miles from my house giving me ample mileage to warm up. I'm definitely going to incorporate Turnbull into a weekly early morning sunday ride.

Anyone wants to join me on Sundays.. PM me so we can meet at Bally's in Montebello.