web site: www.nrmbc.org
885 St. Charles Dr. #11, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
805 373-8824 e-mail: mtbikesman@aol.com

December 2017

During the rainy winter months, if the ground is wet, contact the ride scheduler on the morning of the ride to see if it's been relocated to a drier trail. There may also be a notice on the web site (http://www.nrmbc.org), or the NRMB egroup, but don't rely on this if there is not a comment.

Summary

The Fine Print

By riding with the North Ranch Mountain Bikers I understand and accept the following:

► I understand that mountain biking can be dangerous and accidents can result in either injury or death.

► I understand there is no charge for the bike rides.

► I understand that the trails the North Ranch Mountain Bikers ride may not be verified for safety or ridability.

► I understand that it is my responsibility to determine if my riding skills match the difficulty of the trail we are riding on.

► I understand that the ride schedulers accept no responsibility for my safety on any ride and that I undertake any ride knowing that I and I alone am responsible for my safety on the ride.

WEEKEND RIDES

Saturday, December 2: Sunset Hills/Lang Ranch/Dead Cow Rd..   This is an epic ride with lots of climbing and technical descents. We start up the Sunset Hills Trail including a bonus loop (built by CORBA in October 2011) up and over a few short steep sections and down to the Woodbridge Loop. We'll take the Woodbridge Connector to the Autumn Ridge Trail, up the steep (but short) Heart Attack Hill. Keeping right, we climb up to the start of the Rocky Singletrack on the left at the crest of the hill. After that fun descent, we climb the Albertson Motorway, go part way around China Flats, and enjoy the downhill technical challenges of Dead Cow Rd. We will endure a few blocks of street riding to the Hidden Meadows trail at the end of Falling Star. This twisty trail connects to the Oak Brook vista trail, which takes us along the ridge and down another fun descent to Lang Ranch Pkwy where we turn right. Then, it's a left on Oak Valley Ln. to the Autumn Ridge trailhead. That leads us back to the Woodbridge Loop and to the Sunset Hills Trail. On the way back down, we bypass the bonus loop and take the original trail (all downhill) to the finish. Meet at 9:00 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E4, Technical Rating = T4, 18 Miles and 3800 Feet of Climbing , About 4 Hours , Ride Scheduler: Tamara

Directions:   Take the 101 freeway to the 23 North, or take the 118 freeway to the 23 South. From the 23 Freeway, exit at Sunset Hills Bl. Go East on Sunset Hills Bl. for 0.2 miles and turn left on Erbes at the four-way stop. Go 0.7 miles on Erbes to the dirt lot on the right.

Sunday, December 3: Reseda to the Foundation.   From the Reseda parking area we will take the singletrack connector up to dirt Mullholland, then take Temescal to the Hub. From the Hub its an easy, fairly flat trip out to the Foundation, with it's spectacular view in all directions. This is our turnaround point, from here we'll retrace our route back to the parking lot at Reseda. Meet at 9:00 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E2, Technical Rating = T2, 9 Miles and 1200 Feet of Climbing , About 2.5 Hours , Ride Scheduler: Kevin

Directions:   Take the 101 Fwy to the Reseda Blvd exit in Tarzana. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south (towards the ocean). Continue up Reseda; pass the Caballero trail, up through/past the opening in the fence up to the paid parking area. Park just before the "white line" as the paid parking starts just beyond that white line. At the end of the ride, when leaving the parking area, be sure to stop at the photo enforced stop sign.

Saturday, December 9: Sycamore Canyon from the Beach.   We’ll begin at the parking lot and ride up the Big Sycamore Trail to Two Foxes and back to the main fireroad. We'll go to Ranch Center Drive (paved bike path) and climb up for a few miles. Then we'll blast down to Art's Trail and the Sin Nombre Trail. The rewarding part of this ride is going downhill to the beach by riding on Two Foxes Trail and the main fireroad. Meet at 9:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E2, Technical Rating = T2, 13 Miles and 1000 Feet of Climbing , About 2.5 Hours , Ride Scheduler: Randy

Directions:   For those who are coming from the San Fernando/ Los Angeles area: Take the 101 Fwy towards Ventura and exit on Kanan Road (make a left turn from the exit ramp).
Then make a right turn on PCH 1 and head towards Sycamore Canyon (it is approximately 14 miles northwest of Kanan Road and is on the right side).

