Idyllwild Trails

[Endless Trails]

Discussion on Idyllwild trails came up in the pictures of your last ride. I figured I would start a new thread so it didn't clog up that one.
Here is the old trail map. I pulled this up off the internet. It shows a bunch but not all but it is a good point of reference if you are trying to make a loop on another app as it has a bunch of the trail names.
There are two start points for the trails shown. The main one is The Hub which is a dirt lot behind the Arts Academy. The other is top of Marion Ridge Dr in Pine Cove. This one is less popular as parking is limited and you are somewhat parking in front of someone's house. There is a third start point but it would be for South Ridge and May Valley (not on this map). More info to come.

 

[Giant Geoff]

I would like to know more.

 

[Endless Trails]

I would like to know more.

MTB wise or truck?

 

[Endless Trails]

Most of the trails up here are not really how do I get from point A to Point B most efficiently. A bunch of them are how do I get from feature to feature. A bunch of the others are how can I squeeze the most trail mile in a given area. Don't be surprised to see a section of trail you will do later or that you just did a few feet away. A lot of the trails were cut by Ex-XC racers and people that think punchy climbs are fun. I get frustrated a lot out here either by getting caught in a maze or thinking I have to be close to where I want to be just to have it turn the opposite direction. The scenery is unmatched in my opinion, so it make it all worth it. You definitely earn every mile and I have a bunch of rides I thought had to be X miles only to have them be 30% less on the app. Don't be afraid to come up and just explore. Chappo is the only trail I stay away from. Which is a shame because I really like the last 1/3 of it, I am just so beat up by the time I get there that I can't enjoy it. Follow @somewillmostwont on IG to see some of the work that goes into them.

From the HUB parking. There is two main loops I like to do from here. I will put a few more options as well but they are more ambitious. Technically you can access all the trails from here but these are my favorites. I am going by the name on the old map. They might be different on the apps.

1) Upper Fence - Smoke stack - Drop onto Red Hill Road (fire road) and start the climb. Trail start look for a trail to the right in this area. Good spot for a rest.
1a) Less ambitious. Once on the trail stay right you will start down Optimator - not to far in is a hook right down Alternator. This trail will take you down to the fire road real close to where smoke stack should have dumped up off. There is a rock drop along the road in this area that I have seen done in video, but it is too sketchy for me - Climb back up to the same start - Rest - Take Optimator to the bottom. - depending how you are feeling you can continue down to the fire road and take that back - jump back on Swing Trail - or if you still have juice in the tank, you can cross the creek and hit Bottomator to a few different down routes back to the HUB.
1b) More ambitious. Optimator - Smoke Stack - Climb - Alternator - when you hit the fire road at the bottom of Alternator there should be a trail relatively straight across the road. That should connect you to Upper Tub. Upper Tub is a flowy down trail to the left, to the right is the bottom of Arch Trail or the start of Chappo (not on the map). Chappo is not a walk in the park. - Upper Tub - Lower Tub (these are probably my favorite trails depending on what the current conditions of thing are). Lower Tub exits to a fire road. There are a few options back besides the fire road, but I am not going to even try explaining it here.

2) Same initial climb as 1). Instead of going right at the top, there will be a trail left in this area between the trees. This should be a short connector to the main trail. Make sure you go left on the main trail. Hard Sun - Arch Trail (make sure you don't miss the Awesome Rock line) - Upper Tub - Lower Tub - Find your way back.

Note: On Arch Trail you will get to a point where you might think you missed the rest of the down trail and ended up on a different climb trail... You didn't.

 

[Endless Trails]

Pine Cove - saving

 

[Endless Trails]

