Originally Posted by
diphthong
idyllwild vaca. no riding but driving recon. 371 up to 371/74 junction sweet. 74 to keen mountain summit (a mile west of lake hemet) good pavé both sides but descent to mountain center slightly better than okay. pavé up to/from idyllwild via ca hwy 243 still not the best. pavé to/from mountain center/hemet not the best either. current caltrans work south fork san jacinto river bridge area as well as closer to town. that said, with a few longitudinal cracks here and there, ca hwy 74, from keen mountain summit/mountain center just below idyllwild, is a top socal descent (and ascent). traffic generally not too bad and upper turns are banked for maximum shred. try it. you'll be back.
I've ridden from Idyllwild to Mtn. Center, and out past Lake Hemet a couple of times. Out and back on that route is very nice. 243 from Banning I would not want to ride up due to the narrowness of the road, tightness of turns, and amount of traffic - even on a weekday. Going down that way would be slightly better. 74 between Hemet and Mtn. Center is iffy both ways, IMO.