For those who are coming from the Santa Barbara/ Ventura/ Oxnard/ Camarillo area: Take the 101S Fwy (101N for those who are coming from Thousand Oaks/ Simi Valley) and exit on S Las Posas Road (going towards PCH). Then go to PCH 1 South and look for signs to go to Sycamore Canyon (which is on the left side).

If you don’t want to pay the $12 fee for parking in the lot you can look for parking on PCH. For the ride we'll meet on the park side of Pacific Coast Hwy 1 for the ride (in front of the restrooms, located by the campground/ parking lot area, turn left after you pass the gaurd).

Sunday, December 10: Parker Mesa Overlook from Reseda.   This is a scenic out and back ride with terrific views along the way and of the ocean and the islands at the Parker Mesa Overlook. We will start at the South end of Reseda (not at the Caballero Trail, but further up Reseda.) We will ride up to the top end of Dirt Mulholland and ride across the Temescal Ridge Trail to the Hub. From here will we ride past Eagles Rock and continue onto Trippet Ranch, then continue onto the Parker Mesa Overlook before turning around. Meet at 8:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E3.5, Technical Rating = T2, 17 Miles and 3100 Feet of Climbing , About 3 Hours , Ride Scheduler: Wayne

Directions:   Take the 101 Fwy to the Reseda Blvd exit in Tarzana. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south (towards the ocean). Continue up Reseda; pass the Caballero trail, up through/past the opening in the fence up to the paid parking area. Park just before the "white line" as the paid parking starts just beyond that white line. At the end of the ride, when leaving the parking area, be sure to stop at the photo enforced stop sign.

Saturday, December 16: Grasslands - Short Bulldog Loop.   We’ll bike over to Malibu Creek State Park via the Grasslands trail. Once inside the park we’ll proceed along the main fireroad, which passes through a fairly short but technical rocky streambed. After a short stop at the M*A*S*H site we’ll tackle the first 1.25 miles of Bulldog. After the steep but fairly short climb up Bulldog we’ll cut off onto Lookout Fireroad that will bring us down to a paved road in the Malibu Lake area. Then we’ll take Crags Road to a back entrance of the park and pedal back to the cars via the same path as before. Meet at 8:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E3, Technical Rating = T3, 14 Miles and 2100 Feet of Climbing , About 3.5 Hours , Ride Scheduler: Tom

Directions:   Take the 101 Freeway to the Lost Hills Road exit in Calabasas. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. Park in the lot for DeAnza Park located on the northwest corner of Lost Hills and Las Virgenes Roads.

Sunday, December 17: Tapia Canyon - Advanced Intermediate.   (no beginners)
Advanced-Intermediate single-track lovers seeking thrills, this is your ride! We begin at the Castaic Sports Complex and ride about a mile to the Wayside Fire Road. We follow the fire road up and past the junkyard and down the Secret Single Track over to Tapia Canyon Fire Road and on up about 3.5 miles gradually to the Twin Power Towers to regroup, catch our breath and snap a photo or two. We then have the option to take runs down Kona, Burn Victim and the Top Dog, Dog Tag combo. This ride is a super-cool circuit of ascents and descents akin to a day at a ski resort. No plans to take G-Out on this ride. Sorry.

Meet at 8:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E 3.0, Technical Rating = T 4.0, 16 Miles and 1550 Feet of Climbing , About 3.5 Hours , Ride Scheduler: Steve K

Directions:   From the I-5 / I-405 interchange, take I-5 northbound 17 miles to the PARKER ROAD exit. Turn right/east on RIDGE ROUTE ROAD, then right/south on CASTAIC ROAD. Park at the Castaic Sports Complex, 0.2 miles south on the east/left side of the road, one block past the Aquatic Center. Outdoor restrooms are located near the soccer fields.

