Condor Peak Loop - #CondorPeakLoop

Socal - Los Angeles County - Tujunga NickNames: #CondorPeakLoop

Take the 210 to Foothill Blvd in Sunland/Tujunga. Go
north on Mt. Gleason Ave, which becomes Big Tujunga
Canyon Road.
After crossing the bridge, take the next left and process
up a dirt road. When it forks, go right, and park at the lot
at the base of Trail Canyon.
Bike back down the dirt road to Big Tujunga, take a left,
and go up the road to Vogel Flats. About 100 yards
past the parking area, there is a small entrance on the
left. This is the lower entrance to Condor Peak Trail. If
you prefer, you can add about 2.5 miles to the trip by
continuing up Big Tujunga to the upper Condor Peak
Trail entrance.
From either entrance, go up Condor Peak Trail for
about 8 miles. Pass Condor Peak, and continue along
a rolling ridge until you get to Trail Canyon Trail forking
sharply to the left. Take Trail Canyon Trail back to your
car.

16 Review(s)9 Photo(s)Login

• Trail UpdateCondor Peak / Trail Canyon Loop-Rode this today starting with condor peak trail and finishing at the bottom of trail canyon.

  Climb up condor tough but good. Rode about 70% of it, various sections a little treacherous due to small landslides.

  Trail canyon descent disappointing. Very overgrown, making it hard to maintain speed and find the trail at times. River bed sections full of dead wood and felled trees so lots of carrying. Upper section lacked flow as a result. Lower section much better.

  Overall a good day out. Can't remember the last time I was attacked by so many plants though.........damn those the big needle ended bushes.....

  Posted:10/25/2008

• Trail UpdateGreat Ride-Did the Condor Peak out and back on 11.14.05.I Have been wanting to do this ride for awhile now. Did not see a soul up or down. I was beginning to wonder if I was on the correct trail, being that I did not see any bike tracks, just alot of boot tracks. Overall the trail was in good condition.Ticks were abundant.Made it up just past the ridge. The ride down was fast and furious.
  jbarr999 a 43 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Specialized Stumpjumper from Burbank

  Posted:11/16/2005

• Trail UpdateGold Creek/Condor Loop-Started at Trail Cyn parkijng, rode up Gold Creek Rd to the Yerba Buena tr and over to Mendenhall Ridge. Took Mendenhall to Indian Ben Saddle, then cut over to dscend Condor Peak tr. Not bad after all the rain this year. Portions of Yebra Buena were actually easier to climb. Much of this trail and Condor are rather overgrown.

  Stopped along the way to hike the summits of Iron Mt and Condor Peak. Excellent ride.
  CFIT

  Posted:05/02/2005

• Trail Update02-26-05-Rode up from Vogel again, to the saddle at Fox Mt. Aside from the few small landslides, this trail is in EXCELLENT condition. Got a few drops of rain when the clouds descended and half of the ride down was in the fog. Saw a few nice little water falls along the way. I imagine that Trail Canyon will be a raging torrent for a while though.

  Startin' to look like Spring out there. :-)
  
  CFIT

  Posted:02/28/2005

• Trail Update

  Started from the west Condor trailhead and rode to the saddle at Fox Mt. This trail faire d pretty well. There are some spots where old slides spilled more debris back onto the trail. The only "new" damage was a rock slide on the portion of the trail that levels out before the saddle.
  

  
  

  click above for larger image
  CFIT a 34 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Klein Att Comp from Tujunga

  Posted:01/24/2005

• Trail UpdateCondor Peak To Trail Cyn Loop-I did the loop as described in the paragraph. It took me six hours and kicked my ass so bad I had to pull over on the drive home to keep from passing out. The trail seems like it never ends as it winds up and up and up; seeing Condor Peak from Indian Ben Saddle shows how high it is. I'll never do that ride again.
  Big Ben a 35 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Raleigh MT20 and a Honda XR250R from Hollywood

  Posted:11/30/2004

• Trail UpdateTiny Bit Of Snow-Rode up to the base of Fox Peak yesterday. The trail is in perfect condition. Got a few flakes of snow. The snow from the night before had almost completely melted though. I could see lots of it on the Strawberry Pk trail, where it crosses the NW face. Hiked the rest of the way to the summit of Fox Peak. COLD and windy but fun. :-)
  CFIT a 34 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Klein Att Comp from Tujunga

