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- Thursday, April 18, 2024
Southern California Trails
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- -> Los Angeles County(114)
- -> La Canada(7)
- -> El Prieto Canyon
El Prieto Canyon - #ElPrietoCanyon
Socal - Los Angeles County - La Canada NickNames: #ElPrietoCanyon
From the 210 freeway take the Windsor exit and head north. When the road takes a turn to the right, and just before the entrance to JPL, park in the small lot on the left.
Same access as Brown Mtn. Exit Arroyo/Windsor off the 210, go north about 1/2 mile, the road curves right, at the curve park in the lot on the left. From the parking lot, ride your bike north toward the gated road, continue on the asphalt/dirt until you get to the fork, go right about 100 yards El Prieto begins! If you're feeling strong, ride this UP! or continue left up the fire road to the saddle, go right/down hill about 3/4 mile. Look to your right and take this down (as most do)watch out for poison oak, it's everywhere! This trail is in great shape! Thomas Guide page Thomas Guide page 535 F5
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- Trail UpdateLatest On El P.-El Prieto is in the best condition it has been in since the Station Fire. However, there may be a hiking group making noises about petitioning the Forest Service to restrict mountain bikers on this trail because they do not give hikers right of way "and are rude".
The Forest Service knows that if it were not for many hundreds of hours of trail work by mountain bikers after the fire, this trail would not be open and they also know that it is mainly mountain bikers who maintain the trail, so any hiking group will have an uphill battle convincing them. (A perfect example of why all mountain bikers must volunteer to do trail work!)
However, hikers do have the right of way and there is no reason to be rude to them. Grant them right of way and be nice so that the Forest Service has no reason to even consider any such proposition.
Banner Moffat a 56 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Superfly 100 from La CrescentaPosted:04/07/2012
- Trail UpdateAhhh, Sweet Prieto...-you're back. dusty as hell, but back. big thanks to all the trail workers.
Posted:07/26/2011
- Trail UpdateBack In Action-It's great to be riding here again. As other riders (writers) have posted, the dynamics of the trail have changed but it's still just as fun. The climb up Brown has turned from fire road to single track, so if you are coming back down that way you must excersice much caution because visibility is not as good as it once was. It'll be great if/when the climb to the Burton trailhead opens up again.
gojmoney a 40 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a DB V-Link from AltadenaPosted:07/24/2011
- Trail UpdateDifferent But Fun-when up via Brown. Sure needs some cut back. If coming down Brown watch the speed because it might be hard to see bikers/hikers/horses on the trail. El Prieto is rideable. Thanks to everyone whose invested time in bringing back the flow.
Posted:07/11/2011
- Trail UpdateThis was the 1st ride since the fires and darn has the trail change. I did not even recognize the 1st part of the trail. I really miss the flow that the trail used to have. Over all it was not that bad. I only had to get off my bike only once during the ride. I'm sure the trail will come back with time.
a 44 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Trek from San Gab'sPosted:06/21/2011
- Trail UpdateSTILL A BLAST!-Yes, Blackie is not the same as it used to be. Still, the trial is fun to ride and so beautiful this time of year. COBRA and its volunteers, Banner and his volunteers and anyone else who volunteered their time did a great job bringing this trial back to life!
mtb geek
a 32 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a 2008 Giant Trance x2 from Los Angeles, CAPosted:06/17/2011
- Trail UpdateLooking Better-Just went up today, the third time since it re-opened. It's looking better each time; an obvious work in progress. The nearly impossible drop off at the beginning has been turned into a smooth switch-back. There is really only one spot left that is completely unrideable because the trail is completely washed out. As for the conditions of the old fire trail, in my opinion, the ride down from the saddle has never been more fun!
Gary Walker a 40 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Specialized Hardrock Pro Disc from Montrose, CAPosted:06/07/2011
- Trail UpdatePoison Oak Everywhere-Just make sure that you are somewhat covered up or just have a bucket of Technu ready after the ride. Poison oak is flourishing in the canyon. It's pretty unavoidable. Conditions are truely not that bad. You just need to use some common sense on what's really rideable. There is definately 1 hike a bike section on the trail. Enjoy and be safe!
a 37 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Yeti ARC Hardtail from OCPosted:06/05/2011
- Trail UpdateIt's Not That Bad-The first run was a little freightning, but on the next approach with the seat lowered all the way down, it was just as fun as it's every been, just a greater penelty for failure. Check the go pro. Long travel shocks help (I'm running 203mm)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNd26AirOfg
zburdz a Die-hard Enthusiast riding a IBEXPosted:06/05/2011
- Trail UpdateIt Will NEVER Be The Same-Wow this trail has change so much . It is nothing like it it use to be. Which is a big disappointment. Brown is now single track and dangerous hikers and bikers.. El prieto has some very big sections that are very dangerous and are barely a foot wide (very sketchy). there is still alot of debris & tree obstructions This trail needs alot of work to be anything like it use to be. It is just so different. almost all of the old trails are gone. There is no flow to the trail anymore.
I will be up there for some trail work also. The trail will improve in due time.
Trek Special a Weekend WarriorPosted:06/01/2011
- Trail UpdateCurrent Conditions-This trail is definitely open (confirmed by Forest Service). It is fun to ride though quite technical and the "fire road" down from the saddle is now equally technical singletrack. There are several hike-a-bikes and some overgrown areas on the trail, but much of it is great fun, especially the lower half. We are working hard to clear up those hike-a-bikes to return some "flow" to the trail (35 man hours on Labor Day weekend alone)and will continue to do so. There are some dangerous cliff edges that need to be re-built also.
Send me an e-mail if you want to help, especially if you are available Fridays. Work will be done some Sunday's too and this Saturday, June 4th is national "Trail Day". We'll be out there!
Banner Moffat a 55 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Superfly 100 from La CrescentaPosted:05/30/2011
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Canyon Danger!-Rode the loop up Brown Mountain trail and down El Preito yesterday evening. Brown is a mostly single track and El Prieto is just plane sketchy! There are maybe 5 spots where a fall to the wrong side could kill you and the trail is less that a foot wide. Ride with caution!
Zburdz a Die-hard Enthusiast riding a IBEXPosted:05/27/2011
- Trail UpdateI also called the Angeles National Forestry office in Arcadia and I was told that El Prieto was closed. I decided to drive to the parking lot on Windsor and I noticed the closed trail sign posted next to the main gate was gone. I rode my bike to El Prieto and all the closed trail signs are gone. There are now new signs stating to be on the look out for for loose dirt and shrub. I don't know what to believe but it seems that El Prieto is now opened. Oh another thing the closed trail sign was posted at the main gate on Sunday May 15th.
wcmtbr a 41 year old Die-hard Enthusiast from Burbank, CAPosted:05/17/2011
- Trail UpdateI just called the Angeles National Forestry office in Arcadia. It turns out that El Prieto is not part of the scheduled opening that's happening on Monday 5-16-11. Really...Tread at your own risk!
a 49 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Fuel Trek from South Pasadena, CAPosted:05/13/2011
- Trail UpdateEl P Opening Monday 5-16-11-Good news!!! ANF is finally opening about half the area still closed by the Station Fire. Cheack it out at http://maps.fs.fed.us/stationfire/
ajax247 a 56 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a TURNER 5-SPOT from Pasadena CAPosted:05/12/2011
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Closed Until 6-11-According to the Forest Service at a big public meeting a couple weeks ago they HOPE to open El Prieto, Brown Mt. Mt. Lowe and Strawberry Peak Memorial Day 2011. Until than you could get a citation so there is risk.
Michael L a 61 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Yeti ASR from Pasadena, Ca.Posted:04/19/2011
- Trail UpdateCLosed Or Not?-I live near. by why is there so many people on the trail if its closed??? makes no sense are they enforce it that its closed.
riding a trek specialPosted:04/03/2011
- Trail UpdateSurrounding Area-how about the fire roads. Are they closed? ex. brown up to ken burton. Or Brown down to millard up sunset ridge to inspiration. None of these routes are single track.
Posted:04/01/2011
- Trail UpdateDon't tell me pal, tell it to post #271!
unigeezer a 55 year oldPosted:04/01/2011
- Trail UpdateYuP!-I told you so.
a Downhiller from La CanadaPosted:04/01/2011
- Trail UpdateI just called the ranger for this area and he stated quite emphatically, that el prieto is CLOSED!
unigeezer a 55 year oldPosted:04/01/2011
- Trail UpdateEl P Is Wide Open-Come one, come all. Everyone and anyone is riding it. Saw horses just starting up El P as my group was riding out. Rangers even waved and said hello to us on the way in and out.
Alan Johnson a 41 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Specialized Pitch from Montrose, CAPosted:03/27/2011
- Trail UpdateIs The Trail Still CLOSED?-I drove by the there this past week and i saw several people coming out of the trail head hikers and bikers.
So i ask is this trail really closed?????
a Weekend Warrior riding a trek specialPosted:03/01/2011
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Is Still Closed!-El Prieto is still off limits to everyone possibly until the fall. Please do not ruin the trail for everyone else. I definitely do not want a complete closure of the trail to bikes due to BOOTLEG riders!!! Please remember the trail is still off limits to everyone. That means everyone!!!
a 45 year old Racer riding a Nomad from Sierra MadrePosted:01/10/2011
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Destroyed Again-Before the december rains, el prieto had been restored very nicely, but i got up there this past weekend and the devestation is back. many of the areas got washed out. The water is now taking a new direction and carving out the hard work of many. Ash, sand and trees have been washed down from upstream. All of this is very impressive. Summer should be a great time to make some serious progress on this trail.
if you want to help
http://www.corbamtb.com/
aguero78 a 32 year old Weekend Warrior riding a ProphetPosted:01/09/2011
- Trail UpdateLatest On El P-El Prieto is still closed as far as the Forest Service is concerned. Among other concerns, they are waiting to see what will happen to it this coming rainy season. It does get some (unauthorized) use though.
"Friends of El Prieto" (my group) and CORBA have done hundreds of man hours of work on it so that it will not deteriorate further this winter and so that when the Forest Service is deciding whether to open it, there is no reason for them not to. There is MUCH more work that will be needed between now and spring when they will be considering it.
- - Banner Moffat
Banner Moffat a 54 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Superfly 100 from La CrescentaPosted:12/01/2010
- Trail UpdateNo Doubt - El Prieo Is Closed-Sadly El Prieto is closed - very closed. People have been poaching it and I am here to say, it just weakens mountain biking's presence with the forest service.
Further to the east, brand new signage went up on Sunset Ridge and the part of Chaney Trail where it goes from asphalt to dirt. Perhaps they are sending a message? Lower Sam Merrill is open. We hit it twice a week early AM.
Back to El Prieto, I know of a forest service approved trail reconditioning effort happening this weekend. The leader of that effort put in an email that it won't be until Spring of 2011 before it opens.
theadventuresport a Cross-Country Rider from Altadena, CA URL: In case there is any doubt. . .Posted:08/12/2010
- Trail UpdateNot Legal...but a LOT of people riding it.The increase in traffic is making the trail much better....or so I've heard.
H.E.Posted:08/11/2010
- Trail UpdateIS IT OPEN YET?-DOES ANYONE HAVE RIDDEN THIS TRAIL LATELY?
Posted:08/10/2010
- Trail UpdateClosed & Destroyed-Its closed till October. They have or had fences blocking trail head
trekerPosted:06/01/2010
- Trail UpdateInfo Please-I heard El P. was good-to-go.Anyone try it yet?
hawkeye a 55 year old Weekend Warrior riding a stump from la crescentaPosted:06/01/2010
- Trail UpdateHa Ha Ha...-April Fools!
Posted:04/01/2010
- Trail UpdateForest Still Closed-The website (www.ac100.com) says the Forest Service plans to re-open the forest when it is safe, NOT on April 1. The current estimate on re-opening is October 1, 2010, per the Angeles NF website. Rangers, law enforcement, fire crews, and trail work parties are the only people allowed in the Station Fire closure area.
ScottR1Posted:04/01/2010
- Trail UpdateEl P Part Of AC 100 Mile Run-Read on the website www.ac100.com that trail work was schedule and approved for april 24th. Also that April 1st the station area was reopening except above JPL. It did not explain why not the arroyo above JPL. Does anyone have more info on this? thanks!
Posted:03/31/2010
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Trail-So terribly tragic to see this area in such a mess. The Trail is completely gone, i mean completely. I rode up the forest service road on 3.5.10 and had to cross several gaps that where made by the run off. I knew it was going to be ugly on the single track side of things, the canyon, but I was floored to see the destruction that had occurred. I quickly put my selfish needs for bitchen' single track aside, just bought a new Look 986 and this was her first ride, after I navigated the first two tight switch-backs and saw the box canyon completely washed out. so kids if you try to make a ride out of this you will be portaging your bike all the way back to the forest service road at the bottom, I don't recommend it but...with that said please walk this area so you can get an idea of what Im talking about. and If any of yall plan on doing any sort of trail work in this area please feel free to contact me.
william Russell a 39 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Look 986 from Silverlake, CaPosted:03/07/2010
- Trail UpdateUnrecognizable & Destroyed!!!-I just saw a few photos of El Prieto right after the last rain storm...all I can say it looks like a bomb dropped in the canyon. Debris piled at least head high, landslides, mass erosion...you know what I'm talking about. I don't even think it's hike-able! The trail is literally gone and the winter season is not even close to being over. The trail needs to be redone from the entry fireroad all the way down to the exit (entire trail). It's so sad to see one of my all time fave trails destroyed by the fire then the winter rain storms. We all know it was just a matter of time. With any luck and a whole lot of work we will see El Prieto back to it's glory days!
a 47 year old Racer riding a Intense Tracer VP from AltadenaPosted:02/10/2010
- Trail UpdateLikely Scenario-The likely scenario for trails such as El P. and others to open is first, the rainy season needs to pass as damage will continue to occur.
Second, a survey of the trails will be done to determine which ones need how much work to re-open and figure out where best to start work on repairs.
Third, Repairs will start (possibly with the help of Federal funding). If you want these fire damaged trails to open sooner rather than later, volunteer to help with the repair. There are many volunteer organizations that do trail repair including CORBA. And you can always contact the Forest Service to find out about others.
- - Banner
Banner Moffat a 54 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Superfly 100 from La CrescentaPosted:02/05/2010
- Trail UpdateHighly Unlikely!-It's highly unlikely that they will open up the trail system any earlier especially after vast erosion from the last set of storms we just had. El Prieto is still in danger of further erosion from the remaining El Nino rain season. It will take some time for the trail to heal. Also we will probably have to rebuild a large portion of the trail before it's even usable by anyone include hikers & equestians. How do I miss the run from the top of Inspiration point...San Merril to Sunset & down El Prieto. Such fond memories.
a 47 year old Racer riding a Intense Tracer VP from altadenaPosted:01/30/2010
- Trail UpdateUpdate?-Any new news if the brown, burton, milliard, etc trail will open sooner than sept 2010.
Posted:01/30/2010
- Trail UpdateSand And Gravel-I made it down the single track this evening and I must say that when it is ridable again it will be amazing with a few more obsticals as the creek is maybe 10-15 bellow where it was before and the material is packed gravel and coarse sand, perfect for new trails. Even the fire track to the top of the trail head was a hoot with mud flows offering ramps. There was no gate up when I went in, but it was up when I left.. scetchy on the access beware
zburdz a Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Ibex Atlas ExpertPosted:12/18/2009
- Trail UpdateYup...Closed!-The same thing happened to us just yesterday. I wasn't even riding my bike. I just wanted to see how bad the conditions were with the fire and past rains. And yes it's will be closed until September 2010.
Posted:12/17/2009
- Trail UpdateStill Closed...-not open! got kicked off today by the ranger. gotta wait till sept 2010. the trail is washed out anyway, best to giver her some time.
Posted:12/17/2009
- Trail UpdateRest In Peace!-We need to let El prieto recover on its own for now. With the additional rain from this El nino season and the extra added erosion from people using the trail. We can be sure that the trail will be gone in no time. Yes it is sad. It will only get sadder! Concerned rider from the Gabs.
Posted:12/15/2009
- Trail UpdateSad-The rains have destroyed way more of El P then the fire did. Every section near the river bed, will never be the same.
Posted:12/14/2009
- Trail UpdateALRIGHT!!!!-It's time to rip down El Prieto once again!