South Ridge / May Valley / Hurkey Creek
This is all based on the trailforks map. I figure it is more consistent than Strava for trail names between Amish and e-bikes.
If doing Southridge I will usually park where the trail from Cow Bell Alley hits May Valley road. The climb trail I use starts there and connects to Suttons Run. Suttons run will take you to the top and across Yellow Post #3 (this would be my camp spot if I didn't have a cabin). Keep following it around and it will take you to the South Ridge Trail head parking. There is an Indian shelter in the big rocks right before the last drop into the parking area. Middle Southridge is a rad narrow downhill with a bunch of high line options. The bottom of South Ridge should take you into Snake Skin - Calhuilla Cut Off - Tres Hombres Uno. There a few optional loops in this area as well a a few connectors not shown. Worse thing that could happen is you either get more trail than you planned or less or it might send you back tracking if not carefull. I missed a loop last time and I was looking for it. The better exit is taking Tres Hombres all the way to the Bonita Vista Fire road. Left will take you back to May Valley Road and out, and right will take you to more adventure. If going out you might as well go left on Buena Vista and take it to Log Pile which will get you close to where you parked. This is probably a 18 mile day if you turn back up the road.
Option 2 for the area would be park at the top of Log Pile. Log Pile - Buena Vista - Right on May Valley Road - Right on Bonita Vista Fire Road - Trail entrance will be on the left. Make sure you stay left on Coffee Pot - cross the road to The Spine. If you cross the road at the exit of the spine and hop a log or two you will find Kenny's new build. Or take the road left and then right at the fork and look for the trail on the right after crossing the creek. This will get you on Missing Link - Rage in the Sage - Tunnel of love. This will get you to Apple Canyon road which will take you to Hurkey Creek Park / Campground. You could either shuttle this or climb back up. I did Coyote Run Trail to Exfoliator... Exfoliator is over grown and not a great climb trail in the current conditions. Keen Camp to Johnson Meadow is probably a better return but I haven't done it to verify. The way I did it was 18 miles with 2060 elevation. Taking Keen Camp will add some miles but elevation should be close.

 

[sixdee9er]

Lived in hemet for my entire childhood and MTB was a way of life. I spent a lot of time up there, including with my wife who grew up in Idy. And did the 24Hrs of Adrenaline a few times. Project X/Hell Razor was in its prime back then and one of the longest/best shuttled DH I know of in SoCal.

It is fantastic what they have up there. Kenny and the dudes building those trails now are artists with what they can do with a mcloud and some rocks.

I think my favorite today is the Hub. I usually ride from the dirt at the end of Tollgate like the map shows and hit all the trails from there rather than dealing with the granola eaters up in town.

 

[Endless Trails]

@sixdee9er
Kenny is awesome. I wouldn't have gone over to May Valley if it wasn't for him starting the builds over there. That zone is awesome. I have helped him a few times while up there. I feel bad because our conversation after I did Chapo for the first time on analog started his rebuild on a few of the trails.

My son and I try to hike in for one sunset at Awesome Rock each time we are both up there. It has become a new tradition, like driving down to the water crossing.

We have a place in Pine Cove so I ride directly out of the house a bunch doing laps on the top "dark forest" stuff a lot. But I will also park at the HUB if I know I am riding more of the lower stuff. And of course park up past the end of Cowbell Alley if doing South Ridge / May Valley.

I haven't done Hell Razor yet as I am up there riding solo a bunch, but I have lapped Project X a few times. Without shuttling that trail is way to short for the climb back up. Even with the assist. I wish I had known about all the trails earlier in life.

 

[sixdee9er]

@sixdee9er
Kenny is awesome. I wouldn't have gone over to May Valley if it wasn't for him starting the builds over there. That zone is awesome. I have helped him a few times while up there. I feel bad because our conversation after I did Chapo for the first time on analog started his rebuild on a few of the trails.

My son and I try to hike in for one sunset at Awesome Rock each time we are both up there. It has become a new tradition, like driving down to the water crossing.

We have a place in Pine Cove so I ride directly out of the house a bunch doing laps on the top "dark forest" stuff a lot. But I will also park at the HUB if I know I am riding more of the lower stuff. And of course park up past the end of Cowbell Alley if doing South Ridge / May Valley.

I haven't done Hell Razor yet as I am up there riding solo a bunch, but I have lapped Project X a few times. Without shuttling that trail is way to short for the climb back up. Even with the assist. I wish I had known about all the trails earlier in life.

Wow I need to get back on the may valley side of things it sounds like.
I still have some old pics of the place from back 20 years ago.

I think this is 2005-6ish on southridge, 14 year old me

 

[Endless Trails]

It probably was even better back then before the two fires burned through.

 

[Endless Trails]

Just got back from a trip and hit a few new trails in May Valley along with some of the regulars.
Missing Link / Rage in the Sage / Tunnel Of Love might be my new favorite segment. I did Log Pile to Buena Vista to Coffee Pot to The Spine on the way in. I did Coyote Run to Exfoliator on the way out which wasn't great for an up trail in the current condition.
South Ridge was still real rad. Who doesn't like 8 plus min of real good down. The climb up with the loop to yellow post 3 is real good trail as well.
Toptimator was running real good and I had fun playing with the optional lines. That is what I consider my local trail up there. Optimator was also running good even if it is getting a little tight in places.
We rode Kenny's new May Valley trail and ran into him at the current end. It is a crazy maze. More XC than flow. A lot of saddle time. I think he was claiming he as 4.5miles cut so far. All in the Section from the end of The Spine with plans to connect to Missing Link.