31230 Castaic Road
Castaic, CA 91384

Saturday, December 23: Grasslands to Dam.   Starting from De Anza Park, we’ll bike over to Malibu Creek State Park via the Grasslands Trail. Once inside the park, we will proceed along the main fireroad that leads up to Crags Road, which passes through a fairly short but technical rocky streambed (some of the technical parts can be rideable, but you can walk this area to be on the safe side). After a short stop at the M*A*S*H area, we continue on to the dam. We’ll retrace our tracks that take us back to De Anza Park. Meet at 9:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E2.5, Technical Rating = T3, 12 Miles and 1400 Feet of Climbing , About 2.5 Hours , Ride Scheduler: Randy

Directions:   Take the 101 Freeway to the Lost Hills Road exit in Calabasas. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. Park in the lot for DeAnza Park located on the northwest corner of Lost Hills and Las Virgenes Roads.

Sunday, December 24: Chivo Cyn/Marr Cyn/Chumash from Flanagan.   We will start near the base of the Chumash trail and ride to the Chivo Canyon Trailhead via Broken Arrow and Chumash Park.  Chivo is a fun singletrack that has a steady climb up through beautiful Chivo Canyon.  At the top of the climb we connect to the fun and fast Marr Canyon downhill.  At the bottom, we turn up Las Llajas Canyon, where we climb a gentle fireroad with 530 ft of elevation gain over 3.5 miles. Then we grind up the steep Oil Well Road and connect with the Rocky Peak Fireroad.  We continue to the top of Chumash and head down that awesome trail that is a bit rocky at the top, but mostly firm and flowy singletrack back to our starting point. Meet at 9:00 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E3.5, Technical Rating = T4, 15 Miles and 2600 Feet of Climbing , About 3.5 Hours , Ride Scheduler: Tim

Directions:   Take the 118 Freeway to the Yosemite Avenue exit in Simi Valley. At the end of the off-ramp proceed north to Flanagan and make a right. Park on the side of the road at the end of Flanagan.

Saturday, December 30: Ojai - Shelf Rd to Gridley to Nordhoff Peak.   This is a beautiful out and back ride on 80% singletrack and affords some spectacular views. We start with an easy two mile warm up on the Shelf Rd fireroad which is both rolling & picturesque.  Then, after a ¼ road ride we’ll cutoff onto a short connector singletrack for a fairly technical climb up to the main Gridley trail.  The first half of Gridley is a moderate climb and passes through several avocado groves. The second half of the main trail narrows and steepens a bit with many switchbacks. At the top of the saddle we’ll cutoff onto a fairly short but very steep fireroad that leads to an old fire lookout tower. The views from the top make the climb up worth the effort. Since this is an out and back ride, those who tire can turn back at any time and coast back to the cars. Meet at 9:00 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E5, Technical Rating = T4.5, 18 Miles and 3600 Feet of Climbing , About 4.5 Hours , Ride Scheduler: Tamara

Directions:   Take the 101 Freeway to Highway 33, just a bit west of Ventura. Continue north on the 33 for approximately 13 miles until the road branches and take Highway 150 to the East. Just before the main downtown section of Ojai(and before Libbey Park) make a left (north) onto N Signal St. Stay on N. Signal Rd and park at the end of the road.

Sunday, December 31: Backbone from Encinal Rd to Mishe Mokwa.   This ride has lots of swooping, curving singletrack and some great views! We start with a gentle climb up the new Encinal singletrack segment to the Decker/Mulholland singletrack segment of the Backbone Trail, cross the road and continue up to Etz Meloy Motorway. We'll head west on the Etz Meloy segment of the Backbone Trail enjoying the spectacular views in all directions, including into Hidden Valley and Lake Sherwood. After 2 miles on the fireroad, we'll cross paved Yerba Buena Rd to get onto the singletrack Backbone Trail and ride it 4.5 miles to the base of the the Mishe Mokwa Trail. We'll turn around here and retrace our path. An easier option on the way back is to take Yerba Buena/Little Sycamore Canyon Rd back instead of the Etz Meloy Motorway. Meet at 9:00 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E3.5, Technical Rating = T3, 19 Miles and 2500 Feet of Climbing , About 3.5 Hours , Ride Scheduler: Desi