Posted:12/08/2009
- Trail UpdateTrail Is OPEN!-I just rode this trail yesterday, the USFS Officer let me in, said they they will annouce the opening after the rains this week. ahaha yeah! finally@
Posted:12/07/2009
- Trail UpdateAngeles Forest Closed Area-forest is closed to all use .see info angeles forest website usfs orders .. order says closed untill sept 30 2010 .
millardPosted:11/25/2009
- Trail Updatehello .. this trail[ el prieto ] and brown mnt fire road / sunset mnt lowe fire road [ sunset trail ]etc etc etc are all closed . info is on usfs angeles forest website , on right side click on forest orders and on exibit A . also usfs police are patroling and writing citations , have wrote alot so far up in arroyo seco by jpl . from my hearing , is untill atleast next spring cause of publics safety and to give it a chance for regrwoth in trail areas etc .forest order says all this area closed untill sept 30 2010 ... jfyi here .and yes since fire has took most of the cougars home they are atlarge now .
millard a 55 year old Die-hard EnthusiastPosted:11/25/2009
- Trail UpdateI Don't Think So...it's Closed!!-Have you looked at the closure satellite map posted by the forestry service? Also there is a huge sign posted on the lower juncture of the trail stating it is closed to public access (people have been randomly removing them). I know the forestry service will start monitoring the area since there is so much chatter about people entering the area & especially $5000 per ticket. Check with the Forestry service if you don't believe it's closed.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles/station/map.shtml
a 46 year old Racer riding a Intense Socom from AltadenaPosted:11/12/2009
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-Brown Mt. & El Prieto are still open. Parts of Brown did burn but El Prieto is OK. Been going for the past 3 wks. Trail conditions are ridedable lotts of loose rocks going up Brown, LOTTS of loose dirt going down El Prieto. Still ridedable have fun
Travis a 31 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Diamondback from Los AngelesPosted:11/12/2009
- Trail UpdateDon't forget, Lower Sam Merrill Is open, and that takes u WAY up to Mt.Lowe if you want. Awesome ride.
Posted:10/31/2009
- Trail UpdateThis Is Bad.-wow. a whole year. that is awful. not looking to drive down to the santa monica mountains but it looks like their will be no other options. thanks for the update.
Posted:10/28/2009
- Trail UpdateExtremely Bad News!!!-Looks like the Station fire burn area (which includes the trails of El Prieto, Brown Mt, Ken Burton) will be closed for nearly a year - 9-30-2010 to be exact. It's offical. May El Prieto RIP...hopefully it will be back sometime in the Fall of 2010 bigger and better. Here's the link to the offical closure notice if anyone is interested.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles/orders/StationFireRecoveryOrder-01-09-08.pdf
a 46 year old Racer riding a Intense Socom from AltadenaPosted:10/24/2009
- Trail UpdateAs of Friday 10-16-09 the forestry service has made an announcement that the Station Fire is finally 100% contained. Even with this news El Prieto, Brown, Burton and surrounding trail system will remain closed for sometime until the forestry service can determine the area safe for public access. Hopefully this upcoming rain season will not do too much harm but then again there is no vegetation on the hillside to prevent mass erosion. All we can do is hope for the best.
Posted:10/17/2009
- Trail UpdateAny New Information.-was looking for new info on the status of the opening dates on the trails, particulary, el prieto, burton, and brown. thx.
Posted:10/17/2009
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Will Be Back Someday-Hey folks... Remember this forum is about trail conditions. If you want to rant about some random idiotic thing...take it elsewhere. No one really cares. Now about the trail. El Prieto and trails in the vicinity will most likely not be open until the first couple of rains or until the US forestry service can deem the area to be safe for public access. Unburned areas will definately be opened first. Hopefully the fall/winter rains will not do too much harm to the trail systems.
a 35 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Yeti 575 from La CanadaPosted:09/30/2009
- Trail Update1080P Is Pussy-1080P, you shut fuck up mother fuck. you biggest ashole and lire i ever meet my live. you all talking no action. big mouth mother fuck. i come vacation listen you bulshit 2 days enough yu as.
Christian a 26 year old Racer riding a Lenz from SerbiaPosted:09/28/2009
- Trail UpdateLong Waiting Ahead-pure speculation but it seems that the forest department will mostly likely wait until a couple of rainy days. There is no vegetation to hold up the dirt on the slopes so the mud slides will be plenty and across the mountain. then that will take time to clean up. once again pure speculation.
Posted:09/27/2009
- Trail UpdateBad News-The US Forest Service just updated their website today and it looks like they will only be opening some of the UNBURNED areas only in the near future once fire conditions improve. It sounds like Brown Moutain, Ken Burton & El Preito (BURNED) will be off limits for sometime to come.
a 45 year old Racer riding a Intense Socom from AltadenaPosted:09/26/2009
- Trail UpdateClosed Area Is Massive-The entire southern portion of Angeles National Forest is closed, and you're subject to ticketing and fines. The closure area is EVERYTHING south of Highways 14 and 138. There is no anticipated date for re-opening the forest, but Angeles Forest Highway will be closed at least through mid-November.
ScottR1Posted:09/25/2009
- Trail UpdateThanks For Info.-damn, the ride is sure not worth a ticket and fine. I definitely did not see any "closed" signs at the entrance by JPL and but I did see two on my way to Millard camp. Turn right around at those. Please if you get the news first regarding the opening of the trail, post it first. thanks.
Posted:09/25/2009
- Trail UpdateSouthern Angeles National Forest-I just got off the phone w/forestry service and it is still currently closed until further notice. Apparently someone has been removing the closure signs at the trailhead. I've been told warned that they will ticket and there's a $5000 fine to boot. I guess not knowing will not get you off the hook. Hopefully we will hear additional news on Monday 9/28 during the public information meeting on the Station fire.
a 45 year old Racer riding a Intense Socom from AltadenaPosted:09/25/2009
- Trail UpdateRideable-the trail is very much rideable. except for two sections that have landslides. that section can be a hike a bike section. the trail is not totally burn up. there are sections that went up in smoke but not the whole trail. i was expecting the worst and found it to be not so bad comapared to how brown and burton trails/fire roads look. be safe and go easy on mother nature.
Posted:09/21/2009
- Trail UpdateThe trail is open...people have been clearing trees, digging out slides. It will need a lot of work still, but if people just ride it, and dig out when they can, the trail is going to be 100 percent rideable in no time. It is far from gone, and if anything, the fire is a good thing, it had to happen eventually, lets just hope the rains don't bring too many more slides.
Posted:09/13/2009
- Trail UpdateYes,it is open.It is not as bad as I expected.A few slides and a lot more sunshine.Smells like an ashtray.Ride away!!!
Hawkeye a 54 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Stump from La CrescentaPosted:09/13/2009
- Trail UpdateIs The Trail Open-I just have a quesion is the trail open????
a Weekend Warrior riding a trekPosted:09/13/2009
- Trail UpdateVery Sad!-About 90% of El Prieto is burned to the ground with alot of erosion and slides. Almost rideable but not quite. It's really sad to see such a great trail in ruins. It will definately be some time before the trail is completely ridable again.
a 45 year old Racer riding a intense socom fro from altadenaPosted:09/12/2009
- Trail UpdateToast?-Toasted maybe, but the trail is still there, some areas will need some serious work and may take quite awhile to fix, but most of the trail is intact, the scenery is just different.
Posted:09/10/2009
- Trail UpdateRest In Peace-El Prieto is toast. I will be a very long time before it's back to it's glory days!
a 45 year old Racer riding a intense socom fro from AltadenaPosted:09/05/2009
- Trail UpdateThere are no mountain lions in El Prieto Canyon lilganja. Lay off the week and hallucinogenics.
a 39 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Trek Fuel from AltadenaPosted:09/05/2009
- Trail UpdateBrown Mountain-Brown mountain, and El Prieto have been burned
Posted:08/30/2009
- Trail Updatethanks Banner for your hard work, I also ride La Tuna and see your handy work there as well. Again thanks!
diamondbackPosted:08/27/2009
- Trail UpdateLittle Trail Work Done-A week ago I cleared out the dirt slide above the picnic table so it is easier to ride across that section now. I moved a lot of dirt, but more dirt has already slid down onto the trail, though not enough to be a problem yet. So keep to the right after the steep boulder garden. While I was there I also slightly cleared an easier right hand route down that steep boulder garden. I also cut back some of the overgrown vegetation above the picnic table. 5 hours of work to make 30 seconds of trail riding more enjoyable!
Banner Moffat a 53 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a SC Blur from La CrescentaPosted:08/26/2009
- Trail UpdateRode this trail august 1, 2009 around 9:30 a.m. wanted a later ride in the hopes of seeing a mountain lion but had things to do, 8 years riding this trail and have yet to see one of these beasts only deer so far. The fire road up was the same as always only on the way down do you notice a change. Every switchback from top to bottom had about 3 inches of sand on it, some of the stream crossing are completely dry and the ones that do have water look foggy and stagnant. The trail to the right along the ridge is getting very overgrown with some bad landslides, I think they might completely cover the trail. Like the lower ridge trail crumbled completely in one section which I hope does not happen.
massclonerPosted:08/01/2009
- Trail UpdateFriendly Reminder-There is a LARGE mountain lion who frequents El Prieto...he's kind of shy, so nothing to worry about, but at dawn and dusk, he's there, be forewarned, although a peaceful gent, we don't want to scare him as we rip down the trail and put him in self defense mode. If you ride here at dawn or dusk, be ready to come around a corner and be face to face with a mtn lion. I did a few days ago...I was by myself...around 8:15 at night. My light scared him down the trail, he scared me back up the trail. Just a public announcement. On this trail, expect to run into wildlife...bears, lions, rattle snakes, etc...just know what to do if you encounter anything...see you on the trails!
lilganja a 26 year old riding a any and all from PasadenaPosted:07/26/2009
- Trail UpdateNice-Rode on 4/11. El P is a little lose around the switchbacks. Avoid dragging the tires if possible. Saw some hikers with their dogs with out a leash. Good thing we met up on a straightway. Safety first.
BigBlue a 34 year oldPosted:05/12/2009
- Trail UpdateRode El Prieto 4-5-09 seemed mostly the same but noticed on the switchbacks down singletrack that soil was loose, slowed down a bit to compensate. Talked to a hiker about it he told me Marin bikes had a demo day on saturday and all the mtn bikers had dragged their brakes into all the switchbacks of the trail destroying them. At first dismissed his talk for another mtb hater but remembered ive seen the demo crowed at work. Many come from far away to try the bikes so they dont always care to show respect to the trail there tearing up, cause they know they wont see it again for a while if ever. They maybe a little too excited about the bike they are riding. Not saying thats what they all do, just saying what i seen. Loud, white socked, black shoed wearing lamoes oblivious to the trail they are on.
Masscloner a Die-hard EnthusiastPosted:04/06/2009
- Trail UpdateHad A Great Time-I heard about this trail by typing "Singletrack" at Youtube. Check it out to see what to expect. If you check mtbr and this site, you can see that it's pretty important.
Anyway, rode this trail for the first time. It is about 60 miles from Loma Linda but i had the luxury because I have to burn off all the fuel in my car by tomorrow night (pre-smog check fuel system treatment). Had a difficult time trying to figure out which trail is which. Went up the wrong trail and ended in some horse ranch or something. Lost my water bottle at the descent. Too bad it was my favorite water bottle. Finally found the start of the fire road. Its a good climb, not too steep, but steep enough to basically climb off your saddle for like 90% of the way. Total climb time is about 20-35 minutes depending on your bike. You will reach the saddle where you simply go straight ahead into a descending fireroad. Watch your speed because its loose (over hardpack) and also there are ripples that will basically launch your rear tire and make it skip thus losing your grip. All said and done and without much exaggeration, i nearly fell of a 100+ft cliff. I merged unto a singletrack. I had a hard time finding the trail rhythm because i was always off in my gears. Anyway, its not too technical and you can gather a pretty good speed. Stream crossings are the icing on the cake. Watch your speed because I sped around this blind corner and skidded over loose sand over hardpack and nearly fell off a ~25ft drop. Its not that high but its rocks (riverbed) at the bottom. Survival rate if one falls would probably be 2%. Plenty of the singletrack is basically carved off one side of a wall. The drop off the other side is not as intimidating as you think it is while viewing that youtube video. Nonetheless all of this "dangers" are what kinda makes mtb fun over cycling anyway.
So i came to the singletrack end and decided that "heck, i am here, might as well go back up the fireroad and do it all over again". The trip up seemed shorter (probably because i knew where i was going and how far) and the singletrack part 2 was even more fun now that i got the whole trail kinda scouted out.
Complete time for the whole ride (ride from parking lot to twice up the fireroad and twice the singletrack) was about 3.5 hours including stopping to take plenty of pictures with my blackberry and snacking on some cliff bars
anyway, i am rambling...
gmarchie12 a 24 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a a 33 lb hardtail (Trek 4900)Posted:03/10/2009
- Trail UpdateBusy-up brown to burton, back to El P. Lots of hikers, cyclist, weekend warriors, and runners. Be careful and expect someone around every turn.
BigBlue a 34 year oldPosted:03/07/2009
- Trail UpdateConditions Are Tacky-El Prieto is more amazing than usual right now. Thanks to the recent trail work, and the trail re-working, El Prieto has shed the rain and granted us with powder day like conditions. Rip it up...and thank all who have a part in maintaining this trail, we all owe you a beer.
In response to the last post...as long as you make it down, you went the right way.
Posted:02/18/2009
- Trail UpdateRode el prieto 2-10-09 ride up was fine and dry coming down found a few puddles, what sucks was spendind time to clear all the big rocks that slid down from the rain, and found there way into the middle of the single track. I thought the original trail down followed the ridges at the splits but found large pieces of tree branches in the way at the first one then collapsed section at other split. Can someone clear this up is it a right at the first split then left at second? which way is the right way down?
massclonerPosted:02/12/2009
- Trail UpdateFeb 4 2009-Very Nice conditions....
no sabotage nails or barbwire from hikers/horseback fools...
small drops are still nice....
watch out fo weekend nuby hikers going uphill...
SS WCKS!
up..then down...then up again..
tekknics12 a 100 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Slopestyle White Boxxer Double Crown from Alta Dena URL: SSPosted:02/04/2009
- Trail UpdateI rode the trail on 1/24,1/25 and1/31 2009 and the trail is perfect. It was drizzling on 1/24,1/25 which made the trail really wet. On 1/31 it was perfect riding conditions. Many hikers on the trail so be careful and have fun.
24hrdemolitionman a 43 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a 2008 Specialized enduro expert from Castaic,CAPosted:02/01/2009
- Trail UpdateRandy-1080P, would you please stop all your childish nonsense? I mean seriously dude, one would think you'd have learned your lesson after your expulsion from Over the Bars Mountain Bike Club. Your pathetic little stunt with Hans & Steve regarding the Mt. Hillyer project told us a lot. So did you calling out dstepper on SoCalTrailriders.org in his Mt. Pacifico RR thread. What motivates you to piss people off like you do?
Crawl back under that rock and let people ride without all your B.S.Posted:01/06/2009
- Trail UpdateI didn't know there is another Trek Fuel rider from Altadena, my hood! Now who's hiding behind the keyboard!!! GET A LIFE AND STOP PRETENDING TO BE ME!!! Let's all get back to trail conditions! Enough of this childish behavior!!! I'm starting to think there is only ONE person responsible for all of this nonsense.
a 39 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a TREK FUEL from ALTADENAPosted:01/04/2009
- Trail UpdateSGT. Diaz, you are a TOTAL ASSHOLE!
a 39 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Trek Fuel from Altadena, CAPosted:01/04/2009
- Trail UpdateSean AKA 1080p AKA Randy, please stop your childish nonsense and continuous bashing of CORBA. Do not hide behind your keyboard. Go directly to the source of your issues. Thank you!
a 39 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Trek Fuel from Altadena, CAPosted:01/04/2009
- Trail UpdateCOBRA...don't pay attention to SGT-downhiller. I would to thank you for making El Prieto such a fast ride. This is the fastest that I have ever ridden the trail without any hesitation. Faster is definately better! Oh yeah!!!
Posted:01/02/2009
- Trail UpdateSean, Thanks For The Update-I liked it better the other way, where you had options to spread out the bikers and hikers. CORBA messed up, again. More like a Public Disservice Announcement.
