Earl Canyon Motorway - #EarlCanyonMotorway

Socal - Los Angeles County - La Canada NickNames: #EarlCanyonMotorway hurl canyon

210 Fwy. East, exit on Ocean View Ave., make a left (north), right(east)on Foothill Blvd, turn north on Palm Ave. Parking is available at the 3rd stop sign (about 3/4 mile from Foothill Blvd). The entrance is down to the left of the stop. From here the road is blocked from motor traffic by a yellow Forrest Service gate.

11 Review(s)Login

• Trail Updateits tough
  diamondback

  Posted:08/08/2006

• Trail UpdateToday was a nice day. I only saw 2 bikers and one
  hiker. The road is a mess though. Its rocky, sandy
  and has ruts in some places. Its even tougher to
  clean now, so the fat pig I am, I had to stop twice
  due to backtire slippage. It was the maiden voyage
  for my new 03 Mesa GS (almost stock with the
  exception of disc brakes) hardtail, complete with
  rim reflectors and "Read This Before.." stickers.
  This is not a fun ride with a hardtail, I guess
  nowhere is really a fun place for hardtails but the
  stock RST Mag TL fork was very impressive on the
  bumps, better than any Judy I've ever had. The
  road leading up to Leukens also wasnt too bad. I
  just have to say the lower area is a rats nest so
  bring your FS bike and plenty of water since its
  beginning to warm up again.
  Ride rating: Intermediate
  Bike2itbcom a 41 year old riding a 03 Mesa GS from LaCrescenta

  Posted:03/08/2003

• Trail Updatethat's what I'm trying to tell this guy ...there is no
  sign on the gate. And I didnt ride all the way up to
  Lukens for crissake! This guy is so demented
  and a coward as well, he doesnt even show his
  real login!
  Mongoose

  Posted:10/21/2002

• Trail UpdateGeneral Info-I'm not choosing sides here, gentlemen, but just for your information you can ride for about two miles on this trail before you even get to the National Forest boundary. This gives us about a 10% grade to "workout" with. Not enough? Turn around and do it again!
  Observer a Weekend Warrior

  Posted:10/21/2002

• Trail Updatecall me and tell me in person if you have the kahones 323.993-5110
  Mongoose

  Posted:10/21/2002

• Trail UpdateWow Mongoose, U R A Dumb Dumb-

  Let's try this again, ALL OF ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST IS CLOSED, PERIOD. Now what part of that don't you understand? there doesn't have to be a sign for you to know that. If you really are involved in "save the hillsides" campaigns, then that's more of a reason to comprehend what I'm saying. As far as the rest of your mumblings, I think you need some serious help as well as a good spell checker. Please stop responding to yourself, cause it really makes you look like a jackass.
  La Canada Elitist riding a Litespeed

  Posted:10/21/2002

• Trail UpdateI've been to 8 "Save the Hillsides" and Santa Monica
  Mountains Consevancy Meetings rallies for the past 2 years,
  and people who ride the trails hardly ever show up. I've only
  seen 2 or 3 mtn bikers at all of the "Hillsides" rallies I've
  attended. The HIKERS show up in droves..who knows if "La
  Canada Elitist" shows up, probably not. Its funny...many
  bikers here write absurd "comebacks" to various posts and
  degrade those who ride "Made in Taiwan/China" bikes (85%
  are according to the L.A. Times 10-20-02). Yet if they are so
  involved in the sport, why doesnt the majority ever support
  saving the trails? Sure, there are a handful who are IMBA
  members and some even go as far as to help fix the
  singletracks and fireroads that careless bikers and hikers
  destroy. But what about the 90% who come to this website?
  Is primetime T.V. that enjoyable or is one Saturday too
  much to give up to help maintain a path? One thing that also
  is absurd is that people who wrench each other here
  probably never met each other. Its like a chatroom full of
  junior highers trying to outdo one another. And if someone
  posts some sillyazz "comeback", oh, you can bet that theyre
  going to leave some fictious email address and 'rider name".
  I just want to say, if you don't know squat about something,
  just keep your mouth shut. I know nothing about hydrallic
  discs, so am I not going to post, "Don't buy this brand, it
  sucks". Also, get more involved with the conservation aspect
  of our trails instead of calling people "dumb dumbs". Like this
  guy, La Canada Elitist". If he lived in La Canada, he'd know
  there arent any signs of closure at the trailhead.
  Mongoose

  Posted:10/21/2002

• Trail UpdateNo signs there at the gate...why get on my ass?
  Go there and put a sign up...and "Mr.
  Conservation" where were you at Glendale's
  "Save the Hillside" rally at the beginning of the
  year? I was," jackass", and waited til 11:30 pm to
  give a little speech at the figgin' podium defending
  the Verdugos for hikers and bikers. And gave $100
  bucks to the damn cause as well. If you were there
  and waited hours to give testimony or gave over
  $100 to "Save Our Hillsides", then disegard this
  message!
  Mongoose a Racer

  Posted:10/21/2002

• Trail UpdateIs Mongoose Da Dumbest Guy Alive-
  Either you've been hiding under a rock, drinking too many chi chi's at the cat and the fiddle or you have no regard what so ever for rules and regulations. The Angeles National Forest (which includes Earl Canyon dumb dumb) is CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
  Please stick to riding The Santa Monica Mtn ranges (which includes The Verdugo's dumb dumb) for now.

  
  Ride distance: Elevation change:
  La Canada Elitist riding a Litespeed

  Posted:10/20/2002

• Trail UpdateI "did" Earl for the third time. Last time was in 1999!
  I guess I was in better shape then because as "Joe Truth" sez, it will get you tired even before you get to the peak. Back in '99 I was tired but not this bad...Its not the steepness, really, its the relentless 22 degree angle s'backs that reward you with only 4 feet of flat before it starts climbing up again!
  Plus the rocks and sand tire you as well. "Joe" was right--it was a Saturday afternoon, and a pretty nice one at that, and it was desserted! However 3/4 of the way up, a lone local rider pedalled by me and nodded.
  That was it. Even at the top--nobody!!
  Ride rating: Intermediate
  Dirt Road=100%
  Mongoose a 33 year old

  Posted:10/20/2002

• Trail UpdateEarl Canyon Motorway/Fire Road-To the locals Earl is synonymous with 'hurl', mainly because of the roads overall steepness. But don’t let that fool you, because there are sections of the fire road that are very steep. During heavy rains the road effectively becomes a single track as you try to avoid the wash ruts in these sections. Along the road there are 3 emergency fire catches, with the top most one at the fork to Angeles Crest (down to the right) and Mt Lukens/Haines Canyon (up to the left). While there are some riders/hikes to be seen in the late afternoons, most of the time the road is empty.
  If you feel strong and have more in you, keep going another 3-4 miles to Mt. Lukens.
  Arguably, this trail is as steep and sandy as it gets in So. Cal., if you could ride this whole thing nonstop to Mt. Lukens, you are a sport class race ready rider.

  (If the above sounds familiar, it should, part of it is a 'copy and paste' from the trailhead description off of 'mtbr.com').
  
  Ride rating: Advanced
  Ride distance: 4.5 miles Elevation change: 2700
  Dirt Road=100%
  JoeTruth a 37 year old riding a Ellsworth Truth from Altadena

  Posted:05/08/2001