Directions:   From Thousand Oaks and points west, exit the 101 Freeway at Westlake Blvd and head south. About 3.5 miles past Potrero, turn left onto Mulholland and go 2.5 miles. Make a very sharp right turn onto Encinal Canyon Rd (west, back towards Decker), drive for 2.3 miles until you see the LA County Fire Camp sign on the left. Turn up the dirt road on the right that takes you to the trailhead parking.
From Agoura and points east, exit the 101 at Kanan and head south. After 6 miles, turn right onto Mulholland for 1 mile, then bear left onto Encinal Canyon Rd. After 2.3 miles more, you will see the LA County Fire Camp sign on the left. Turn up the dirt road on the right that takes you to the trailhead parking.

Monday, January 1: Space Mountain to the Picnic Table.   Space Mountain to the picnic table, then return the same way, with a detour through the Whoop De Doo Trail on the way back to the cars. Meet at 12:00 pm and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E2.5, Technical Rating = T3, 7 Miles and 1500 Feet of Climbing , About 2.5 Hours , Ride Scheduler: Randy

Directions:   Take the 101 Freeway to the Moorpark Road exit in Thousand Oaks. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. Take Moorpark till it dead-ends at Greenmeadow Avenue and park in the dirt lot on the right.

NIGHT RIDES

Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday Nights.  See Summary Section of the Newsletter for meeting times, ride times are 15 minutes later. The lengths of all rides are between 10 & 15 miles with ride times of 1.5 - 2.5 hours. Lights are needed for the months of September to May. During the summer months they may not be needed, but it's a good idea to bring them just in case there's a delay. The specific routes taken for the night rides will be determined at the trailhead.

Meeting Locations for Evening Rides:

MTB Backbone at Encinal.   From Thousand Oaks and points west, exit the 101 Freeway at Westlake Blvd and head south. About 3.5 miles past Potrero, turn left onto Mulholland and go 2.5 miles. Make a very sharp right turn onto Encinal Canyon Rd (west, back towards Decker), drive for 2.3 miles until you see the LA County Fire Camp sign on the left. Turn up the dirt road on the right that takes you to the trailhead parking.
From Agoura and points east, exit the 101 at Kanan and head south. After 6 miles, turn right onto Mulholland for 1 mile, then bear left onto Encinal Canyon Rd. After 2.3 miles more, you will see the LA County Fire Camp sign on the left. Turn up the dirt road on the right that takes you to the trailhead parking.

MTB Backbone at Encinal - Beginner.   From Thousand Oaks and points west, exit the 101 Freeway at Westlake Blvd and head south. About 3.5 miles past Potrero, turn left onto Mulholland and go 2.5 miles. Make a very sharp right turn onto Encinal Canyon Rd (west, back towards Decker), drive for 2.3 miles until you see the LA County Fire Camp sign on the left. Turn up the dirt road on the right that takes you to the trailhead parking.
From Agoura and points east, exit the 101 at Kanan and head south. After 6 miles, turn right onto Mulholland for 1 mile, then bear left onto Encinal Canyon Rd. After 2.3 miles more, you will see the LA County Fire Camp sign on the left. Turn up the dirt road on the right that takes you to the trailhead parking.

MTB Backbone from Kanan at Night.   Take the 101 Freeway to the Kanan exit in Agoura Hills. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. Take Kanan for several miles until you reach the third tunnel. Park in the paved parking area just before the tunnel.

MTB Backbone from Kanan Beginner.   Take the 101 Freeway to the Kanan exit in Agoura Hills. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. Take Kanan for several miles until you reach the third tunnel. Park in the paved parking area just before the tunnel.

