Claremont Dirt (4/19)

[Mr. Beanz]

10 miles. 2 ez loops. A rider in another forum called it the Dolly Parton course!

[indomikey]

Nice video work on your blog for that ride Beanz. I'm surprised so many people out there that time of day.

[Mr. Beanz]

Nice video work on your blog for that ride Beanz. I'm surprised so many people out there that time of day.

Sad but there are people all day long now. Well sad for the riders.

2005, Used to be if I went in morning, quite a few runners and walkers. If I went at 300 pm, maybe 3 other cars.

Now if you go at 3 pm, both lots are full.

Can't go too late as I heard they write tickets for cars parked in the lot at night since the park closes at sundown. Not sure how true it is but I ain't taking the chance.

[mtrider05]

I just started riding dirt a few days ago, that looks like a fun route.

[Mr. Beanz]

I just started riding dirt a few days ago, that looks like a fun route.

There are several branches off the trail. One of the biggies is up to potato Mtn, nice climb.

[JusRelax]

Haha! After watching the video, I now understand the true meaning of your "summer is near" comment!

[Stealthammer]

Sad but there are people all day long now. Well sad for the riders.

2005, Used to be if I went in morning, quite a few runners and walkers. If I went at 300 pm, maybe 3 other cars.

Now if you go at 3 pm, both lots are full.

Can't go too late as I heard they write tickets for cars parked in the lot at night since the park closes at sundown. Not sure how true it is but I ain't taking the chance.

There are several branches off the trail. One of the biggies is up to potato Mtn, nice climb.

Back in 1986-1996 you were unlikely to see anyone at all, anywhere at all in those foothills, at any time, ever, and if you did see someone else, you probably knew their name, where they lived, and how they liked their coffee. Sadly it seems, those days are gone forever.

That loop you did was our morning ride done counter clockwise, and then we would stop in at Some Crust Bakery for coffee and a pastry, and then we head off to work at the old Santana Tandem factory or to the original Bud's Bike Shop. We would do the same loop clockwise after work as a warm up for either a ride up to the towers on Sunset Ridge or a circuit around Marshall Canyon or for a ride over the hills and down into Lytle Creek. There is actually a spring that drizzles fresh water out of the side of the hill at the junction of the road that leads back toward Lytle Creek if you can find it. We laughingly referred it as our watering hole and it allowed us to stay up in those hills all day long.

Potato Mountain gives you an awesome view of the valley at night, and it was a bit of a ritual for us to sit up on the concrete water tank at night and to just stare at the stars and the lights down below. It kind of became a meeting place for many of us that lived in those foothills day and night, and I've actually slept up there and at the towers on Sunset more times than I can even count.

It is kind of cool to see what has become of the Claremont Wilderness Park or whatever they call it these days, but it's also very sad to see what was once our own "backyard" being so heavily populated by recreational cyclists from all over LA/Orange/San Bernardino/Riverside counties. No insult intended, but those foothills from Cucamonga and Ontario all the way over to San Dimas Canyon and Azuza Canyon and beyond were truely "our wilderness", and they were pristine, and we respected them and policed them up religiously. From what I have heard lately though, on weekends the crowds are so large and diverse that most of my friends have either quite riding in the hills at all, or they have been forced to avoid the trails anywhere near "the Park". So I think I'm kind of glad that I don't live there any longer, because if I saw one powerbar wrapper or discarded innertube, or any piece of litter anywhere along the roads and trails in those hills, I think I would puke.

BTW: I never had to worry about "parking" because I lived at the bottom of Microwave Mountain, and I would just ride down to the end of the street and straight up into the hills, and at that time those "parking lots" and the fences didn't even exist.

Thanks for the picture though. It brought back some very fond memories.

[Mr. Beanz]

Potato Mountain gives you an awesome view of the valley at night, and it was a bit of a ritual for us to sit up on the concrete water tank at night and to just stare at the stars and the lights down below. It kind of became a meeting place for many of us that lived in those foothills day and night, and I've actually slept up there and at the towers on Sunset more times than I can even count.