SGT. N. Diaz a 33 year old Downhiller from Newbury ParkPosted:12/31/2008
- Trail UpdateSean, 1080p, Randy & "Sean,1080p,Randy Hater" Let's get back to what this sites is all about, trail conditions!!! None of this BS! All of you guys are giving mountain bikers a bad name.
a 39 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Trek Fuel from AltadenaPosted:12/31/2008
- Trail UpdateI was looking for trail conditions. WTF... Enough of this nonsense!
Posted:12/30/2008
- Trail UpdateSean aka 1080p aka Randy......I think I can speak for all mountain bikers in the So Cal area. We would like to thank you for removing all the blockade closures to the bootleg trails. Your tireless efforts are sure to be commended by all hikers and equestrians. Your goal of having El Prieto shut down for good will come very soon. You are a wonderful advocate for mountain biking. After this wonderful display of good will I am sure you'll have even more friends to ride with.
Posted:12/30/2008
- Trail UpdateJust Beautiful-First time down El Prieto in about 3 months. Trail is real smooth with unlimited amounts of traction, just the way I like it. Ride like the wind Baby!
a 39 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Trek Fuel from Altadena - Just around the cornerPosted:12/25/2008
- Trail UpdateThe faster the better? Are you nuts? Theres a lot of hikers on this well-traveled trail and people who go super fast on bikes are hated by the hikers. Then the hikers will tell the rangers and the whole damn place will be eventually closed for bikes. This is a forest you fool, not someone's backyard in Colorado.
diamondbackPosted:12/20/2008
- Trail UpdateNice & Tacky...fast Too!!!-Glad to inform everyone that there are no washouts from the past rains. El Prieto is tacky & grippy making it a super speedy fast run. The faster the better! Enjoy!!!
Posted:12/18/2008
- Trail UpdateMan people stop being little girls about this! we didn't do anything to the damn trail its still the same you idiots! all we did was make drain exits, restored an original section and did some tree trimming, if you think this trail isn't fun anymore or to easy for you please ride somewhere else!
a 25 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Trek Remedy 7 from East LosPosted:12/16/2008
- Trail UpdateThat's What Races Are For!-The trail maintaintence and modifications that were made on el P were made for the enjoyment and use of numerous types of enthusiast. For those who are looking for a rock garden downhill trail, look somewhere else. safety first!
BigBlue a 34 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a NRS Air from Los AngelesPosted:12/13/2008
- Trail UpdateI will not do anything to the barricades. I can respect the reasons for the blockades. Though I will miss certain sections, I would miss the whole trail even more. I guess on the bright side, maybe we'll see fewer downhill bikes on a XC trail.
SeanPosted:12/13/2008
- Trail UpdateSean, please don't unblock the closures. That would be defeating all CORBA and the Forest Service's efforts potentially leading to closure of this great trail system. I understand your concerns, however I hope you can understand why certain bootleg trails were closed.
The Lone Rider a 47 year old from PasadenaPosted:12/13/2008
- Trail Update1080P aka Randy, please stop. Can't you just let all trail users coexist in a civil manner? PLEASE!!!
Posted:12/12/2008
- Trail UpdatePray For Rain...pouring Rain!!!-To wash out the fill that is currently covering the rocks, dips & etc... I need the original techincal trail back with the current path. I mean ORIGINAL! Why did they fill in the technical sections?
Posted:12/12/2008
- Trail UpdateIgnorant? I think I received a credible response to the reasons for the work which was done and I can respect those reasons, the matter is settled if it is an access issue. I'm not 1080p. I am Sean.
seanPosted:12/12/2008
- Trail UpdateSean aka 1080P, you are ignorant and have to be the biggest asshole ever. Get a fucking life dude!
Posted:12/12/2008
- Trail UpdatePublic Service Announcement:
El Prieto bootleg trails have been closed
A lot of new unauthorized trail segments have been added El Prieto trail system over the years. Because of this, many riders, hikers and equestrians have unwittingly been using sections of trail that are unauthorized bootleg sections. I am posting this message as Public Service Announcement.Please do not ride closed sections.
If you have been down El P since Saturday 12-6-2008, you will notice some changes in the form of blockages to some of the "lower trails". These trails appeared overnight more than several years ago. They are being closed off because they were not authorized by the Forest Service which could result in lawsuits against the Forest Service, lead to costly litigation and potential closure of this great trail system.
Please stay on the main and only authorized trail.
If the blockages are removed and you run into an option, the following advice should help you stay on the original authorized trail.
When in doubt, go up. The trails that climb either side of the canyon are the original trail that should be followed.
On tight switch backs, take the switchbacks. The straight lines past the switchbacks are bootleg sections that are part of the problem we are trying to manage. Do not cut the switchbacks.
If you have any questions about these closures or would like to find out how you can get involved with future trail work, please contact Hans Keifer (CORBA trail crew leader) at trailwork@corbamtb.com, Howard Okomoto (ANF Volunteer Coordinator) at hokamoto@fs.fed.us or the Angeles National forest Service at 626) 574-5200.
Also check the CORBA website for upcoming trail maintenance days at http://www.corbamtb.com/programs/trail-crew.shtml
We want everyone to be able to share the trail system in a peaceful manner. Thank you!
Regular trail user (hike, bike and ride) a 52 year old from Altadena, CA
Regular trail user (hike, bike and ride) a 54 year old from Altadena, CAPosted:12/12/2008
- Trail UpdateSean,
Being a rider of this trail for nearly 25 years, I applaud CORBA’s recent trail work. This is the same and only route available when I first started riding EL P those many years ago. Perhaps this was their thinking.
The Lone Rider
The Lone Rider a 47 year old from PasadenaPosted:12/12/2008
- Trail UpdateVery Concerned!!!-Today I spoke with a group of the local hikers that have been using El Prieto since the early 80's.
To put it nicely, they were extremely upset that #1 some of their public access trails/routes were blocked by debris that was placed during the past trail maintenance and #2 mountain bikers were taking over the trail as if we owned it. It would be very unfortunate if we lost the use of El Prieto due to a complaint. It was a good idea for the trail maintenance, but why did COBRA not take into consideration the general public before making changes to the trail system???
a 45 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a intense spider from PasadenaPosted:12/11/2008
- Trail UpdateFirst, the trail work is appreciated, I'm sure it took many hours and plenty of hard work. For that, thank you CORBA.
Unfortunately, you felt it necessary to dictate what forks in the trail should be used and which ones should not, who gave you the right to do that?
Now I can understand this to an extent, perhaps you chose to close parts where erosion was too great, or maybe you just felt the ways you chose are the best. But you left open the one section where the trail is washed out completely...?
Once again thank you for your hard work, but I am going to be removing your blockades that prevent riders from riding the different sections of El Prieto as we have been able to for years.
By doing this, the trail can remain open to each riders interpretation, monotony of riding the same trail every time will be broken, congestion will lessen during busy times, and (selfishly maybe) I will have back the trail which I have grown to love over the years.
If I am missing something, and there is a good explanation why the trail has been simplified, I would love to hear it.
SeanPosted:12/11/2008
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Update-Agree the trail is not as technical as it used to be-has been smoothed out in some sections but it's still fun to ride.
Los5 riding a SC HecklerPosted:12/09/2008
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-It was not the Forest Service that did the work. It was CORBA. Sorry Bud but trails need to be maintained. This trail used to be a fun technical trail until it was mentioned in an article in a perticular Bike magazine. Now everybody and their mother shows up here. There are hundreds of miles to ride in the forest. Come out and do some maintenance sometime. I have two trails I maintain. I could use help.
Mountain GoatPosted:12/09/2008
- Trail UpdateSUCKS!!!!!-The Forestry service trail crew totally sanatized and fucked this trail up yesterday.
a Downhiller riding a Intense M6 from GlendalePosted:12/07/2008
- Trail UpdateJust rode El Prieto this morning. It's not much of a challenge as it once was. The last poster was correct, this trail is definitely at the novice level. Hopefully if it rains this season, we can see the return of the technical obstacles that makes El Prieto such a great trail.
a 45 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a intense spider from PasadenaPosted:12/06/2008
- Trail Update1080P Comes Up For Air-I ran into a tarantula today and boy was it agitated. This trail is definitely for the novice. It is not all it's cracked up to be, that's for sure.
Oh, and don't forget the Tecnu or prepare for the inevitable rash and itching.
1080P a 50+ year old Weekend Warrior riding a Extra Small Bionicon Edison LTD from Pacoima, CAPosted:12/03/2008
- Trail UpdateTrail Maintenance Day-There will be an organized trail work day on this trail Saturday December 6th. For more info contact Banner Moffat at bannermoffat@earthlink.net.
Banner Moffat a 52 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a BlurPosted:11/17/2008
- Trail UpdatePiranha Seen-Bumped into a bobcat today, wasn't happy to see me. Poison Oak is bad, bring the Technu and scrub well. Lot of the technical trail is gone, pretty anemic trail.
The Piranha a Die-hard Enthusiast riding a small 2007 Foes FXR from Monterey ParkPosted:11/16/2008
- Trail UpdateMOUNTAIN LION ALERT!!!-I rode Brown fire road up to the KB trailhead and then came back down to El Prieto. I saw a pretty good sized cat near the second stream crossing in El P. I am guessing it was about 125-150 lbs. We had a nice stare down for about 30-60 seconds (seemed longer) and I started throwing whatever rocks I could find close by at it. I was also yelling as loud as I could. The cat finally decided to retreat and it went on up into the brush. I waited another minute or so and then rode back down as fast as I could.
I don't think I'll ride there for a while. That scared the shit out of me. It was pretty damn big and could have easily taken me out if it wanted to. I am 6-1 and 195 lbs. Be careful out there.
a 27 year old Racer riding a Moots Mooto XZPosted:05/16/2008
- Trail UpdateThe poison oak is beyond pathetic now. Stay away from El Prieto until late fall. Otherwise ride there at your own risk and please don't say I didn't warn you of the inevitable itching, oozing at bleeding at 3AM!
a 39 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Specialized Stumjumper from South Pasadena, CAPosted:05/16/2008
- Trail UpdateIts Been A While-Its been a 2 years since i have been here , lots P.O. has mentioned, a few of the original high trails have been wiped out i guess by rain. a couple other have been created & smooth out. The trail are not as techinal as it once was. Alot more places to pick up speed on trail. water in water crossing is almost gone. Perfect day to ride.
a Weekend Warrior riding a Trek special from Highland ParkPosted:04/24/2008
- Trail UpdateCome On....-It's not that bad... This is pretty normal for this time of year. If you think it's bad now, just give it another month or so. Just make sure you have some Tecnu & don't let a little oak stop you from riding this great trail. Ride on!!!
a 45 year old Racer riding a Intense Spider XVP from Gabriel'sPosted:04/23/2008
- Trail UpdateStinkin Oak-As mentioned, the P.O. is everywhere down in there. Visit your local CVS, Rite-Aid or WalMart before you hit JPL lot and or make sure that you have plenty of Technu on hand for your cool post ride shower. The stuff is literally everywere. It's hanging out over the trail and is unavoidable. I made the mistake of riding it and without using Technu post ride. Now I am paying a steep price with P.O. all over my face and legs. FUCK!!!!
nomadca a 26 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Intense 5.5Posted:04/22/2008
- Trail UpdateNice!-Trail good condition..
it is getting soft in certain areas... almost lost it on one of the ledges out there.....
water level no worries..
occasional hikers walking up...
poison oak around.......
Hot as hell going up on the Fireroad....bring water, lotion, and shades...
Single trak going down is nice with all the shading...
tekknics a 100 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a NORCO DH 6, Chumba Freeride from Alta DenaPosted:04/14/2008
- Trail UpdatePoison oak is everywhere...but that's spring for you. It's still a blast to ride. I've been riding El Prieto almost everyday during past 2 weeks and I still no rash. TECHNU rocks!!!
a 47 year old Cross-Country RiderPosted:04/03/2008
- Trail UpdateAs the person on the Kona Dawg mentions, El Prieto is FULL of posion oak. It truly is everywhere. Make sure that you have Technu on hand. Be ready for a Technu shower post ride. I rode El P today. It's impossible to avoid the oak. It's that bad down in there.
a Weekend Warrior riding a Gary Fisher Fat Possum from Eagle Rock, CAPosted:04/02/2008
- Trail UpdateSpring Has Sprung!-Just rode El Prieto today. Very nice! It's starting to get a little overgrown but is pretty normal for this time of year. Stream x-ings are very rideable not too technical. This is what spring time riding is all about. Ride on!
a 45 year old Racer riding a Intense Spider XVP from Gabriel'sPosted:03/31/2008
- Trail UpdateHoly Fuck! Poison oak like a mofo down in El P. The shit is everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. Stay away from here. The water crossings are all jacked also. This trail used to be good. Those days are long gone. WTF is Banner?
Got Technu? You're going to need it!
a 36 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Kona Dawg from Sunland, CAPosted:03/30/2008
- Trail UpdateRiding today I came up on some guys at the hard left staircase switchback w/ the ominous drop off. One of them had taken the plunge. Be careful it happens, the guy seemed alright and one had a video camera going...so if you read this, you should post it, I'm sure its good.
LilGanJa a 24 year oldPosted:03/20/2008
- Trail UpdateRattlers And The Oak-Yes, there is poison oak and plenty of it. Use caution and look for the snakes too with the warmer temps. My pals and I saw two small rattlers today. One on Sunset just before the first fireroad intersection and another on El Prieto near the picnic bench.
a 29 year old Downhiller riding a Intense Uzzi from Burbank, CAPosted:03/13/2008
- Trail UpdatePoison Oak Alert-I noticed quite a bit of poison oak yesterday. Be very careful.
nomadcaPosted:03/12/2008
- Trail Updatei think lil ganjas daddy on the titless moto exotranny has a leaky mangina
Posted:03/11/2008
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Trail Conditions-In years past I would maintain El P. putting in a week or more of labor every year. For the last year I have been maintaining La Tuna Singletrack instead in the Verdugos; go check it out.
If you wish El P were more technical, make sure you are not taking any of the bootlegged shortcuts which avoid some of the challenges and shorten the trail - particularly at the second creek crossing. Go right and take the high road there. Also bear right at the creek crossing after the high, swoopy secton with the log drop-offs to ride "The Wet Boulder Garden".
The high road along the cliff washed out big time in the January rain. It will take a major effort to re-build that, but I'm busy with La Tuna.
Banner Moffat a 52 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Blur from La CrescentaPosted:03/11/2008
- Trail UpdateAlthough be a bit cautious, I wouldn't worry too much about the cougar because there's plenty of game for the cat out there being early spring. The rains brought out greenery for the rabbits and such so there's plenty to hunt, also
the cat probably eats leftovers from Millard's campers.
I WOULD WORRY IN THE FALL when pickings start getting slim for the cat. Ride on and only fear going over the bars.
Mongoose a 67 year old riding a bullitPosted:03/10/2008
- Trail UpdateLilGanja Daddy on the Titless Exogrid, your a real moron. Get a life.
a 46 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Santa Cruz Heckler from La Canada-FlintridgePosted:03/09/2008
- Trail UpdateYou guys are all acting like a bunch of little girls. BFD, a little mountain lion is cruising around in El Prieto. Who gives a $hit! It's a cat for crying out loud. Pack a Glock 9mm and fugghedaboutit. It's hard to believe that there are so many sissies riding mountain bikes around here.
I hope I see that mofo so I can put a cap or two in it.
Lilganja's Daddy a 37 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Titus Motolite Exogrid from ArcadiaPosted:03/09/2008
- Trail UpdateMountain Lion Sighting-I started my ride from Millard Canyon this morning at 7AM. I saw a mountain lion off to the left side of the fireroad just before I was getting ready to drop into El Prieto around 7:15. I thought better of the singletrack and continued riding up to Brown mountain. Another rider told me he had seen one Friday late afternoon near the fallen tree across the trail on El P. The cat that I saw this morning was pretty big. I don't want to see it again anytime soon. Judging by its size, I think it could easily take down a 200 lb. man. Be careful out there and stay aware of your surroundings. Never ride alone!
a 46 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Santa Cruz Heckler from La Canada-FlintridgePosted:03/08/2008
- Trail UpdateYou Got It Right Brother!-It's definately the big cat that everyones talking about. I saw it last Saturday night riding while riding with my buddies from out of town. It definately made the ride the interesing. The cat must have been tracking us for about 100 yrds before it decided to take off. So if you decide to ride at night, keep it safe and ride with a group.