MTB Calabasas Peak at Night.   Take the 101 Fwy to Valley Circle/Mulholland Dr. exit. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south (towards the ocean). Continue south on Mulholland and make a right on Valmar which becomes Old Topanga Canyon Rd. Continue on Old Topanga which will join Mulholland Hwy briefly and then continue on the left. Follow Old Topanga about 1.5 miles and look for the Calabasas Peak trail head on the right across from Summit to Summit trail.

MTB Cheeseboro at Night.   Take the 101 Freeway to the Chesebro exit in Agoura. Head north and make a right on Chesebro Road. Follow the narrow road one-mile and turn right at the park entrance. Park in the lower, paved parking lot (the gate to the upper lot is closed and locked at sunset).

MTB Cheeseboro at Night - Beginner Ride.   Take the 101 Freeway to the Chesebro exit in Agoura. Head north and make a right on Chesebro Road. Follow the narrow road one-mile and turn right at the park entrance. Park in the lower, paved parking lot (the gate to the upper lot is closed and locked at sunset).

MTB Chumash at Night.   Take the 118 Freeway to the Yosemite Avenue exit in Simi Valley. At the end of the off-ramp proceed north to Flanagan and make a right. Park on the side of the road at the end of Flanagan.

MTB Dos Vientos at Night.   From the 101 freeway, turn south onto Wendy Drive, towards the ocean. Continue for about 0.7 miles and turn right at Borchard Rd and head West. Turn left on to S. Reino Rd heading South for about 0.5 mile to the Alberton's parking lot. Park in the Northeast corner of the Alberton's parking lot. We will meet there.

MTB Grasslands - slower paced .   Take the 101 Freeway to the Lost Hills Road exit in Calabasas. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. Park in the lot for DeAnza Park located on the northwest corner of Lost Hills and Las Virgenes Roads.

MTB Grasslands at Night.   Take the 101 Freeway to the Lost Hills Road exit in Calabasas. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. Park in the lot for DeAnza Park located on the northwest corner of Lost Hills and Las Virgenes Roads.

MTB Grasslands/Las Virgenes View at Night.   Take the 101 Freeway to the Lost Hills Road exit in Calabasas. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. Park in the lot for DeAnza Park located on the northwest corner of Lost Hills and Las Virgenes Roads.

MTB Grasslands/MCSP at Night.   Take the 101 Freeway to the Lost Hills Road exit in Calabasas. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. Park in the lot for DeAnza Park located on the northwest corner of Lost Hills and Las Virgenes Roads.

MTB Johnson's Motorway at Night.   From Thousand Oaks take the 118 and exit at Rocky Peak Rd. Turn right, and then an immediate left onto Santa Susana Pass Rd. Proceed to Iverson Rd. and turn left. From the the South, from the 118 exit Topanga Cyn Blvd & turn left. Turn right on Santa Susana Pass Rd., and right onto Iverson Rd. Parking is just outside the gate, near the underpass in Iverson Rd.

MTB Lang Ranch/Albertson - slower paced.   Exit the 101 Freeway on Westlake Blvd and head north for about 3 miles. When you go past the North Ranch Community Center you will go downhill and the first traffic light is at the corner of Westlake and Lang Ranch Parkway. Turn right onto Lang Ranch Parkway and drive about 0.8 miles to where the pavement ends and Albertson Fire Road begins.

MTB Lang Ranch/Albertson at Night.   Exit the 101 Freeway on Westlake Blvd and head north for about 3 miles. When you go past the North Ranch Community Center you will go downhill and the first traffic light is at the corner of Westlake and Lang Ranch Parkway. Turn right onto Lang Ranch Parkway and drive about 0.8 miles to where the pavement ends and Albertson Fire Road begins.

MTB Lang Ranch/Sunset at Night.   Heading north on the 23 toward Simi, get off at Sunset Blvd and turn right. Continue straight until just before you get to the guard shack. Park in the lot on the right.