Nice! I can imagine how much it has changed for you. I remember when the ground was plenty of loose rocks and obstacles. Now., otherr than after a rain that causes a few ruts the ground is pretty much smooth.

On a good note, the place is really pretty clean. With all the people that go up there, shocking but clean.

[Stealthammer]

If you want to get out of the crowds in the Claremont Wilderness Park, try doing Sunset Ridge Road. I highly recommend it because it is well worth the effort! As you look to the up and to the left of the Claremont Wilderness Park from the valley, you will see a ridge that has several radio towers spread across the top of it. That's Sunset, and the ridge road extends down to the east and much of it is on the backside. The view from the top is unreal though!

Get a USGS map and you will be blown away at all of the maintenance roads and fireroads that are in the mountains just north of the entire valley, from I15 west to Mt. Wilson and beyond. Somewhere I am sure I still have some very detailed maps that include many singletracks and "coyote hiways" that no other maps will likely show, covering most of the Lytle Creek, East Etiwanda Canyon, Day Canyon, Cucamonga Canyon, Ontario Canyon, and San Antonio Canyon areas as well as San Dimas Canyon and most of Azuza Canyon. If I can find them I will PM you and send them to you as PDFs.

Especially check out the maintenance roads that start in Lower Lytle Creek, Day Canyon, and Cucamonga Canyon (the old Cucamonga Truck Trail aka the West Cucamonga Trail). You can ride to the top of Etiwanda Peak, Cucamonga Peak, Ontario Peak, Thunder Mountain, Telegraph Peak and Frankish Peak, but be aware that many of these roads will not be quite as the smooth roads that you find in the Claremont Wilderness Park, but every one should be easily passable and well worth the experience of having done it.

Just don't tell everyone else about it.

[Mr. Beanz]

If you want to get out of the crowds in the Claremont Wilderness Park, try doing Sunset Ridge Road.

I've done Sunset to the Potato Mtn overlook with member "Eyemage". Wow, that is one tough climb. Now that trail is EMPTY. Eyemage does Sunset to Baldy Village but I'm not a hardcore MTB'er like Eyemage!

Overlooking Potato Mtn


part of the climb



I have done THunder Mtn/Baldy Notch with Hillbasher

Overlooking GMR




There was no way I could ride up the final slope. I walked up the slope and had to stop 3 times to catch my breath...walking!


ski lift structure

[Stealthammer]

I've done Sunset to the Potato Mtn overlook with member "Eyemage". Wow, that is one tough climb. Now that trail is EMPTY. Eyemage does Sunset to Baldy Village but I'm not a hardcore MTB'er like Eyemage!

Wow Beanz, I can't tell you how much those pictures made my day! Thank you so very, very much.

[Mr. Beanz]

[eyemage]

I think the hardest part of Sunset Ridge is the mental aspect. The climb seems endless because you are working hard, but the scenery down below doesn't change.

If you do ever ride with Mr. Beanz, he may say it's tough going. But you'll never know by the way he looks...always appears cool, calm and collected.

[Mr. Beanz]

I think the hardest part of Sunset Ridge is the mental aspect. The climb seems endless because you are working hard, but the scenery down below doesn't change.

Especially when your ride partners keep saying uhhh, I dunno. How many miles are we going up? Uhh I dunno! How much water will I need? Uhh I dunno! How much climbing is involved? uhh I dunno! Where is that dang heliport? Uhh I dunno! Where is that 22% grade you mentioned? Uhh I dunno! Yeah, it's all mental

If you do ever ride with Mr. Beanz, he may say it's tough going. But you'll never know by the way he looks...always appears cool, calm and collected.

I'm like Fonzie on a bike hunh?!

[eyemage]

Especially when your ride partners keep saying uhhh, I dunno. How many miles are we going up? Uhh I dunno! How much water will I need? Uhh I dunno! How much climbing is involved? uhh I dunno! Where is that dang heliport? Uhh I dunno! Where is that 22% grade you mentioned? Uhh I dunno!

Look, some of us don't possess an encyclopedic knowledge of the routes we are riding. Some of us just try to concentrate on making it up the climb.

We all can't be like The Mayor, singing "Here comes the Sun" and teaching salsa while he rides.