Conditions are nice and very easy. Nothing too technical. Definatley an excellent night ride. Enjoy the ride.
a 43 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a specialized from SocalPosted:03/08/2008
- Trail UpdateBe Careful-I rode El Prieto at 7PM on 3/6. There was something big rustling around in the brush off to the left of the third stream crossing. I pointed my HID and saw it's eyes glowing. I could not make out what it was, but am guessing mountain lion. I saw plenty of fresh cougar tracks and I decided to skeedaddle my way outta there really quick! I will only do night rides there with another person in the future. I felt whatever it was flanking me the rest of my way back down to the fire road.
a 35 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Banshee Pyre from San Gabriel, CAPosted:03/08/2008
- Trail UpdateFun Ridable-Just rode El Prieto
Overall looking good.....water is high side but no big deal just bomb right through...
watch out for that Poison Oak...lots of Green on the trail and growing...
I'd wear DH pants or long socks...poison oak sucks!..
tekknics a 100 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Norco SIX DH, Chumba Freeride from Alta DenaPosted:03/05/2008
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-1st time riding prieto in last 8 months, rode this trail with my 12 year Son, his 1st time ever. Trail was fun and easy, had to pull rank on cocky 12 year old. Water was running and deep in lower crossings. All switchbacks were slightly challenging because of the wet rocks, but very do-able. Ride & Enjoy!!!
H-Man a 41 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Azonic DS-1 from Las VegasPosted:03/04/2008
- Trail UpdateJust finished a quick night ride down El Prieto with some of my old buddies. I was very disappointed on how the trail has changed since the last time I came down to Socal. Most of the technical sections that I remembered are either gone or smoothed out. I am not surprised that riders are actually going at the speeds they are claiming. I'm sure I did. It's sad to say, it doesn't take much skill to ride down El Prieto anymore. The trail is currently at the novice level, intermediate at best. We really need to bring this gem of a trail back to it's original condition. So if there are any groups out there doing a little trail restoration, I'm there!
a 45 year old Racer riding a Banshee from Seattle - part time SocalPosted:03/01/2008
- Trail UpdateEl Pee Ieto Is Sliding Away-Most of it is looking in good condition as winter is a few weeks away from wrapping up and heading into spring. Saw some week old footprints of Miss Kitty down be the creek, along with this huge pile of tootsie roll like but jumbo tootsie roll cat scat. Must have ripped that cat a new one dumping that thing. It definitely had the smell of some funky kind of pot to it, smelled like... you guessed it, Ganja!
a Die-hard Enthusiast from El Presidenteville, CAPosted:03/01/2008
- Trail UpdateGrrrreat Ride!-I rode this for the first time on Sunday. 2-3 mile ride uphill. Its definately worth it. Once you've reached the top, you have a few different options. I took the middle fire road down and it was grreat! It hosted a variety of terrain... loose rocks, multiple stepping steps, stream crossings, ect. It was defiately a great ride! =) See you there next Sunday, possible Saturday! Good riding....
Ricardo81 a 26 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a DiamondBack Coil EX from North Hollywood, CaPosted:02/22/2008
- Trail UpdateJust Ride...-You guys crack me up! I thought this posting was for trail conditions.
a Downhiller from ArcadiaPosted:02/14/2008
- Trail UpdateFinality-To the Titus dude who loves talkin himself up. Yeah, if you're taking this seriously...you're a fool. Haven't seen you on the trail, you know when I'm there. Fact is, we all ride this trail, we all love this trail, more power to us all. Am I scared of a cat? I've ridden this trail probably more times this year than you have in your life so if you want be serious about this...come find me. However, if you are at all mature, lets agree to disagree and when we do see eachother, we'll rip the trail together, and have fun. Thats what it's all about. Anyways...say what you want, but yeah...I'm done with you.
To everyone else, ride.
LilGanJa a 24 year old riding a Whatever I choose from SoCalPosted:02/14/2008
- Trail UpdatePussyfooting Around-Rode El Pee this morning, someone has cut up some tree limbs and tried to block both trails near the bottom.
There's big cat tracks all around there in the creek bottom, fresh tracks, still sharp edges. I'd say that cat goes 70 to 90 pounds based on the size of the footprints.
Deer Eater!
a Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Bionicon from El Presidenteville, CAPosted:02/13/2008
- Trail UpdateLitty Kitty Scares You? LMFAO!!!-LilGanj, get ahold of yourself boy. A little pussy scares you? I supposed you are scared of the little cubs out in the San Gabs too? That's pretty pathetic is you ask me. Riede fast & ride hard. Don't ride scared of a little pussy!
a 37 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Titus Motolite Exogrid from ArcadiaPosted:02/13/2008
- Trail UpdateMtn Lion-Its definatley out there...I've seen the huge footprints its been leaving behind, especially by the first tower on the fire road. I've also had numerous riders come into where I work and claim they've seen it near the fireroad and on El Prieto. You may want to leave your dog at home if you're one of the many who take them with you.
LilGanJa a 24 year oldPosted:02/05/2008
- Trail UpdateMtn Lion Sighting Near JPL-Here is a link to a recent LA times article about a mtn lion sighting near the beginning of this trail at JPL. That cat looks pretty big. Be careful!
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cougar26jan26,1,1265883.story
Posted:02/05/2008
- Trail UpdateSat Ride-Just rode it Saturday...
Overall good condition...
theirs one Fallen tree thats totally blocking one part of the trail...you'll have to get off your bike and climb over it....other than that everything else is rideable and fun...
To the kid fixing part of a washed out section of the trail....Good lookin out man!....Thanks!
tekknics a 100 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Chumba Freeride / Norco Six DH from Alta DenaPosted:02/05/2008
- Trail UpdateHey Titus!-You make me laugh, you wear the armor cuz you're scared to get a bruise? Honestly, I don't care if you have the armor, but when you talk so big about the speeds you're going it shows you have no respect for other trail users...THIS CAUSES PROBLEMS! Drop your gears, lose the suspension and we'll see if you can still ride. I'm on the trail M-F around 2-3 o'clock, look for a FL license plate. See you there?
Oh, and to everyone who is annoyed by this...the trail is awesome, the rains did very lil damage and is 99% rideable. Nows a great time to be out there!
LilGanJa a 24 year oldPosted:01/31/2008
- Trail UpdateJust did Prieto. Conditions good and slimy. Lots of water bars. Looks like theres gonna be a bumper crop of Poison Oak this spring. Didn't see any of them fast and furious ass clowns on the trail that were previously mentioned.
Mongoose a 67 year old riding a spiderPosted:01/26/2008
- Trail Updatethanks guys for getting back to what its all about
Posted:01/25/2008
- Trail UpdateFun @ss Trail!-Trail in great condition...
streams are on the high side but can still bomb through with your bike....
All the fun stuff you expect from this trail... intact..
Rocks, switchbacks, steps, long sweat inducing fireroad up...
This trail is a good afterwork or get your quick fix run...
tekknics a 100 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a NORCO SIX CONVERTED DH/FR, CHUMBA Freeride from Alta DenaPosted:01/25/2008
- Trail UpdateGreat Ride!-I have been out of the saddle for a while so the climb up the Brown Mountain road kicked my a$$. After all the work I HAD to take El Prieto down. The contrast between the sun baked fire road and the lush green canyon is amazing. This intermediate/advance rating is still fairly accurate. I consider myself intermediate and there are a couple of spots I have to dab or dismount (for safety). This is a great canyon to develop your skills in. It's nice to see some water too, although some of the crossings are getting a bit deep. As far as people wearing aromr, how could anyone give them any crap? I remember when people who wore helmets got the same kind of ribbing. As long as they aren't doing 25 mph around blind corners (and I doubt anyone gets going that fast through most of El Prieto) what's the problem?
mrkcy a 31 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Giant IguanaPosted:01/23/2008
- Trail UpdateBack To More Important Things-We rode this trail last weekend and saw at least 5 riders coming down the fireroad, and a few riders and hikers inside the single track, so be careful. Even after the rains, the trail is in great shape with no wash outs. Some loose rocks on the trail, but thanks to whoever cleared the big ones. The stream crossings are pretty deep. The entire thing is rideable. Great ride to do late morning and finish just in time for lunch!
I will be pissed if this ride was ever closed because of fools like exo whatever...
Posted:01/23/2008
- Trail UpdateHave some respect for the trail and the people who use it...whether it's other riders, hikers or equestrians. Use some common sense. Riding down El Prieto at 25 miles/hour is one of the reason why we are losing great singletracks to permanent closures. Don't ruin it for the rest of us who just want to enjoy one of the best singletracks in the San Gabriel's.
a 36 year old Downhiller riding a Intense SOCOM from IrvinePosted:01/22/2008
- Trail UpdateFly By-I`ll spill my bong water on you as I pass you crashed in the bushes with your titus wrapped around your exogrid
Posted:01/22/2008
- Trail UpdateHey Kid, Aka LilGanja-Pull that joint out of your mouth, open those red eyes, shake that hangover and maybe you'll wake up to the real world boy. If you can't hit 25 on parts of El P you need to improve your riding skills son. Keep an eye out for the guy that flies past you on a Titus wearing armor. I'll show you how it's done. If you can stay on my back wheel that is, which is highly unlikely. After you crash trying to hang with the big dog, you'll bust out the armor.
a 37 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a itus Motolite Exogrid from ArcadiaPosted:01/22/2008
- Trail Updatethe 37 year old cross dresser riding a titless moto exotranny has issues
Posted:01/09/2008
- Trail UpdateTo the guy who said wearing armor is justified when you're going 25-30 mph...you are not going that fast on any part of El Prieto, maybe the fire road heading to it, thats it. If you are going near those speeds, you are also locking your rear wheel up to stop and thus destroying the trail. There is this place called Mammoth, go wear your body armor up there, you wont look like such an idiot.
LilGanJa a 24 year oldPosted:01/07/2008
- Trail UpdateWhoa Big Fella-you brokeback mountain biker buddies (butt ease?) ought to kiss and make up seeun as your given the rest of us a bad name. yee ha
Posted:01/06/2008
- Trail UpdateEase Up There Boy!-Seeing as you apparently have zero nads, you might just want to stay at home and cuddle with your BF. And besides, why don't you mind your own f'ing business, ahole!
a 37 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Titus Motolite Exogrid from Arcadia, CAPosted:01/06/2008
- Trail UpdateTake It Easy Mary-Hey "brutha"
Take it easy and stop brocasting to everyone that you have been speeding and pissing off hikers.
Go do the shuttle ride instead.
a 38 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Specialized from LAPosted:01/03/2008
- Trail UpdateIf you went faster than 25-30 MPH once in a while and if you'd ever pushed your limits and went OTB occasionally you'd understand the need for armor. Wake up brutha!
a a 37 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Titus Motolite Exogrid from Arcadia, CAPosted:01/02/2008
- Trail UpdateAre You Kidding Me?-I agree conditions are great & extremely fast...but who actually needs armor going down El Prieto???
a 35 year old Downhiller riding a Intense Socom/Giant Trance from IrvinePosted:12/28/2007
- Trail UpdateConditions Are Sick!!-The recent rains have made for great riding conditions on El P and the Brown fireroad. I last rode the loop on Christams day. While doing so I noticed the high winds Chritmas eve had blown all the loose sand and gravel off the fireroad. Get up there soon and take advantage of the super tacky and grippy single track on El P. Hopefully we'll get a little more rain tomorrow so it will stay really nice. Enjoy the ride, strap the armor on and haul ass while respecting othern trail users.
a 37 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Titus Motolite Exogrid from Arcadia, CAPosted:12/27/2007
- Trail UpdateSo I saw another guy wearing body armor on El Prieto. Now, if you forgot to drink your milk as a kid, I'll let it slide, but for everyone else...don't be a pussy.
LilGanJa a 24 year old riding a Gary Fisher RigPosted:12/20/2007
- Trail UpdateDry, Dry, Dry...-The trail is in reasonable but very dry condition, the foto's on file are obviously a year or older, with almost no water left. Even the Devil Weed has died back. Out of control riders have caused increasing errosion, and torn up the "gentile" soils with no precipitation in sight. The local trail custodian has tried to shore up some destruction from the coasters, but that is short lived as the masses that bomb outnumber his available time and energy. Control your ride and the trail may remain open.
Limpy a <40 year oldPosted:11/24/2007
- Trail UpdateAwsome!!!-Rode El Prieto for the first time on Saturday the 17th. Went up the fire road and came down the single trail...nothing to warn about, besides the poison oak...
borre13 a 30 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Giant Trance from Los AngelesPosted:11/21/2007
- Trail UpdateClosures were lifted last Thursday. El Prieto is fast and in great condition.
a 43 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Hardtail from San Gabriel ValleyPosted:11/15/2007
- Trail Updatethis trail was closed due to dry conditions last week. it would be nice if someone posted when it opens
obmonger a 38 year old Weekend WarriorPosted:11/15/2007
- Trail UpdateRode this trail yesterday, the singletrack is better than last time not as dry. But the water levels are starting to rise in the stream crossings
masscloner a 27 year old riding a santa cruz superlight from Los AngelesPosted:10/10/2007
- Trail UpdateRode the trail in the afternoon, many of the water crossing are shallow or completely dry made the mistake of using my eggbeaters. Would suggest switching to flat pedals till some moisture returns to help keep the trail tight. The switchbacks feel like their all sand from the beach. My front tire kept sliding in the turns was not used to that at my usual speed, either slow down to a crawl or be able to put a foot down.
Masscloner a 27 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Santa cruz Superlight from L.A.Posted:07/10/2007
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-I just rode the trail last saturday for the first time. Conditions were great. The terain was a bit tricky but rideable with a little patients. This is the type of trail i envisoned when i bought my mountain bike. Take your camera becasue you friends wont understand it untill the ride it or atleast see pictures...
Posted:04/02/2007
- Trail UpdateRode El Prieto this morning, as always it was awesome! Definetly one of the funnest rides in LA. The conditions heading in to the fire road is getting a bit loose but ridable. Lots of hikers on El Prieto and horses on the fire road, so be kind and share. Some of the bikers didn't know to get off thier bikes as they pass horses but no problems.
obmonger a 38 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Santa Cruz Heckler from HollywoodPosted:02/24/2007
- Trail UpdateI rode this trail for the first time on a sunny sunday afternoon and I just have to write that this is a great trail. I loved the nice workout climbing the fire road to the el prieto trail entrance. After seeing that I can "handle" some of those downhills on el prieto, there will be no more fullerton loop for me. Once again great trail.
Eetrey a 23 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Reign 3 from LynwoodPosted:10/30/2006
- Trail UpdateBear Sighting-On Wednesday morning on the fireroad up Brown Mountain, a bear crossed the path about 10-15 yards in front of me. It was about 1/2 mile up from the trailhead (where right is Brown mountain, left is the Arroyo). It was about 7AM. I don't know bears that well, but I'm guessing it was a cub as it was not huge, but it was still pretty big. Forestry Service said it was normal, but just thought I'd put the word out. I ride this trail frequently and this is by far the largest wilflide I've ever encountered.
MCMCPosted:10/19/2006
- Trail UpdateNot That Easy-Regarding the wonderfully detailed report by Diamondback, I'd like to say that this would rate int he novice to intermediate range (the avg. skill level rating by everyone who has reported is intermediate to advanced). If you have never been on this trail scroll down and read some more detailed reports. :)
mrkcy76 a 29 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Giant Iguana from Temple CityPosted:08/12/2006
- Trail Updateeasy, try not to fall into the poison oak
diamondbackPosted:08/08/2006
- Trail UpdateCourtious Riding-Respect goes both ways, my fellow rider. Try reading the entire passage before passing judgement, huh. The main point of my "side note" is that with a little courtesy and respect for one another, we can all enjoy the mountain. Unfortunately, you seem to be just a little too shortsighted to see any other point of view that you own. Downhilling within control is what it's all about. Stop for a bike? Are you kidding me? Slow down, yes. Horse and rider? Absolutly, stop every time! I don't think I said anything about riding downhill bonzai style with reckless abandon, did I? Man, you've got a hard on, dontcha? The funny thing is, I've probably smiled and said "hello" to you on this trail before and I'll probably do it again. Let it go, man. Peace!
gojmoney a 35 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a same one as before from still herePosted:08/08/2006
- Trail UpdateAttn: Gojmoney...-"On a side note, there have been a lot of posts regarding the recklessness of the downhill riders on this site. Just a word of advice to the climbers out there (because I'm one of them, too). When you see a downhiller (yes, I'm one of those, too) decending the mountain, DO NOT CHANGE COURSE TO TRY AND GET OUT OF THE WAY! Chances are we (the downhiller) see you well before you see us, and we've made an adjustment to avoid you. I can't tell you how many times a rider has inadvertently turned directly into my path by trying to "get out of the way." Granted some come flying down the hill at incredible and sometimes dangerous speeds, but most of us know what we're doing. Stay the course."