  Posted:11/22/2004

• Trail UpdateSuinset Ride-Excellent! Rode part way up the Condor Tr and back. I took off from work early and was able to get at least 4.2 miles up before the sun had disappeared behind the mountains. The first part of the descent was in the low light of dusk and I swithced to lights for the last 2.5 miles. Such a fun trail.
  CFIT a 34 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Klein Att Comp from Tujunga

  Posted:03/18/2004

• Trail UpdateCondor Peak/Trail Canyon Loop-Did the loop today,met at the Trail Canyon parking area.There was 5 of us,we rode to the Condor Peak trail enterance near Vogel Flats and started the"mother of all climbs".This is my second time on this trail and it is the toughest uphill I have climbed to date.Aprox 8 miles of singletrack with aprox 4000ft of relentless elevation gain, excellent views,steep cliffs and just enough hike a bike to make you dizzy.Greg set the pace and off we were.Traction was perfect,we saw 1 small snow patch and only 1 other rider.We made it to the Trail Canyon turn off in 5 hours of hrs due to frequent stops to bring our heart rates down and stopping to eat.Trail canyon makes the climb totally worth it.It starts out with very fast loose rocky switchbacks and then when you get down in the canyon you criss-cross the stream and weave over,around and off of numerous knuckle bone rocks twisting and turning.Many chances to get hurt,lol.I did some soil sampling and left some blood on a few rocks myself.My freind Tony packed it on the upper switchbacks twice while leading the way down.The stream banks were cut a little deeper due to the rains and some of the crossings you had to hike across.After 2 hours of twisting and turning we were back at the car totaly spent having burned 6000 calories and cramping up.What a great ride.This trail is a gem!Everyone made it back in 1 peice,we only had 2 flats(some guys are holding out on the Stans)and no major mechanical problems,another words, an all around great ride!
  Ride rating: Intermediate
  Ride distance: miles18.2 Elevation change: 4000t
  Singletrack=90% Dirt Road=5% Paved Path=5%
  Jmomma a 42 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Santa Cruz Heckler from Newbury Park

  Posted:03/06/2004

• Trail UpdateHiked Trial Cyn to Iron Mt. this past weekend. Trail Cyn Tr. has many downed branches and yucca stocks, a few full tree tops, and a few new rock slides across it. It would be wise to stay off this one until some work can be done.
  SAK a 33 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Klein Att Comp from Tujunga

  Posted:12/29/2003

• Trail UpdateFlat Tires-When I was checking out my bike this weekend I noticed that both my dad and I had flat tires due to this trail. So just be careful.

  Posted:09/08/2003

• Trail UpdateTrail Is In Fine Shape-With the exception of some loose sand and two small shady draws that have some overgrown poison oak, the Condor Peak trail is in fine shape from the hike a bike down to Big T Cyn. I suggest that the previous poster learn some better riding skills before suggesting that a trail needs any work lest we turn any challenging trails into sidewalks. :-)
  
  Endo Verendo riding a Nother Turner from The Valley

  Posted:08/14/2003

• Trail UpdateGood Trail, Needs Maintainance-Mt. Gleason to Vogel Flats via Mendenhall Ridge Trail and Condor Peak Trail.
  It was very hot about 105 degrees when my dad and I took this ride. From Mt. Gleason, we rode downhill 1 mile to Lightning Pt. Campground where we picked up the Mendenhall Ridge Trail after almost running over a 2 ft. rattlesnake. We easily sped down Mendenhall past Indian Ben Saddle and Pacoima Canyon Trail to a small, gated fire rd. We took this about a 1/2 mile to the Condor Peak Trail, and very soon came to a fork near the Trail Canyon Trail. There is a water tank here. From this fork, we made a steep ascent (we had to walk a lot of this one) to a fake summit (I nicknamed it Steven's Peak) and later to the base of a taller Condor Peak. The peak is beautiful and rocky but is only hikeable. We stopped at a flat peak near this for lunch. Cell phone reception is good here, unlike other rides in the area. Great views. Anyways, we descended a very sandy downhill section to Fox Peak. Below Fox Peak is where the trail still needs maintainance. Several sections are overgrown and there are some hard-to-cross slide areas. I know some bulldozer things fixed the trail a little in 1998, but it needs done again. From Fox Peak it is difficult to ride for about 2 miles, and then some good singletrack opens up for about 5 miles to Big Tujunga Canyon Rd. From here ride the New Condor Trail to the trailhead, or ride the old Condor Trail into Vogel Flats. If we can get more riders here the trail conditions can improve, but it still needs work. It is a great weekend singletrack. It took us about 6 hours. I would stil reccomend this ride- it is better than our last trip @ fall canyon.
  Ride rating: Intermediate
  Ride distance: 15 miles Elevation change: -4000 w/ some short steep climbs
  Singletrack=85% Truck Trail=15%
  Steven K. a 16 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Mongoose XR 100 from Canyon Country, CA

  Posted:08/14/2003

• Trail UpdateThis Trail Is Threatened-California Wilderness Bill Finally Introduced - It's Time to Write Letters!

