Lesper4

OK so it sounds like we have some intrested people and with the weather holding in a cycle (hot/cold) we should be able to sneak this in there. Put your name on the list if you want to come, others are welcome!

What: Dawsons Saddle for the Ambitious and Crystal Lake as a fall back
When: November 3rd Encanto Park 7:00am. Clip in 7:30am
Regroups at: HWY 39/East Fork Junction, trailhead junction (big turn out), Crystal Lake, HWY 2/HWY 39 junction, Dawsons Saddle, Encanto Park
Distance:
-52 miles and 7,200 ft to Cystal Lake
-70 miles 10,100 ft to Dawsons Saddle
Who:
-Lesper4 (Loren), Dawsons Saddle
-

Genaro

-Lesper4 (Loren), Dawsons Saddle
- Genaro (Genaro), Dawsons Saddle or bust aka Crystal Lake

JimmyNH

Jimmy - the wussy option to Crystal Lake. Only if there are enough sane people to opt for a later start. 9:00 AM should be perfect and it will allow us to finish about the same time as the tough guys on the 70-miler.

jmX

I might be in for this, but I'd be on a 5 hour type of timeframe for the 70mi/10k ft ride. Is anybody else looking to ride that pace?

jsigone

I shall try to make this!

Rick@OCRR

I'll keep it in mind but I may be riding to Onyx that weekend.

Rick / OCRR

John R

I will give it a shot, depends on my job.

Keith99

I want pictures of the portage where the road is gone!

The last 5 miles of so of the 39 have been closed for decades and last time I went through which was a couple of decades ago there were some sections where the route was a goat trail and what had been the safety rail was hanging like a suspension bridge.

I would not want to try walking that section, let alone carrying my bike wearing racing style clipless.

big john

I might be up for this. Been up there many times over the years, I'm the fat one in this pic.



It can get rocky above Crystal Lake.



Below that it's a fast descent.



I think your altitude gained is very high, I think it's about 7000 feet from Encanto to Dawson Saddle in about 35 miles. There's a little climbing on the way back, but not 3000 feet unless you plan to go up Little GMR.

big john

It's been closed since the 70s but a few years back some production company was making a movie or something up there and they really fixed up the road. It's had some damage since but is in pretty good shape, considering. It's kept open for emergency access by Caltrans.
Sometimes the Sheriff is up there and will tell cyclists to stay out.

big john

Sometimes there is a lot of snow.



Sometimes it's just beautiful.

mtrider05

It's been fixed, fresh pavement on the dirt sections, new guardrails, etc. They have even been clearing the rocks from it, it's not a brakes-free descent like the 2 obviously but it's much less white knuckle.

Lesper4

JMX you are welcome to join, I can do about 70 miles with with 7000ft in 5 hours so you will be ahead of us, just wave when you pass us on the way down

Lesper4

It was very clear as of early summer. The sooner we go the better as winter will bring havoc to the land slides.

Lesper4

Please put your name on the list so we have an idea how many will show up an Encanto
-Lesper4 (Loren), Dawsons Saddle
-Genaro (Genaro), Dawsons Saddle or bust aka Crystal Lake

jsigone

Please put your name on the list so we have an idea how many will show up an Encanto
-Lesper4 (Loren), Dawsons Saddle
-Genaro (Genaro), Dawsons Saddle or bust aka Crystal Lake
-jsigone (Jeff), Dawsons Saddle or bust aka Crystal Lake

Genaro

Big John, that photo with all the snow is awsome

Can somene tell me what I can compare this ride to ?

The only climbs I've done are GMR, GRR, up Baldy Road, East Fork, and Lytle Creek. Any of those, or combinatin of those similar to this ride ?

Lesper4

The intial climb up 39 is not so bad. Once you start going passed the ranger station it gets a little steeper. Once you pass the only downhill going up (trailhead) it gets a little steeper. And the last part before the turn off for CL is the steepest. The part into CL is still a pretty good grade. Just remember that when you see the 5000ft mark the turn off is only a few 100 ft more. I have now idea about the rest of the climb. I would say this is deffinitly harder then GMR, but not as bad as Baldy to the ski lifts?

Rick@OCRR

39 is kind of similar to the rides you done, i.e. if you did those you can certainly do this. Some bits of 39 are a tad steeper than GMR/GRR but nothing horrible. It does have a different look to it, so that's good for variety.

The store/food stop at Crystal Lake is very small compared to the Lodge at Mt. Baldy Village or Newcomb's Ranch on Hwy 2 (Angeles Crest) but still well worth a visit. Above the barricade (as shown in a photo above) the road can be (usually is) littered with rocks of assorted sizes. Or . . . sometimes it's freshly swept and clean. In any case, at least be (mentally) ready for that.

Overall a beautiful ride and I'm certain you'll enjoy it.

Rick / OCRR

Genaro

Thanks. That definately eases my mind a bit. I did forget to mention that I have rtidden 39 but turned up East Fork.

Biker395 

Yup. Highway 39 is definitely steeper than GMR, but no where near as steep as the Baldy climb to the lifts. Totally doable. The climb after the road closure to Islip Saddle is actually less steep than the rest ... more like ACH.

Here are some photos of the closed section for anyone interested:





Need a pump? lol





Dining at the Crystal Lake Cafe:

Lesper4

Here are some pictures as of May this year of the upper section, nice and clean.
https://www.socalbikeforums.com/showthread.php?t=15510

Biker395 

Yea, yea .... but my last picture had better scenery.

Lesper4

I hear you!

zzzwillzzz

i'm in. i will be riding from the sfv to the start and up to the crest and down the crest back to the sfv, don't know if i'll make the turn to dawson saddle or not.