Here's an interesting and revolutionary concept; why not slow down or God forbid, stop all together if you must to allow uphill rider, hiker or equestrian to pass. In the grand scheme of things, how much time are you really losing vs. potentially losing all access. Is your buzz and a break in “yo' flow” really that significant and the only pressing matter? Food for thought, Mr. "I'm totally DH'ing and know what I'm doing, for the most part".
Must you be reminded that this is a multi-used trail and NOT a BMX track or a ski lift location where it’s common to yell things out like “passing on your left!”? Respect and be respected. Another wonderfully interesting concept…go figure!
JoeTruth from Mayor of AltadenaPosted:08/08/2006
- Trail UpdateSweet Summer Session-Climbed the fire road to the Burton trailhead this morning. Got an early start (9am) but was still pretty hot (bring lot's of water). It was clear all the way up with only one minor slide to speak of. Prieto was a sweet ride as usual. The intersecting trails make for some good change ups. All in all, a great ride on a clear, beautiful day.
On a side note, there have been a lot of posts regarding the recklessness of the downhill riders on this site. Just a word of advice to the climbers out there (because I'm one of them, too). When you see a downhiller (yes, I'm one of those, too) decending the mountain, DO NOT CHANGE COURSE TO TRY AND GET OUT OF THE WAY! Chances are we (the downhiller) see you well before you see us, and we've made an adjustment to avoid you. I can't tell you how many times a rider has inadvertently turned directly into my path by trying to "get out of the way." Granted some come flying down the hill at incredible and sometimes dangerous speeds, but most of us know what we're doing. Stay the course.
gojmoney a 35 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Diamond Back Vlink from San Gabriel, CAPosted:08/08/2006
- Trail UpdateWhoa!-Afternoon ride, trail up to El Prieto in good condition. Incredibly, saw a guy on a unicycle coming DOWN the trail. The balance, the coordination, the control...easily the most impressive thing I have seen in a long time. It blew my mind. El Prieto was in good shape, nobody on it which was a nice treat for Memorial Day!
maddenke a 33 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Schwinn Homegrown from Pasadena, CAPosted:05/29/2006
- Trail UpdatePost Rain Ride-got out yesterday for a climb up Brown Mtn Rd. to the Burton trailhead. The view from the top was spectacular, but the air was more than a little chilly. After the six mile climb, the crisp air felt good, though. There were a couple of rock/mud slide areas above the saddleback (stopped and cleared one of them to make it passible), but other wise a clear ride up and a great downhill blast. El Prieto was a bit muddy (of course), but otherwise in great shape. Saw some trail heads out doing some much needed trail maintenance, too. Thanks, guys! There are multiple break offs from the original trail these days, but all intersect again. A good rule is to stay to the right (most of the time).
Posted:03/30/2006
- Trail UpdateGood To Be Back-I have not been on this trail for a while. I took a break after the storms last winter to give the land a chance to settle. Whoever has been working on this trial has done well. You can't even tell where any repairs have been made (that's a good thing). The fire road up was in better condition that the last time I was on it. It's mostly packed with a few sandy patches. Everything is in great condition. Ride in control and don't drag the tire.
Mrkcy a 29 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Giant Iguana from Temple City URL: Check out the Blog for 1-20-06Posted:01/21/2006
- Trail UpdateTrail Maintenance-Sunday, Nov. 6th at 9:30 AM at the parking above the JPL wash and parkinglot (just before the stop sign at the 90 degree turn in the road) for anyone interested. E-mail me if you think you will be there.
Banner Moffat a 49 year old Cross-Country Rider from La CrescentaPosted:11/02/2005
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Latest-A couple weeks ago I repaired the narrow part of the high road on El Prieto (the section about 2/3rds of the way down where the trail traverses a cliff with an alternate route along the creek which is the low road) - so the high road is now entirely rideable.
Every Tuesday at 6 PM I invite my friends to ride up Brown and down El Prieto with lights - if anyone wants to come.
I am planning one of my trail maintenance days on El Prieto tentatively for Sunday November 6th; 9:30AM at the parking above the JPL parking lot. E-mail me if you will be there and/or if you want updates regarding any changes.
Banner Moffat a 49 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a BlurPosted:10/18/2005
- Trail UpdateBike Computer Found-I found a bike computer about half way down El Prieto Canyon on Sunday, 9-11-05. Please contact me by email and identify brand & model to claim.
WeekendWanderer Posted:09/16/2005
- Trail UpdateWork Done, Thanks-It looks like someone recently performed maintenance on the lower part of the trail and cut back some of the brush. If anyone gets a chance before I do, the upper part of the 'real' trail (see previous updates) is rather grown over in spots and could use a trimming as well.
El Prieto is in great shape! Too bad posers are taking the challenge out of it by shortcutting over the switchbacks and bombing along the canyon floor.
That, and watch out for the guy on the mountain unicycle. I hear he's insane.
entropy a 24 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Kris Holm Freeride from LAPosted:09/15/2005
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Fun-Rode the Brown mtn fire road to the Burton trailhead and then screamed back donw to the Prieto trailhead yesterday. Burton in still too overgrown w/ poison oak to enjoy, but the Brown fireroad has been cleared all the way to Burton and makes for some great downhilling on the way back down. They are still in the process of grooming the fireroad on the southside of the saddleback, so it's slow going down to Prieto due to the sand. Prieto is still in good condition, but take some of the previous post's advice and stay to the right at the first cut off. The original trail is much more fun and is starting to get overgrown from lack of use. Any group riders out there? I've been riding solo for too long now! Hit me up! Have fun and be safe (but not too careful).
gojmoney a 34 year old Weekend Warrior riding a DBR V Link 3.2 from San GabrielPosted:09/02/2005
- Trail UpdateGreaT BUT SAD!!-I did this trail about 2:30 Thursday afternoon & had the trail all to myself. I have done this trail about 15 times over the past 5 years & this was the 1st time I had been back since the winter storms. The trail is in good condition & has changed a bit with some sections more technical than before & others easier than b-4, this is a VERY FUN trail!
BUT the sad part is that I cannot believe all the trail cuts & sections that have ruined the beauty of this once pristine & very easy to follow trail! I was wondering what the past posts were when another rider was mentioning not using the upper section of trail & destroying the floor of the canyon! I saw today what that person was talking about! ...It looks to me as if LAZY DOWNHILL BOMBERS are too WEAK to ride there FAT LAZY BIKE up the original trail!...THAT SUCKS because the trail now has a number of options that do not follow the original design of the El Prieto system! BIG BUMMER...WHY?? Because if a 1st timer comes to ride the trial & do not know the original trail then they get short-changed of the REAL TRAIL! ....I don't know BUT I am sorta sad to see what a few knuckle-heads are doing to the sport I so much love & support!...I wonder if they ever do maintenance on trails or at least are members of IMBA!! Funny I now ride a 6 inch travel bike which is a far cry from the hard tail & started on over 17 years ago....BUT I can honestly say that whenever I see a shuttle car of downhill only bikes it sorta makes me get a little frustrated...I think I am slightly prejudiced against people whom do not pay by riding up just to destroy, skid & create entirely new sections of trail just because they CAN'T EVEN pedal the stupid bike uphill on a basically all downhill pristine, technical single track i.e. EL Prieto!!!...NUFF said!.....Now I would like to say GO RIDE...at least get a bike you can ride on sections that need peddling or at least push the thing instead of creating EASY TRAIL CUTS!
Matt W a 46 whew! year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Ellsworth Moment on on Spynergys! from Santa Clarita Posted:08/18/2005
- Trail UpdateGood Ol' El Prieto...-
Correction. I meat to say the LEFT side if you're going down El Prieto back toward JPL. The left side is not in very good shape. Oops...
a 34 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Giant from BurbankPosted:08/12/2005
- Trail UpdateGood Ol' El Prieto...-
Rode this trail yesterday for the first time since we got all that rain. The trail is dusty & eroded in some areas. The stream still has quite a bit of water, much to my surprise. There's a section where the trail splits & you either go up on the left side or down on the right side. The right side is in bad shape & you'll probably need to dismount or risk falling some 20 feet. Other than that, the trail is in pretty good shape. They did a great job repairing the fire road too.
a 34 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Giant from BurbankPosted:08/12/2005
- Trail UpdateI agree with taken a right at the second stream cross, ride the original trail, and it’s all in great shape, completely ridable. No more trail maintance is necessary. The forest service has been given extra money for trail maintance since the heavy rains la received and el prieto is going to get redone by a professional trail crew. I am afraid it will wipe out some of the best technical single track around making it a trail for beginners.
jbbenamPosted:06/20/2005
- Trail UpdateAlas, yet again no one showed up to help with the trail maintenance I scheduled yesterday. (Although I was a bit late due to a flat tire and the parking lot I had planned on meeting in was fenced as a construction site)
I worked on the trail after the second creek crossing where the most landslides occured and got most of it rideable. There may be still a short hike-a-bike but I think another half day of digging will clear it up.
EVERYONE HAS BEEN RIDING THE SHORT CUTS which turn left at the second creek crossing and now they have created an even shorter short cut which turns left off of the other short cut. I can understand not wanting to hike-a-bike, but all these short cuts with little technical challenge to them sort of defeat the purpose of riding a trail unless you just want to get it over with. Plus the Forest Service won't be pleased. And consequently the original El Prieto higher on the canyon wall has been getting overgrown from lack of use.
So don't be afraid to ride the real El Prieto by keeping right at the second creek crossing. It's (mostly) good riding. I'll do another day of maintenance soon.
Banner Moffat a 49 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Blur from La CrescentaPosted:05/16/2005
- Trail UpdateRode it last night 4/26... Oak tree has been taken care of, no longer blocking the trail. The water levels have not really come down at all, still lots of water crossings. Otherwise, the trail is in pretty good shape. Have fun.
Pilot a 32 year oldPosted:04/27/2005
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-Anyone ridden recently? Planning on riding tommorow and am curious how rideable the trail is. Is the oak tree still in the middle of the trail?
ThanksJason
jasondhPosted:04/27/2005
- Trail UpdateTrail Maintenance-No one showed up to help with trail maintenance yesterday; granted it was a work day for most people. I dug out and re-graded land slides on some of the high road except for one narrow spot which will need some stakes and wire. Go see what 4 man hours of trail work can do. We'll need about 80 more man hours to restore the whole trail to it's former glory.
a 49 year old Racer riding a Blur from La CrescentaPosted:03/29/2005
- Trail UpdateTrail Maintenance-I am planning on doing some more trail maintenance on El Prieto Monday, March 28th at 10AM at the parking at the corner of Windsor and Ventura above JPL parking. Come one come all. I hope to get up to the high road/low road section to dig out the high road.
Banner Moffat a 49 year old RacerPosted:03/25/2005
- Trail UpdateDid El Prieto last night, 3/9. Lots of water coming down that canyon. The water crossings are very deep for this area, and mostly require dismounting to cross. You will probably get your feet wet. Also, there is a section with a huge downed oak tree that cuts off two sections of trail. You have to go straight down a hillside to get around it, and this is eroding the hillside. The trail definitely needs a little work. Still fun overall, but you need to be prepared for a little adventure, and be ready to get off your bike a few times.
Pilot a 32 year oldPosted:03/10/2005
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-Big thanks to everyone who has taken there time to stop and do some trail maintenance on El Prieto. In case you did not know the forest service has a collection of trail tools volunteers can use to do trail maintenance. They have volunteer meetings the third Wednesday of every month at 7:00 pm. The meetings are held at the Wildwood Volunteer House off Upper Big Tujunga in the Wildwood Campground on the way to the Condor Peak trailhead. CORBA also does trail work in the Angeles. www.corbamtb.com for more info. The forest service and mountain bikers benefit when our volunteer hours are accounted for.
Brahma don't be pissed at Mother. What might be rideable to some may not be rideable to all!
We (OTB) will be riding the trail on Tuesday night 2/8 if any wants to join us you can get the info at www.otbmbc.com
Hans a 42 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Titus Quasi Moto from Granada Hills URL: OTBMBCPosted:02/07/2005
- Trail UpdateGreat Job-Great job & great pictures of the bobcat. I think I've seen you before up in the San Gabes.
Hugh Jass a 37 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Klein Mantra from Santa ClaritaPosted:02/01/2005
- Trail UpdateMore Rideable-We fixed a major water crossing today. You had to dismount and cross the stream on a log. Now it is rideable. We also spotted a bobcat. Got about 5 feet from it! Check out the pics: Bobcat pics
I hope all of you like the trail work. We're trying to keep it very hiker and horse friendly too, but still very fun and very rideable. The equestrians and hikers were even thanking us today!Posted:02/01/2005
- Trail UpdateIt's Back!-El Prieto is totally rideable now. The trail has changed a lot but it is still awesome. Many thanks to everybody that has done all the repairs. There are about 4 water crossings (one which needs to be fixed), and the high side with the 25' drop still needs some work. Other than that I rode the whole thing. The last slide near the end was still a little too high for your average rider, so I shaved it down 3 feet to make it more rideable. Here are the pics of how I fixed it: http://www.mtbmadness.com/pics.php#brown12905
So don't hesitate to ride it! El Prieto still rocks!
JP a 37 year old from Arcadia URL: pic of the fixed slidePosted:01/29/2005
- Trail UpdateYep, Needs Work.-The trail does need work. It needs a lot of work. I'm not sure why Mother said it is rideable?!? 80% of a 2 mile ride doesn't seem like rideable to me. That is downright misleading and I wasted a trip up there thanks to the bad advice. Thanks guy.
Brahma a 27 year old RacerPosted:01/18/2005
- Trail UpdateEPICjourneez Is Right...-Unless you're into adventure riding or salmon fishing, I wouldn't ride this trail. It's downright dangerous in some spots. If you are used to no-dabbing this trail you will be disappointed... big time. I think it took me longer to descend this trail than to climb the fire road! This trail needs lots of love. bring a shovel if you can. I didn't have one with me, but I cleared some rocks and branches.
a RacerPosted:01/18/2005
- Trail UpdateThanks-Thanks for the demands imperieal leader of trail maint. Last time I checked the only thing I was obligated to do was ride your ass off the trail.
Posted:01/18/2005
- Trail UpdateHelp With Maintenance-The way I see it, anyone who rides this trail somewhat regularly is OBLIGATED to give a hand in restoring El Prieto. Don't wait for someone else to!
Posted:01/17/2005
- Trail UpdateSevere Damage To Portions...-rode el prieto today and had to hop off my bike way too many times because of rain induce trail destruction and deep stream crossings that would swallow me whole. there was one guy[local] rebuilding the trail but there was much destroyed trail sections most of them being my favorite portions. unless you're gonna go to rebuild the trail, you shouldn't bother going here for a while. it'll probably take the guy at least a week to repair the broken. i had to hop off so many times to cross the creek or climb over the landslide[dangerous], it stole the flow right out of the ride. i ususally sweep through this trail without dabbing, even through water crossings. it's bad now!
sorry for the bummer news but someone's gotta warn ya.
Ride rating: Intermediate
EPICjurneez a 30 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a bighit/ELLS-truth/cromostumpjumper from behind the O. C.Posted:01/17/2005
- Trail UpdateRideable-There is a lot of damage, Yes. but i would say you could ride about 80% to 85%.
Most of the stream crossings are to deep to ride or the banks are to steep. At the fork where the high and low road are, the high road has 2 major slides.I would stick to the lower road for now, much safer.
We cleared some brush and smaller slides. This trail needs some major work but still rideable.
Time to put in some work on our trails.
Mother a 41 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Giant AC2, TCR TEAM ONCE from EagleRockPosted:01/15/2005
- Trail UpdateUnrideable At This Time-El Prieto is in bad shape. Don't expect to actually ride it. It is more of a hiking/biking adventure. Had I known how bad it was, I would have brought a shovel. I don't have a lot of time to do trail maintenance, but El Prieto is like our back yard; this is true for a lot of people. As much as a lot of us love to ride the El Prieto trail, it would make sense for all of us to go and move even just a little dirt. If a lot of us worked at it, even just a little bit, we could be riding it again in no time. See you there with your shovel!
