Old Ridge Route

Ride 17

Trip Length: 20-23 miles
Ride Time: 3.5-4 hours
Difficulty: moderately streneous non technical
Total elevation climbing: about 2000 feet
Ride terrain: pavement except dirt on exploring parts

Check this ride out on motion base
Location:Take Hwy 5 (Golden State Freeway) to Templin Exit. This is the first exit after making that tough climb past Castaic. Go right about 1 mile to the intersection that cuts across on both sides of the road. There will be a sign saying "old ridge route". The road at this point will be at the peak of a hill. Park off the road. You will cross the road and go left with a nice short climb to limber you up. You are now on the old ridge route. One can travel in this direction for about 20 miles. This ride goes 10 miles to a convenient spot for a little dirt road exploration. There is no water available and the area is wind prone. Dress according. The highest point on the ride will be almost 4000 feet.

Description: This ride is on a historical site. You are now riding on the route before there was Hwy 5. Completed in 1915 this was the shortcut from Newhall to Gorman. Believe it or not there used to be motels and eating places on this route. This is a good ride to do either in the spring, winter( not right after a rain) or in the fall before it gets really hot.
The basic ride meanders up and down for about 9.5 miles with a lot more climbing than descending. The climbing is not too difficult. After the first little climb you drop into a area where there are houses. You will see a sign thanking the firefighters for saving their homes. There was a big fire in the area either in 1995 or 1996. You can see along the ride the burnt out areas.Quickly you leave this area and start your first climb. There is a dirt area about .2 miles which gets very muddy after a good rain. Once you reach the apex of this climb there will be two spots for viewing. Pick the 2nd spot where there is a large dirt area off to your right. Take in the beauty of the area. Down 1000 feet and to your right is the Northern tip of Lake Castaic. If you follow the road that drops down here, you will see 2 canyons. The 2nd canyon with a distinct trail leading into is the way to Warm Springs Mt. (ride 14). Look all the way up at about 2:00 to sight on the mt. with the antennas on it. This is Warm Springs Mt.4000 ft elevation. The reddish mountain at about 10:00 is naturally called Red Rock Mt.with an elevation of 4400 ft.The ridge of mountains in back of Red Rock are the Liebre Mountain range with the highest peak around 5700 feet.As you are riding you will see in the distance several lone pine trees on a summit. This is our destination, Reservoir Summit.
While you work your way up to Reservoir Summit,enjoy the many view spots of the Liebre range and Hwy5 1000ft below. Wonder at how the old cars made this trip and at how the gigantic power lines were installed that crisscross this area. When you reach the summit, take the first dirt road on your left and climb to the peak. Take in the beautiful view of this wilderness area. Frazier Mt and its foothills open up to you. This is a good place too kick back.Explore the fireroad on your left for a mile or 2 to get exquisite views of Lake Pryamid and the mountains surrounding it. Don't drop down too far because this fireroad leads to Hwy 5. Just ride around here for a hour or so exploring the different fireroads to get unique views of the area.
You will not see many mountain bikers here,probably more 4 wheelers enjoying the backroads of LA. This ride can also be done starting at ride16(Liebre Mt) and continuing to this spot. This adds an additional 45 minutes driving but they each are equally as pretty. Try both rides.
Here are some pictures of the area

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