MTB Las Virgenes Canyon at Night.   From the 101, exit Las Virgenes and turn North (away from the ocean). Proceed approximately 1.5 miles to the dead end. Parking is on the street.

MTB Malibu Creek State Park at Night.   Take the 101 Freeway to the Las Virgenes Road exit in Calabasas. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south on Las Virgenes toward the ocean. Park in one of the dirt areas on the corner of Las Virgenes and Mulholland.

MTB New Millennium/Las Virgenes View/Grasslands at Night.   Take the 101 Freeway to the Lost Hills Road exit in Calabasas. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. Park in the lot for DeAnza Park located on the northwest corner of Lost Hills and Las Virgenes Roads.

MTB New Millennium/Las Virgenes View/MCSP/Grasslands at Night.   Take the 101 Freeway to the Lost Hills Road exit in Calabasas. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. Park in the lot for DeAnza Park located on the northwest corner of Lost Hills and Las Virgenes Roads.

MTB Reseda at Night.   Due to the extra drive, we will meet @ 6:15 and ride by 6:30. Meeting place: Take the 101 Freeway to the Reseda Blvd. exit in Tarzana. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south (towards the ocean). Continue up Reseda and park at the Caballero trailhead. Trailhead is on the left. If you pass the Braemar Country Club you’ve gone too far.

MTB Santa Rosa/Wildwood at Night.   Take the 101 Freeway to the Lynn Road exit in Thousand Oaks. At the end of the off-ramp proceed north. Take Lynn for several miles (it will turn into Olsen Road) until you reach Mountclef Blvd (at CLU). Or, from the 23 Freeway, exit at Avenida de los Arboles and go west. Turn right on Mountclef (at the stop sign after Moorpark Rd.), cross Olsen Rd. and park on the street.

MTB Space Mountain at Night.   Take the 101 Freeway to the Moorpark Road exit in Thousand Oaks. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. Take Moorpark till it dead-ends at Greenmeadow Avenue and park in the dirt lot on the right.

MTB Sycamore Canyon at Night.   Take the 101 Freeway to the Wendy exit in Newbury Park. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south on Wendy until it dead-ends at Potrero Road. Park in the adjacent dirt parking area.

MTB Sycamore Canyon- Beginner.   Take the 101 Freeway to the Wendy exit in Newbury Park. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south on Wendy until it dead-ends at Potrero Road. Park in the adjacent dirt parking area.

MTB Topanga Area at Night.   From Thousand Oaks: take the 101 South and exit at Mulholland Dr/Valley Circle Blvd. Turn left on Calabasas Rd then make first right on Mulholland Dr. Drive approx 1.75 miles and turn right (south) on Topanga Cyn Blvd. Drive approx 3 miles and make a left on Viewridge Rd (just past the summit). Park at end of Viewridge Rd. From the East SF Valley: take the 101 North and exit at Topanga Cyn Blvd SOUTH. Drive South for 3.5 miles and make a left on Viewridge Rd (just past the summit). Park at the end of the Viewridge Rd.

MTB Trippet Ranch to Overlook at Night.   Take the 101 Fwy to the Topanga Blvd exit. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south (towards the ocean). Continue up Topange approx. 5 miles until you reach Entrada which is the entrance to the park on the left. Follow Entrada to the park entrance.

MTB Triunfo Canyon Trail at Night.   Exit the 101 Freeway going south on Westlake Blvd. Go south for about a mile and then turn west (right) on Triunfo Canyon Road. This will lead you to Triunfo Park. Turn left onto Tamarack St and turn into the second parking lot on the left. We start at the far west end of the park.

MTB Wildwood at Night.   Take the Lynn Road exit, off of the 101 Fwy in Thousand Oaks, and go north until you come to Avenida De Los Arboles. Turn left and go about 1 mile to the end. From Simi Valley, go west on the 118 Fwy and then south when it turns into the 23 Fwy. Get off on Avenida De Los Arboles and go right for about 2 miles to the end. Hang a U-turn at the end (watch for opposing traffic) and then turn right into the dirt parking lot.