JP a 37 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Banshee Scirocco, Banshee Scream, etc.. from Arcadia, CAPosted:01/15/2005
- Trail UpdateHey Banner-I worked with you last year on this trail.The repair work and maintenance we did with the couple little jumps lasted all year and really helped the trail.I almost always heard people comment on the work we'd done and I wouldn't even tell them we did it.I'll be there again to help.
Pain Freak riding a Surly Turner from The 909Posted:01/13/2005
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Conditions-If you want to contact me re. the last comment and re. helping on the trail, I am the "diehard local" mentioned. My e-mail address is bannermoffat@earthlink.net
Posted:01/13/2005
- Trail UpdateTrail Need Lots Of Work...-I got an email from a diehard local who does more trail work on El Prieto then anyone I know; In fact, he considers EP his baby and he's responsible for most of the good trail work you see on it. Apparently, the trails have been badly damaged from recent rains and need lots of work. For all you weekend warriors and diehards, please take 10 minutes out of your time during your ride and do your share in cleaning-up any trail you happen to be riding. Here's the email I received...
"Last night I rode down El Prieto Trail and about 15% of it was unrecognizeable, impassable or missing! The trail itself withstood the rain well thanks to past maintenance, but numerous landslides from above have completely buried the trail in several places, and in a few places the trail itself slid down the hill leaving a precarious cliff to cross. The flash floods coming down the creek rearranged things too.
It's going to be a long time before El Prieto is fully rideable again. I will be organizing trail maintenance in coming months, and let me know if you are willing to help. Spread the word. But the truth is that you don't need to wait for me. All you need is a shovel. You don't even need trail maintenance know-how; just start digging out the first landslide you see - there are lots to choose from, top to bottom, big and small. We'll worry about things like water breaks or proper grading later. With enough help, I'm hoping to have it ALL rideable again by summer."Thanks, B.M.
JoeTruth from AltadenaPosted:01/13/2005
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto, Post October Storm...-
Wow, considering we got almost 5 inches of rain in the foothills of Pasadena, El Prieto was in pretty good shape. A few small washout, debris in some random places and a few downed branches. On the plus side, the trail is tacky and sticky as ever. As far as I'm concerned, the conditions are perfect!
Ride smart and please yield to ALL uphill traffic.
Ride rating: Intermediate
Ride distance: 8 miles Elevation change: 1200
Singletrack=30% Dirt Road=50% Paved Path=20%
JoeTruth from AltadenaPosted:10/24/2004
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Canyon - La Canada-The trail seems to be open again:) 10-23-04 Lots of damage do to rain.
Just starting a 24 year old Weekend Warrior riding a '05 Specialized RockhopperPosted:10/23/2004
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-The trail up brown is closed to everyone (bikers hikers etc..) "Due to extreme fire hazard" as of 10-12-04
Posted:10/12/2004
- Trail UpdateNot Likely-yea, not too likely a mtn.lion would be letting her cub (or cup for that matter) wander about... would suggest it was maybe a bob cat, or even a fox (rare but have seen them around the Angeles).
Please be sure about what you are seeing before you post that its a mtn.lion. So many people get really freaked if they are near, but no need to get freaked about a bob cat or most other things that are out there... hey isn't that one of the reasons we mtn.bike? Otherwise lets all just go hang out on the bike path :)
Ride rating: Novice
Ride distance: amillionmiles Elevation change:
mtnbikeman a Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Giant NRS from Long BeachPosted:09/25/2004
- Trail UpdateLion Cup? Lion cub? Is that what the hell youre
trying to convey here or a rattle snake?
A lion cub on the fireroad? That's weird--
perhaps near the El Prieor singletrack?
A lioness who lets her cub wander around the fireroad
is pretty much on par with a Gen Y'er mother letting her
infant walk freely in the mall. Are you a putz?
CrzyRidr5Posted:09/23/2004
- Trail UpdateLion Cup Sighting-I just went to my regular ride today. weather was nice. On
the way down about 1 mile from brown i saw what look like a
house cat on a trail i stop and look i think it turn out to be a
small Mt lion cup trying get out of the fireroad so i left her
alone and went on my way. Keep your eye open on the way
up and down. Many times i almost run over the baby rattler
soaking up the sun in the middle of the trail.
Ride rating: Intermediate
Ride distance: 4 miles Elevation change: 1400
Singletrack=1% Dirt Road=69% Paved Path=30%
a Cross-Country Rider riding a Ibis Mojo from PasadenaPosted:09/23/2004
- Trail UpdateRecent Ride-Rode El Prieto two weeks ago for first time, so can't compare it but it was very rideable. Followed a Ranger down - great to have a guide for the first one! Go ride it, won't disappoint.
Ride rating: Advanced
Ride distance: 4 miles Elevation change: -900
Singletrack=100%
Bullman a 43 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Fuel 90 from La VernePosted:08/28/2004
- Trail UpdateTrail Condition?-Was wondering about the condition of this trail. Has anyone riden this trail recently.
Thanks
MacPosted:08/27/2004
- Trail UpdateTrail Condition?-Was wondering about the condition of this trail. Has anyone riden this trail recently.
Thanks
MacPosted:08/27/2004
- Trail UpdateWildlife-I rode up the Brown Mtn. connector to El Prieto. I really have doubts about the Mountain Lion sightings but kept my eyes open anyway. I am glad I did because I saw more wildlife in this ride than I have ever seen on any one ride ever. I spotted a small rattle snake on the connector road at the 2.5 mile mark, a rabbit, and a skunk in the El Prieto canyon! The skunk was snooping around the picnic area. He raised his tail at me but no spray(lucky me). The fire road has some sandy spots in it that would only cause problems on the descent if you are going fast and El Prieto is its normal challenging self. I still have to dismount on a couple spots and sometimes get dismounted = ).
Ride rating: Advanced
Ride distance: 8 miles Elevation change:
Singletrack=40% Dirt Road=50% Paved Path=10%
Mrkcy a 27 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Giant-Iguana from Temple CityPosted:06/03/2004
- Trail UpdateLost Cat-Hey I'll help you find your cat. I got a 357. cat locator to help me find that pussy. Goin up today hope to see you there.
NRA a 33 year old riding a 04 Stumpy from your moms bedPosted:05/03/2004
- Trail UpdateLost My Cat, Please Help.-Hi, I'm not a biker or do I plan to ever ride a bike. I live in the homes above El Prieto Canyon and hike there every day, sometimes 2-3 times a day with my 7 year old unusually large cat. I think momma's feeding him way too much food. Anywho, on Thursday, as I was in the bushes relieving myself, my silly 50 lb. cat thought it would be cute to scare some riders riding by, one poor sap even fell in the bushes where it was covered in poison oak. My Cat got such a kick out of it that he insisted we go back that day and he hasn't left the canyon since then. If you see my shmoozems there, please be kind and dismount as you go by him. Don't let him fool you in thinking he's some kind of wild and untamed animal, because he's not.
Willis a 58 year oldPosted:05/03/2004
- Trail UpdateI Was There!-'Rode this Thursday evening with Paul, Chrissy (sp) and Brenda. Brenda & Chrissy made it to the junction in very good time. It was their first time up at JPL...they'll be back! Paul & I met Jeremy and Tony, a couple pretty cool heads, and we joined them for a plunge down El Prieto. It was getting dark which REALLY added to the adrenaline! I've never seen anyone haul down that canyon as fast as Jeremy did. When we got back to the parking lot we heard that we "just missed" the lion! Fine by me!!!
Jeremy/Tony" email me if you read this & we'll hook up again.
Paul - flyingdub@hotmail.com
Flying W a 43 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Specialized Enduro from La VernePosted:05/02/2004
- Trail UpdateLion Sighting!!-
I did el prieto last night. Started at about 6:30 p.m. Going down about halfway through the singletrack, a couple of riders caught up with me and said they'd just seen a mountain lion about 100 yds. back; probably near the picnic site. One of them, a girl, seemed to be pretty agitaded by it. I guess I must've gone right by it & never even saw it. It was already getting dark so I guess we were there right at the time they come out to find some supper. Be careful & keep your eyes open. I saw someone wearing earphones & an MP3 player the other day on the singletrack. Never even saw me coming from behind. Probably not a good idea if there's a predator around.
Ride rating: Advanced
Marrullero a 33 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Giant from BurbankPosted:04/30/2004
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto--Altadena-Conditions were good as usual, kudus to the trail
management people who make this little thing fun
for all of us--I salute thee.Gabriel, Chewy and me took the lazy mutha
f'kin way up--parked Chewy's truck @Millard, rode
Millard to Prieto and went
back to the parking lot to drive my car back up to
Chewy's truck.We started at 8:45am and I suggest going
early now that the weather's getting nice and that
brings out the hikers and you don't wanna stop
while descending this waiting for hikers
to pass you.Gabriel's helmet and gloves fell off Chewy's
truck somewhere from the parking lot to Millard---
its a silver Specialized. I gave him my helmet to
use, so I had to go down kind of slow, which was a
drag but I knew if I didnt loan my helmet to Gab,
that dumbshyt would have smacked his fathead on
some rock.Anyway, if you find a silver helmet, let me
know. Thanks.The Real FatCat riding a POS rigid HT Raleigh USA M40 .com
Posted:04/10/2004
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-Thanks for removing boulder from prieto, went up today to move, but it was already out of the way. Great ride, more water than usual, but very manageable. Have to do ride early, too hot after 8 am., up and down in 1hr 5 min. Enjoy.
Hman a 37 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Ironhorse from Arcadia, CAPosted:03/13/2004
- Trail UpdateWatch Out...-for Poison Oak. It's starting to really grow in on both sides of the trail. In a few weeks you may want to wear pants. Rode the connecter to the Brown Mtn. Road NON-STOP for the first time. El Prieto is in good shape. There are some small portions that got washed out in the last rain but the are rideable. The last post has a very good point. This is an advanced trail. I consider myself a novice/intermediate rider and I was not able to clean this trail today. There are some difficult sections such as switchbacks(one that is tight and if you go wide you fall 10' into the bushes), and some rocky sections that require some good bike handling skills. If you are a novice(like me) this may be a good trail to work on your tech skills IF YOU USE GOOD JUDGEMENT! Know your limits and when its time to get off of your bike and hike. Most of the time its only a few yards that get really hairy. There is a statement in a previous update that says that all the trails go to the end of the canyon. This is not true. There are a few that go up to a road. If you can trace the trail from the canyon usually you can tell if it takes you out of the canyon. I did find one trail that takes you up about 30' that is about 12" wide and has a wall on one side and a sheer drop on the other(yikes). I won't take this one again for a while.
Ride rating: Intermediate
Ride distance: 9 miles Elevation change: ???
Singletrack=40% Dirt Road=45% Paved Path=15%
Mrkcy a 27 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Giant-Iguana from Temple CityPosted:03/12/2004
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-Climb the fireroad (ugh) then descend the awesome singletrack. Plain and simple: FUN!! Trail is in good condition. 99.5% rideable -- a boulder has fallen across one section of the trail, making about 10 feet impossible to ride....but, the rest of the trail is great. There seems to be more water than usual -- probably due to higher than normal temps following the recent storms (penty of snow to melt). This is NOT a trail for beginners or even intermediate riders. PLEASE respect other people on the trail. Let's keep El Prieto open to bikes. Thanks.
Ride rating: Advanced
Ride distance: 8 miles Elevation change:
Singletrack=50% Dirt Road=50%
Jim Beau a Weekend Warrior riding a Ellsworth Id from SGVPosted:03/08/2004
- Trail UpdateA Damp Ride 12-21-03-a drizzely sunday morning left at 7:30 am made it to ken burton rode the fire road back down to el prieto still pretty damp out no more drizzel the trail is in pretty good shape needs a little woek in some of the rockier sections but all in all still a great ride going back sometime this week for more fun.
mike a 39 year old Weekend Warrior riding a diamondback xsl from eaglerock,caPosted:12/23/2003
- Trail UpdateEL PRIETO-ONE OF THE GREATEST RIDES AROUND LOS ANGELES WENT THERE TODAY WITH A BUDY OF MINE, THE RIDE UP CAN BE A LITTLE TOUGH IF YOU HAVE'NT RIDEN IN A WHILE SUCH AS MYSELF BUT THE RIDE DOWN EL PRIETO MADE IT ALL WORTH IT, THE TRAIL IS IN GOOD SHAPE AND PRETTY FAST AND THE WATER CROSSINGS ARE VARY DOABLE,SEEMS TO BE A FEW HIKERS ON THE TRAIL SO BE CARFUL OUT THERE AND BE AWARE,THIS WAS A GREAT DAY FOR A RIDE CAN'T WAIT TILL NEXT TIME.
Ride rating: Intermediate
MIKE a Weekend Warrior riding a DIAMONDBACK XSL from EAGLEROCK, CAPosted:11/30/2003
- Trail UpdatePro Riders Can Stop On A Dime!!!-Name calling on the internet is kind of like winning the special Olympics, your still retarded……..LOL
Posted:11/18/2003
- Trail UpdateHey Albie, Aka Hman's Little Bro-
Hey Albie Aka Hman's little Bro, you are an idiot!
Thanks to assjacks like you, the local equestrians and hikers are working hard on shutting down our precious trails. How fast do you think you can stop on said trail doing 27.5 mph (and I'm not talking about the fireroad) if all of a sudden, you encountered an equestrian, a dog a hiker or a kid? Not fast enough, unfortunately. Use your brain Albie boy!
JoeTruthPosted:11/18/2003
- Trail UpdateThanks For The Fix-Hey who ever did some track repair, thanks. Its sooo fast now its scary.
I hit 27.5 mph!!!!!!!! And we are not talking about going down the fire road.Albie Aka Hman's little Bro
2001 GT I-Drive TeamPosted:11/18/2003
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-Rode Prieto 3 days straight, the trail is in great shape, water crossings actually have water. The rain made it a very fast ride down with good traction through-out. Excited to ride Prieto this Fri, Sat & Sun again. Enjoy.
Ride rating: Advanced
Hman a 37 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a 2001 GT I-drive team from Arcadia, CAPosted:11/17/2003
- Trail UpdateSan Gab Access Threat!-See this post.
The PreacherPosted:09/23/2003
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Trail-The road up can be a demoralizing climb. Grinding up endless switchbacks being baked in the sun, with no end in sight. Once you reach the top, take a break, refuel and hit the El Prieto trail. Several tight switchbacks are very loose making it somewhat difficult to turn. Try looking through the turn and not at the front wheel to make it through. Plenty of rocks on the singletrack, make it challenging. A great ride for the full suspension set.
Ride rating: Intermediate
MPROVZ a 29 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Specialized Enduro and 1996 GT Avalanche LE from Santa Clarita, CAPosted:09/14/2003
- Trail UpdateWooHoo - First Time!-did this trail for the first time ever. took brown mtn up to the saddle and then the typical entry to el prieto. really great! love the narrow singletrack and technical sections. however, as a somewhat novice rider, I found the downhill switchbacks really tight. I could not clean most of them - I suck! Any suggestions on technique? those were the thorns in my side! otherwise, a really awesome section of the san gabriels. will definitely be back to get this down!
Ride rating: Intermediate
Ride distance: 9 Elevation change: ?
Stinkyfinger a Cross-Country Rider riding a Homegrown Magna from Los AngelesPosted:09/12/2003
- Trail UpdateSaturday 8-23-03 1:00PM-Rode down from LaCanada with my buddy, Tom, through Devils Gate, Ver Hot Day. Rode up El Prieto, then back down. Lots of flies, bugs and ticks this time of day. trail was dry except for several pockets of water, and one big pocket of very soft mud (careful, i almost took a mud bath!) met three other riders comming down, moved aside. comming back down had a slight spill, luckly i went off the edge into leaved and bushes, got back up kept riding, please watch your speed on this trail, especial on a busy saturday, we don't want any accidents. But all in all a very awsome day at El Prieto, as usual.