  Significant areas in Los Padres and Angeles Forests are threatened.

  More info: (see URL below)

  
  The Preacher URL: http://www.imba.com/news/action_alerts/06_02/06_14_ca_letters.html

  Posted:06/27/2002

• Trail UpdateCondor Peak And Beyond-Condor can be connected to many other rides in this area. I usually do short shuttles up to Condor trailhead leaving one car at the bottom of Trail Cyn, Big T Rd, or the corner of Little T Rd and Gold Creek Rd. This saves you from any road riding up Big T Rd. It does not save you from climbing 3500' up Condor Peak!
  So here is a few different rides;
  Climb Condor to the top, connect to Mendenhall ridge FS 3n32 and go left. After about 3 miles look on the left side for an unmarked ST. This is Yerba Buena, a little known connector between Mendenhall ridge at Iron Mt saddle and Yerba Buena ridge at Gold Ck saddle. Decend Yerba Buena to Gold Ck FR FS 3n29. At this point you can go left on Gold Ck RF down to Trail Cyn trailhead. This option avoids the poison oak and more technical riding in Trail Cyn. Or you can go right on Gold Ck RF until you get to the fork with Yerba Buena FR 3n30. If you continue on Gold Ck FR, you well decend to Little T Rd and Gold Ck Rd. If you take Yerba Buena FR it climbs steaply for 1/2 mile to the next option. Look on the left for Gold Cyn ST FS 13w06. This trail is very rough and does not see any traffic. Gold Cyn ST decends for 2 miles until you get into a streambed. Find your way down stream to Big T Cyn and go left upstream to the bridge. Go under the bridge and climb up the right side to Big T Rd. A short climb on Big T Rd to Trail Cyn trailhead or decend Big T Rd to your car. If you are still following Yerba Buena it climbs for another mile then decends for 2 miles before the junction with Oak Springs ST FS 14w10. Here you have three options. First go right on Oak Springs to Little T Rd and Gold Ck Rd. Second go left on Oak Springs to the bottom of Big T Rd. Third stay on Yerba Buena to the bottom of Big T Rd.

  All of these rides are steap, exposed, remote, rough, dry, and long. Be prepared for anything! There are very few people who venture into these areas. Get a good map and bring lots of water, food, bug repelant, and something for the posion oak.

  
  Ride rating: Advanced
  Ride distance: 20-30miles Elevation change: 3500-5000
  Big T Rider a 32 year old Weekend Warrior

  Posted:06/04/2002

• Trail UpdateCondor Peak-I thought someone already posted this trail, but it
  seemed to disappear...
  This is a long, hot, difficult, and painful ride.
  I went up to the upper Condor Trail entrance. The trail
  starts steeply, then descends, then begins a long,
  gentle climb. You are in the sun almost all of the time.
  After about four miles, the trail starts winding its way
  along steep canyons. There is significant exposure,
  and some very narrow sections. There are a few small
  slides, but none are really a problem.
  As the trail approaches Fox Peak, it gets steeper,
  followed by a much needed descent towards Condor
  Peak.
  The last 1.5 miles to Condor Peak are very steep and
  sandy. I walked a considerable ways on this portion.
  After Condor Peak you make a quick descent, followed
  by a gentle uphill to the junction with Trail Canyon Trail.
  Trail Canyon is downhill virtually the entire way. The first
  mile is fast with some fun waterbars and very little
  exposure. However, the next four miles are very
  overgrown. I lost quite a bit of skin on my arms and
  legs and often couldn't see what I was riding on.
  Towards the bottom, the trail widens a bit, and then
  turns to fire road for the final mile.
  I overheated on the way up and ended up going through
  my entire 100oz waterbag well before the top. That led
  to legs cramps and some ugly looking riding on the
  way down. Don't do this one on a hot day.
  Ride rating: Advanced
  Ride distance: 20 miles Elevation change: 4000+ ft.
  Singletrack=80% Dirt Road=5% Paved Path=15%
  LCS a 34 year old Weekend Warrior from Los Angeles

  Posted:06/01/2002