Ride rating: Intermediate
Ride distance: 6 miles Elevation change: ~1000
Singletrack=80% Dirt Road=80% Paved Path=20%
Stephen Kooshian a 16 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Raleigh from Altadena, CA E-mail: stephen@cyber-gurus.netPosted:08/26/2003
- Trail UpdateEl-Nirvana!-Perfect day for El Prieto! There is great moisture in the soil--yet no mud--makes for incredible traction & NEVER a need to lock up brakes! E-V-E-R ! I did notice a couple of fresh skid marks possible from 2 other riders that had left the parking lot b-4 me ...I did wonder if it was one of them since they seemed very fresh. I will say that the trail is in very good condition...some spots that seemed challenging last year seemed to have either been filled in or had rocks moved!?? Ah well I stopped for a moment deep in the canyon all by myself just to enjoy the beauty...man it is so hard to believe this lush little canyon is so close to L.A....PLEASE DO ALL YOU CAN TO KEEP THIS JEWEL OPEN!I did notice many hikers of all ages(CHILDREN-OLD PEOPLE) on the paved section to the start of the dirt climb, I also saw horses & even a mother pushing a stroller while carring a VERY young baby, (This was at 5:00 in the afternoon on a Monday!)!)...PLEASE GO SLOW IN THE SECTIONS THAT YOU REALLY KNOW YOU SHOULD .... It would be sad to not only hurt someone badly but have this whole area shut down to moutain bikers!...RIDE ON PEOPLE!
Ride rating: Intermediate
Matt W a 43 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Specialized Enduro-Spynergy Disks from Santa ClaritaPosted:06/23/2003
- Trail UpdateBrown Mtn/ El Prieto Loop-The fire road up the lower part of Brown Mtn. (via
the JPL parking lot) is in good condition with a lot
of bees buzzing around. El Prieto continues to be
further overgrown towards the top, to the point
where in some cases my bar ends are pulling to
the sides of the trail. Other than that, a few more
ruts due to the rain, but everything else in good
condition. Watch out for a couple of loose rocks
that fell during the last rain.
Ride rating: Intermediate
Ride distance: 6 miles Elevation change:
Singletrack=50% Dirt Road=50%
JgrePosted:05/16/2003
- Trail Updateand thank you for your concern...those rocks and roots sure took a beating from my soft rubber tubeless tire...
Posted:03/05/2003
- Trail UpdateThank You for your patience in letting the trail dry out for a couple hours.
Anon a Die-hard Enthusiast riding a XC from AltadenaPosted:03/05/2003
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-set the alarm for 5:00 am this morn so i could get in a ride before the day began. it was encouraging to see another rider out there so early. i thought i was the only nutcase who'd be out at the crack of dawn just to get that ride in before work and it wasn't exactly WARM out there either. its pretty wet. had some tire slippage on a few roots and rocks but otherwise the usual killer ride...
Posted:03/05/2003
- Trail UpdateBROKEN LEG-Great ride on 3-1-03 until about 100 yards from the fire rode my best friend MG lost control on the rocks and took a spill over the side into the poison oak and broke his leg. He's OK except for what's going to be a large hospital bill.
I'd really like to thank all the helpful riders and especially the Altadena Fire Dept, LA County Fire, and Altadena Sheriffs for their fast response. Obviously they're very familiar with the area. Those guys really are heros.
PLEASE BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!!!
MIZNAXPosted:03/03/2003
- Trail UpdateNot To Bad-I've seen the damage some careless riders have caused and after working for hours and hours on this trail,I have to admit, I was a little annoyed.But all in all, it's not to bad.I've seen this before and a lot worse.We managed to build up a little around the tree down by the end of the trail and it seems to be holding up nicely.We only made it safer,not easier.It still takes some finesse to get through and maybe a little cajones too.The water is getting deep and the poison oak is starting to show up.Looks like the trail maybe overgrown with the stuff this year.
Pain Freak a Cross-Country Rider riding a Turner 02 from FontanaPosted:02/23/2003
- Trail UpdateMud Ruts-I took a walk up the bottom of Prieto today to check out the conditions. The trail isn't in great shape any more. People couldn't wait 1 friggen day for the trail to dry out a bit (after 6 inches of rain). The trail is totally skid rutted out like I have never seen. The JPL lot was loaded with muddy DH'ers. Makes me sick. Show some respect to this great trail.
Jake a 33 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a bike from PasadenaPosted:02/15/2003
- Trail UpdateTrail Maintenance-I'm planning another day of trail maintenance on this trail (see my note below) on Sunday, Jan. 19th. (Monday will be a holiday for many of you - if that helps.) If any of you have been feeling guilty for not helping out, or if you've made a New Year's resolution to give back to the trail some of what it's given you over the years, e-mail me and I'll pass on specifics.
In the annual trail access score card IMBA puts out, Southern Cal. came in near the bottom in the country; we're loosing the battle for freedom to bike on our trails and one of the reasons is that we aren't known for maintaining the trails we use.
Banner a Die-hard EnthusiastPosted:12/31/2002
- Trail UpdateGreat Day-Rode The Prieto today(12/6). Great morning. The climb up
Brown was nice and easy. All the dust is gone. Got to the
trailhead and immediately noticed how tacky it was! The
switchbacks were nice and rocky. Tough to negotiate. More
water than I've seen in a while through there. Lots of little
jumps on some of the short straight-aways. Wish this trail
was longer....
CrzyRidr3Posted:12/06/2002
- Trail UpdateUp The Prieto...Down Kenny Bee-this is a great way to do this ride. the ride UP El Prieto is a fabulous XC workout. we all know how fun it is on the way down but on the way up every technical section is magnified. It seems like the tech sections are spaced really close together. I found myself barely pedaling on the smoother sections so i could rest a bit before the next challenge which was usually only 20-30 yards away. hadn't been down ken burton in about a year or so. naturally, the rain made for better traction but it also made the boulder-y creek sections tougher, deeper, and wetter. almost all the switchbacks along the trail are clean-able. returned to the jpl lot soaking wet. a superb 2 1/2 hour ride.
Ride rating: Advanced
Ride distance: miles Elevation change:
andrew a 32 year old Die-hard Enthusiast from HollywoodPosted:11/15/2002
- Trail UpdateNight Riding-We went night riding a couple nights ago on the trail. When we were on 2N65 (approximately 5-8 miles into the ride from the lot overlooking the JPL center)we saw a cross with someone's name and a date to the left of the trail. Does anyone know what happened there? Did someone die?
Mike a 28 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Trek from Irvine, CaliforniaPosted:08/21/2002
- Trail UpdateWhatta Day!-Brought my wife and a buddy to ride Lower Brown
to El Prieto on 4-20-02. My buddy had not ridden in
10 years or so. He barely made it half way up the
fire road. When he turned around and got to the
bottom where it splits to the lower part of Arroyo
Seco, he endoed over a bolder and busted his
collar bone..(which I didnt find out till later)....
Meanwhile, 2/3rds of the way up the fireroad, my
poor wife could not get clipped into her pedals and
was beyond tired from having no backstroke on
her climbing. We were moving pretty slow at this
point and she felt bad so decided to turn around. I
didnt want her to hurt herself being tired on El
Prieto, so I agreed and she took off down the fire
road. I proceeded to the saddle, made it to the
trailhead and bombed El Prieto like I'd never had
before!! I cleaned just about all the switchies!
Only problem I had was one rock overhang
decided to jump out and grab my right shoulder
giving me a pretty good gash.
Once I got to the parking lot I realized not only had
my friend busted himself up, but my wife was not
at the lot yet...!!!! I asked a few people if they had
seen a woman fitting her description. One guy
said he saw a girl heading back up to the
saddle......WAS SHE LOST???? I rode back into
the base of the canyon, up to the bottom of the
Brown Mtn fire road and waited. I waited until
about 7pm, which was right about the time I was
gonna start heading back up the fireroad and
calling the cavalry. Next thing I know, I see my wife
riding the last couple of switchbacks on the El
Prieto trail!!! She had turned around on the
fireroad to go down because she was tired, but
instead turned BACK around, headed up to the
saddle and road El Prieto by herself!!!!
AWESOME!!!!I love my wife....she's less of a whimp than most of
my friends!!!!!
CrzyRidr3 riding a Giant AC Air from Sherman OaksPosted:04/22/2002
- Trail UpdateBanner-I'm the El Prieto trail maintenance fairy god-father; I've been doing regular maintenance on it for 6 yrs. Lately, bikers have been short-cutting the switch-backs (to save time? pass? avoid difficult turns????) and it creates erosion and destroys trail stability. THE RANGERS FOR THE AREA DON"T LIKE IT! Letting people shortcut the trail may get us ALL kicked off the trail for good so A)DON'T DO IT. B)DON'T LET OTHERS DO IT - EVEN IF YOU DON'T KNOW THEM.
Furthermore, I would rather spend my time maintaining the trail than blocking off stupid short-cuts.
Spread the word....Banner a 46 year old Cross-Country Rider from La Crescenta
Posted:02/04/2002
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-This trail has a strange seductive, addictive quality that's hard to put a finger on. I've been on it about 7
times or so in the last few weeks. It's not too long which makes it perfect to sneak in a quickie on a regular basis. It starts with a mile pavement spin, then a cool fire road climb for three miles (You'll actually pass the bottom of the well signed El Prieto trail on your right at the beginning of the climb), then a fast mile long fire road descent before dropping in to the much, MUCH too short (two miles, though awesome nonetheless) El Prieto singletrack!!! After reaching the bottom, it's another mile or so back to the car making a grand total of about 8 miles.
I dunno, I find myself thinking about it at work, while I'm wasting time watching TV, and even at bedtime. If I could be on that thing 24-7 I would be. Maybe I've got too much time on my hands. It simply has everything I love about mountain biking: fast, rocky, switchbacking, creek-crossing, technical stuff singletrack. It's that simple.
Ride rating: Intermediate
Andy a 32 year old from HollywoodPosted:01/22/2002
- Trail UpdateEL PRIETO-WHAT A BLAST, RODE THIS TRAIL FOR THE FIRST TIME ON SUNDAY. THIS IS WHY I BOUGHT A BIKE EVEN WITH THE WEEKEND CROUD THIS TRAIL IS WHAT OUR SPORT IS ALL ABOUT. CAN'T WAIT TO GET BACK ON THIS ONE AGAIN.
Ride rating: Intermediate
Singletrack=50% Dirt Road=50%
STEVE MCLAUGHLIN a 38 year old riding a 2000 SPECIALIZED ROCKHOPPER FSR from CANYON COUNTRYPosted:12/17/2001
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-2 friends and I went for our first ride here last Thursday.. tried to follow the directions and stay left on the forks for the easier ride. Got to the Gabrielino/Fire Road split (past the El Prieto 3/4 mile right fork) and took the right fork there and about another 3/4 mile to a picnic area. 3 stream crossings on the way up.. easy ride for anyone in shape. After a short break at the picnic area (can't remember the name) we cruised back down and up to the parking lot. Fun ride but we were really looking for the single tracks on El Prieto/Ken Burton, but didn't bring the best directions with us, so we're back there next week to try and find it. We saw less than 10 people on the trail on a Thursday at 1-2:30pm, weather was great and we loved the surroundings.. made us want to go camping ASAP! Anyone with detailed knowledge on the trails there or knows a source for some maps we'd greatly appreciate it! There was nothing we could find at the trailhead except the basic rules of the road. Can't give many other details as it was our first ride there and didn't really know where we were going, but we liked it enough to want to go back again!
Eric a 35 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Schwinn Mesa (don't laugh!) from Burbank, CAPosted:12/15/2001
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Trail-I rode this trail a week ago and it was a pretty sweet short ride(took about 1 1/2 hrs). The fireroad up is pretty mellow and definately doable on the singlespeed. This was my first time up there, so the descent wasn't as smooth as I would have liked, but if I couldn't make a section, I'd just go back and try it again. Lot's of shade and leaves. The traction is great after all the rain. All the stream crossings are a blast. I would say that this trail is pretty technical. A great after work ride. I bet it's crowded on the weekends. I'm interested in doing Strawberry Peak or Gabrielino soon. Anybody have some condition reports. I would compare this trail to Trabuco,Holy Jim, or some of the great Santa Barbara rides. Have no fear, use just one gear!
Ride rating: Advanced
Ride distance: 7 miles Elevation change: 1000 ft ??
Singletrack=50% Dirt Road=40% Paved Path=10%
Donut a 28 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Surly 1x1 from Hermosa Beach, CAPosted:12/11/2001
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-Rode up Brown Mtn. fireroad and down El Prieto single track this past Saturday, got a late start 3:45pm and finished the bottom of EP in the dark. Fireroad in great shape and EP is fun but I found it to be more advanced than intermediate. Lots of rock gardens and tight switchbacks and many very narrow sections. Trail needs some work as it appears the Bomber crowd have really torn it up. I will ride this again soon and get an earlier start. Good ride if you only have a couple of hours. Saw Dan Koeppel from Mountain Bike magazine in the parking lot b4 the ride.
Ride rating: Advanced
Ride distance: 7 Elevation change: 1000 ft???
Singletrack=40% Dirt Road=50% Paved Path=10%
bill a 43 year old Weekend Warrior riding a ellsworth id from glendalePosted:12/03/2001
- Trail UpdateOnce Again!!! El Prieto DELIVERS!!! :) If you have not done this ride you are missin out!! BIG TIME!! We did it twice! What a great great ride! Cleared all but one switch back! You'll have to go to figure out which one! Make it one of your "Must Do Rides" in the next 3 months! Come on ...You can do it!
Ride rating: Intermediate
Singletrack=60% Dirt Road=50%
Matt Westlake a 42 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Specialized FSR M-4 from Santa Clarita, CAPosted:11/21/2001
- Trail UpdateRide from Jpl on the fireroad is fine all the way to the saddleback,once you head east toward El Prieto,the fireroad is getting a great deal of grading. There was a bulldozer still on the road and unsure of how far down it goes past the traihead. Makes the ride down like riding in sand. Anyone coming up from Millard Campground is sure to have to hike a bike. Once you hit the trail business as usual.
Pac-Man a 26 year old Weekend Warrior riding a SPECIALIZED FSRXC PRO from AlhambraPosted:06/12/2001
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Cinco De Mayo-This is a really fun trail! A good uphill workout to limber up while the air is still cool. Great views at the top and a fun single track descent. Water in the crossings and some interesting rock gardens. Watch out on the downhill fire road before the trailhead as a lot of joggers were all over the trail Saturday. Oh, yeah, I lost my rear fender on the trail if anyone should find it please e-mail me.
Ride rating: Intermediate
Ride distance: 8.43 miles Elevation change: 1100 feet
Singletrack=50% Dirt Road=50%
Jim a 47 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a FSR Enduro from Huntington Beach CAPosted:05/08/2001
- Trail UpdateI am an idiot...
Last night I went riding with my son on the "JPL trail". As I was putting our bikes in the car I forgot to put my front wheel.
If anyone has found it please contact me at papyroy@hotmail.com. I will gladly meet you at a location of your choosling to pick it up.
Posted:04/13/2001
- Trail UpdateLost Soul - El Prieto-El Prieto has benefited much from regular maintenance. 100% of trail obstacles that used to help develop a mountain cyclist abilities have been removed, thus promoting faster than usual speeds through the canyon. I just wanted to remind everyone, El Prieto is a multi-use trail. Hikers and Horses use this trail from numerous entry points within the trail system. There are stables located next to JPL at Altadena Drive.
I just don't understand why people ride sooo fast through the canyon. Oh yeah, " Be the man! " )(#&$)*$)#.
Ride rating: Intermediate
Ride distance: 7 miles Elevation change: 1,100
Singletrack=40% Dirt Road=40% Paved Path=20%
Mr. Superlight a mid life year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Superlight w/ Hayes Hydraulic Disc & Atom 80 from Eaton Canyon in PasadenaPosted:03/16/2001
- Trail UpdateThanks Micheal on the trail maintenance lesson and to those who keep the trails in perfect shape. Time is knowledge and I've got lots of time to learn.
Chris-E a 26 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Riding a GT since they had training wheels from AlhambraPosted:02/07/2001
- Trail UpdateRe: Ken Burton-Ride up Arroyo Seco a few miles and it'll be on your
right, but it's fairly well hidden. You should ride
down Ken Burton first to see where it hits the
canyon and then you'll know where the trailhead is
for your loop. Looks like a hard to climb to me, but I
know folks who've done it.Posted:02/07/2001
- Trail UpdateKen Burton Trail-Does anyone know if there is a way to get to the Ken Burton trail without having to go up the Brown Mountain Fireroad. I'd like to ride up Ken Burton and down Brown Mountain to El Prieto.
Ride rating: Intermediate
Mike Abel a 31 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Schwinn 4-Banger from San Diego, Ca.Posted:02/07/2001
- Trail UpdateThose Bumps On El Prieto-Chris,I also rode the El Prieto today and it is good.Those bumps on the trail tread are the results of knowledgeable trail maintenance.They are water channels in anticipation of what is to come.Without them a good downpour could gather speed down the track and create a deep groove and eventually wash out sections.Thanks to those who worked the trail and especially to Bob Lafay for singlehandedly buffing out the entire length of the La Tuna singletrack-go quick and see.
Ride rating: Intermediate
Singletrack=100%
Michael a 51 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Psycle Werks from Pasadena,Ca.Posted:02/06/2001
- Trail UpdateWhoa is me. Is somebody trying to put a couple of jumps or I'm confused, they could be speed bumps on the trail. Rode sunday and saw them and thought water erosion. Rode again tuesday upon closer inspection, BAM, actual dig marks. Nice little addition but when building a bump/jump dig from the back and shovel forward this way the ruts forgotten. Love the trails condition otherwise and it gets better every ride down. Ride hard and respect.
Chris a 26 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Riding a GT since they had training wheels from AlhambraPosted:02/06/2001
- Trail Update"EP"-What a great trail....so much solitude...so much peace.
O.K., enough of that, this dirt rocks, a chance to crash and burn at almost every turn including "dead man's curve" and the infamous "high road". Been riding it for a few years almost made it UP without a foot fault the other day but the rythem you can get "going down" is always better. Let's refrain from the brake sliding and watch out for the other users oh, and say hi to folks as you pass them...kindness is a good thing on the trail. By the way...the trail's in pretty good shape.
Ride rating: Advanced
Ride distance: 2 miles Elevation change: ?
Singletrack=99%
Bob a 45 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Jamis Dakar and a Klein Mantra from La CrescentaPosted:10/31/2000
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-Rode it Saturday. Went over the bars. Bike came over my head. Ate dirt.It was great!
Eatus Dirtus a 55 year old Downhiller riding a kept me from falling off the side of the ledge from resedaPosted:10/11/2000
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Trail-What an AWESOME Ride! I have been riding for over 13 years up & down thru & over the So.Cal. Area! This is one of the best rides, a must do for single track junkies! I, being from So.Cal., have been spoiled to climb fire roads in search of great single track returns! This is one & because of the fairly easy climb you can do it more than once! One of the most lush areas to ride thru! Hard to believe it is so darn close to us!....YOU HAVE GOT TO RIDE THIS!!!....I'm going back soon!
Ride rating: Advanced
Singletrack=45% Dirt Road=45% Paved Path=10%
Matt Westlake a Die-hard Enthusiast riding a 2ooo, Specialized-FSR-M4 from Saugus, CAPosted:10/10/2000
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto "The Dark One"-
THE REGULATORS MTB CLUB got together this last Sunday to this ride. We had 7 riders and we all enjoyed it.This has got to be the funnest ride in Los Angeles. The effort needed is not so demanding to get to the top the saddle of Brown Mountain in order to ride the single track back down. Early in the morning the sun does get you in the climb, but fortunately there are a few places where you can rest in the shade. Although most people do the climb without stopping, I always find it nice to take a break and take in the beautiful views.
The climb up is good the fire road is in good condition. El Prieto trail is also in good condition. The trail flows so smoothly, I have been riding it for just over a year now off and on, and I am at a level where I don't have to get off my bike hardly at all. I love the technicality of the switchbacks and the cojones needed to go down a couple of those rock gardens. Yeah!
Join us for a ride by finding The Regulators MTB Club at www.ClubMTB.com. We are a bunch of fun loving weekend warriors out of Boyle Heights Los Angeles.
Regulators... Ride!
GeorgeRide rating: Intermediate
Ride distance: 8 miles Elevation change:
Singletrack=40% Dirt Road=60%
George Olivos a 31 year old Weekend Warrior riding a GT XCR 3000 from Boyle Heights in Los Angeles URL: Regualtors Home PagePosted:08/15/2000
- Trail UpdateThe Prieto-I moved away from Pasadena three years ago, but used to ride El Prieto all the time. It seems that less people knew about it then. I can't stand fire roads, really. They put me to sleep, so I used to ride up it on our thursday rides. You do have to keep your eyes peeled, but most of it was rideable, even the climbs at the bottom, if there was any moisture in the soil. It's a shame that it's been pastuerized, but the concrete pavers are necessary in L.A., all the trails are skidded-up there.
On your next ride, try riding up, turning left up to "the saddle", right to Ken Burton, then right up the arroyo to Red Box. That was always a great ride.
ByStickel a 29 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Noodle from Austin, TXPosted:06/09/2000
- Trail UpdateRandy-I don't think Dusty is stretching the truth. I get to the saddle in 23 min.(fast pace), and 25 at an easier pace. I usually complete the loop in 45 - 48 minutes, and I race sport.
Thats no B.S.
Randy riding a Titus Titanium HCR from LAPosted:04/20/2000
- Trail UpdateThe Same El Prieto?-dusty you are wrong sir.nice over exageration though.45 minutes? i think not.i think you have a broken clock.its not 4 miles to the top of the road.its about 3. 45 minute loop? you must of been flying real fast on the canyon singletrack.only one thing wrong wit yo hype.its b.s.GRAVITY WILL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN, it takes at least 30 to the top.figure the rest out.if you are flying thru the down hill and the canyon real fast, ....SLOW DOWN its real dangerous.15 minutes..?ithink not.they are considering closing this trail to us,the ones who maintain it.not dusty.just how much trail work have you done?any way the trail is great,and no its not overgroomed.the fire road is called brown mountain road.turn left on it and up to the jim burton trail.its another AWESOME trail you can whine about.the road you take up to it from arroyo seco is called brown mt conector rd.its a climb, enjoy the heat relax........
Ride rating: Intermediate
dustys mommy a Cross-Country RiderPosted:04/10/2000
- Trail UpdateHit up El Prieto on Sunday and most accounts below are accurate. In the canyon at the bottom there is a fork, the left side is the Arroyo Seco trail, and the right is Brown Mountain trail. For a direct shot at El Prieto head to the right. You will see the bottom of the trail and you COULD head up it... if you want to get run over. Brown Mtn. is your standard Southern California fire road climb, twisting and turning for about 4 miles. You will come to a saddle with a trail sign with mileages for a couple destinations. To get get to El Prieto take the trail on the right(south-ish). Follow this fire road down for a little less than a mile and then BOOM!
I guess what was once a trail that was hard to spot on your right, has a sign as big as a billboard... you can't miss it. Drop in and prepare for a trail that is supremely maintained and regulated, in my opinion... too groomed. As you hit the switchbacks take note of the cement you are riding on, as well as the curbs that prevent swinging too wide. Then you will come upon these odd looking water bars, not made of wood, but of rubber. These are rather ingenius because you can run right over them and they bend backwards. You wouldn't want to actually have to deal with a wooden obstacle on the trail, would you? Any remnants of this trail being technical have long since been removed. However, the greenery and the water crossings are incredible, with poison oak reaching for you on either side. One water hazard runs IN the creek for about 30 yards, not too deep, actually damn refreshing. Surprisingly no crashes yesterday!
Unfortunately the El Prieto loop took only 45 minutes to complete. I am now looking at a route that starts up Arroyo Seco, then hooks right on a connector with some guys name (Ken Something-or-other?), down the fire road to the saddle intersection, and THEN into El Prieto. Tons of bikers, hikers, dogs, and horses on every trail in the area so be careful and... Good luck to you.
Dusty BottomsPosted:04/10/2000
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-Would it be too much to ask a stop on the over improvement of this trail? It's like riding in a miniature golf course. OKay, I'll shut up now.
Thanks Anyways.
Posted:03/27/2000
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-Rode up prieto yesterday, the wind downed a few tree's and left many branches lyeing arround. Cleared it up as best that I could, it is all rideable.
Posted:03/24/2000
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-Rode the single track for the first time on Saturday
around 11:00. I saw a couple people in the parking lot
and on different parts of the fire roads but the single
track was quiet. I don't know past conditions but a
lot of medium/large exposed rocks on the single track
and on switchbacks made things TASTY!
I agree with previous post(s), bomber downhill runs
seem like they'd eat this beautiful trail up quickly,
not to mention the high risk of nasty falls. On the
bottom half of the single track the trail splits, one
way uphill to the left and one downhill to the right.
The uphill trail is, at one point, breaking away
seriously. Is/should this be closed? By the way I'd
like to thank all the folks doing trail maintenance
here. Functional and fun.
Didn't look for or notice the poison oak but there are
many parts of the trail where you MUST go through the
trail brush...
Ride rating: Advanced
Singletrack=40% Dirt Road=55% Paved Path=5%
Jeff a 26 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Klein Adroit (hard tail, no suspension) from Venice, CAPosted:09/05/1999
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-Did the loop last night, the trail work has held up through the rain. The smooth sections are getting rougher while the steep drops are filling out and rounding off. Some nasty brake drag ruts have formed, PLEASE DON'T BE A BRAKE DRAGGER! If you have problems with the trail, build your skills elsewhere, don't destroy this trail. Also, BIG TIME POISION OAK ALERT!
Chimm Chimm a 35 year old Weekend Warrior riding a two wheeler from S. PasPosted:03/31/1999
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Canyon-Trail definitely has one of the best singletracks I've seen. Went up to the saddle and the trail didn't appear to be too crowded, although I did notice some litter on the sides and did my best to pick up what I could. Littering sucks and like the dude who wrote the post before mine said, we have to treat it nicely or else it'll be shut down or something. Anyhow, trail was excellent, creek crossings were very interesting. Also, I don't know for sure, but there appears to be TONS of poison ivy along the singletrack... correct me if I'm wrong.
Singletrack=40% Dirt Road=60%
Ryan a 18 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Giant ATX 970 from Los Angeles, CAPosted:02/20/1999
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-The BIKE write up has spread the word TOO far and wide. Did the loop sunday mid morning and at the saddle were 10 guys saying "it's 1.3 miles to the trail head according to the mag" as they were adjusting their downhill type crash gear! THIS IS JUST A TRAIL, NOT A WORLD CUP DOWNHILL RUN! This needs to remain a fun section, not a bomber run or we will all be banned. Please respect the local foot and horse traffic. A little bit of slowing and a friendly smile will keep this trail open for a long time.
Chimm Chimm a 35 year old Weekend Warrior riding a a big 2 wheeler from S. PasPosted:02/08/1999
- Trail UpdateCaution!-I was talking to a local two weeks ago, and he said that a collision occured biker vs kid recently. Talks of closing the El Prieto canyon to bikers may be looming around. If you read mtbr.com trail reviews, another cyclist had an encounter w/ a rough cyclist.
This trail is now 100% rideable compared to 3 years ago. It is very fun! There is one section almost at the trails end where it is a steep rock section w/ a quick right turn. I've been walking that section for years, and I finally rode it last Monday. No brake sliding required even.
To the trail maintainers, thanks a million for your hard work.
Charles a Cross-Country Rider riding a fsr comp by Specialized from Pasadena
Posted:02/03/1999
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Canyon-What can I say, by far the best singletrack I've done. Got started about 9:30am on MLK day using the then current issue of BIKE magazine as my reference. What a joke! Let me just say that the directions given on this site are far better than what the magazine editor offered. Hell, even the picture showed dude ridin' UP the friggin' singletrack. That would have ruined my trip right there! Just follow the directions on this site, and as temptin' as it may be to go right, go left up the fire road. A non-stop ride (like I did) up to the saddle seperates the men from the boyz, it's a hike!
Anyway, splashin' down into the canyon was great! World-class right here boy, let me tell you! A few water crossings, rocks, switchbacks, minor cliffs, and watch for that cactus! It was cool to find that the way down was rather lenghthy, a nice reward for the hike up. Props to all the folks keepin' the track tight, nuff respect!
It doesn't get any better than this, knamean! Peace...
Singletrack=100% Dirt Road=100% Paved Path=70%
Derrick Bean a 32 year old Weekend Warrior riding a '97 Cannondale Super-V w/Spinergy's from Windsor Hills, CaPosted:01/19/1999
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Canyon-Trail is in good condition. I rode UP the singletrack as best as I could and damn did it get technical. On the way back down there is a lot of loose dirt and it's nearly impossible to get down without skidding in this one part so I'd advise getting off and walking if you aren't too comfortable riding with a wall of dirt on one side and a 25 foot sheer drop on the other. Many water crossings and all in all a very fun ride. Next time I think I'll go up the fire road instead of the single track.
Singletrack=100%
Ryan a 18 year old Cross-Country Rider from USCPosted:01/09/1999
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Trail Arroyos!-I've got to say thanks to the wonderful work of numerous volunteers who have maintained this trail. The installation of erosion control materials should hopefully send a message to those who oppose mountain bikers on trails that we are doing our part in controlling erosion.
After a great ride on Brown Mountain fire road, i met a lot of kewl people today hiking. But Dropping down the unmarked El Prieto Canyon trail from 2N65 fire road was a treat. Having just struck up a conversation w/ Kevin from Canada, the happy go hikers just reminded us that we are running out of Sunlight. So off we went!
The trail is in magnificent condition. It is more rideable than it was about 3 years ago. But the amazingly green canyon and water crossing just make this trail even world class. Watch out for the technical sections and the catus trees! and wave hi to the locals.
Life is great. With trails like this who needs to go to work tomorrow! huh?!
Singletrack=100%
Charles a.k.a. turtle a 30 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Specialized fsr comp from PasadenaPosted:10/18/1998
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto-the trail has been smoothed out quite a bit, but it is still technical. spotted a bear on 9-25-98 at about 7:20 in the evening. for those familiar with El Prieto it was about a 3rd of the way down where there is a left hand switchback going up with a large rock on the right hand side. the switchback is just after a small water crossing.
john a 27 year old Weekend Warrior riding a trek oclv hardtail and fisher joshua y from san gabrielPosted:09/08/1998
- Trail UpdateBrown Mtn./El Prieto-If you can make the ride up Brown non-stop to the saddle then you could have fun riding up El Prieto and continue on to the saddle and seem to have more energy when you get there than if you took the fire road! Please don't brake slide on any trail, so far mtb folks have been pretty good about it! also, take a second to say hi to peolple!
Singletrack=85% Dirt Road=5% Paved Path=10%
Bob a 43 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Klein, Mantra from L a CrescentaPosted:05/20/1998
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Canyon-A great group of volunteers had been doing some work on the trail. They have done a great job and made a good singletrack even better. The trail has been graded in spots, with some "tiles" for lack of a better word, added to reduce the erosion. If you have not ridden the trail lately check it out. Many other changes have really enhanced the ride. An added bonus is with all the winter rains there is a lot of h2o to cross! Usually only 3 small water crossings, now there is 6. The deepest was about 2 feet.
Mark Kellam a Die-hard Enthusiast riding a Specialized A1 FS from La CrescentaPosted:12/30/1997
- Trail UpdateElPrieto Canyon-The trail has just experienced an improvement since the local water comapnies have begun releasing more water into the canyon. This after a great deal of lobying from all us enthusiasts. Thanks everyone who contributed to this effort!!! Now, as you enter the trail you can hear the soothing sound of water not to mention more wet crossing..
Singletrack=30% Dirt Road=60% Paved Path=10%
The Surge a 31 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Hardasstail from Pasadena, CaliforniaPosted:06/27/1997
- Trail UpdateEl Prieto Canyon-The ride begins through the gate just to the right of the main entrance to the Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL). Follow the paved road down a gentle decline for about 1/2 mile over a bridge. Eventually the road will follow the stream to the left, while a trail turns up hill to the right. Take the trail up to the beginning of the Lower Brown Mountain road. As you begin your ascent you will notice a trail sign marking the El Prieto Canyon trail to your right (this is the way you will return). Follow the road up for about four miles of steady climbing. Eventually the road becomes less steep and you will pass a gate (this is the summit). Now take the road to the right and begin a roller-coster down hill run of about 3/4 mile. After a brief climb begin looking for a trial head on the right side of the road. This is the El Prieto Canyon trail and it starts with a few down hill switch backs. The 2 mile single track is fairly technical in places and offers several stream crossings and a nice rest area, complete with picnic table. The whole trip takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on the amount of time you spend enjoying the scenery. Enjoy.
Singletrack=30% Dirt Road=60% Paved Path=10%
Patrick Hopp a 28 year old Die-hard Enthusiast from Pasadena, CAPosted:05/27/1997
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