Ride 4a
Malibu Creek Loop Ride
Description
This ride is loop of Malibu State Park. To get here take the Ventura Freeway and exit at Las Virgines in Calabasis. Head toward the ocean on Las Virgines and once you pass Mulhulland Dr. the park will come up shortly on your right. Pay the $7.00 and enjoy to me the most beautiful park in the Santa Monica’s. It was in this park that the famous TV show Mash was filmed and you will go right by the site. This ride has everything. You will ride on fireroad, pavement, a technical singletract skirting a riverbed and one of the toughest climbs in the Santa Monica’s- the infamous Bulldog climb. It is 3 gruelling miles of uphill in which you will cimb 1700 feet on mostly a good fireroad but there are steep sections on the last mile of the climb that is rocky and a little technical. This ride comprises of 2 miles of pavement, one mile technical singletract and 11.75miles on mostly descent fireroad. If you are new to the area, this is a nice place to camp here for a couple of days. It is best to visit this place during the weekday because it can get quite crowded during the weekend. One day you can explore the park on a mountain bike and the next day you can do a little hiking,rock cllimbing and maybe a little fishing.
We start the ride on the main fireroad. Stay to the right at a little junction and go through a nice wooded section. At the one mile point there is a little hill that should get your heart pumping. Enjoy the beauty of the surrounding hills. At the top of the hill there is a short trail on your left that leads to a pond. This is a good place to fish. The ruggedness of the mountains are quite beautiful here. Shortly you will go over a little bridge and now you will have a nice tecnical singletract to deal with. I walk about 1/3rd of it because I don’nt want to get any pinch flats from the rocks and I don’t want to kill myself on the too technical sections. At the end of the singletract we are on a nice fireroad and at the Mash site. There is not much here except for a couple of torn up jeeps and a picnic table. If you look to your right thats the mountain you saw in the beginning of the TV program. At 3 miles we come to the infamous Bulldog junction on your left and now the fun begins. Look at the mountains to your left. This is what you got to climb. It took me a little over an hour to do the climb. Just stay on the main fireroad and do not take any of the trails to your right or left. Once at the top you will turn left. Enjoy the fantastic view of the surrounding area, the interesting rock formations and the entire Calabasis area way down below you. The main road you see down there is Malibu Canyon Rd which is the road you were on to get to the park. Now you have a nice little downhill and shortly you are on a paved road called Corral Canyon rd. Keep your eyes peeled to the left for the fireroad that will come up in about .1-.2 of a mile. Once on the fireroad enjoy the nice ridge ride with the Pacific to your right and the bottom of Malibu Creek park to your left. On a clear day the islands you see out there are part of the Channel Islands about 20 miles out in the Pacific. There are a couple of short little climbs for about 2 miles. Now you will come to a short section of singletract that was created when parts of the mountain gave away after a year of heavy rains. At the end of the singletract do not take the fireroad on your right. Now enjoy the nice descent down to Malibu Canyon rd. You will have a nice view of Malibu Canyon rd. snaking thru the Santa Monicas toward Pacific Coast Hwy way below you. At about the 12 mile point you will come to a junction on your way down. Take the singletract on your right. The fireroad will take you to a locked gate to a water treatment plant. Enjoy the nice descent on the fireroad and shortly you will be down to Malibu Canyon Rd. Turn left and be careful here. Try to get on the other side of the road because there is a walkway there on a lttle bridge. Now you got 2 miles to ride on Malibu Canyon rd. Stay on the shoulder and you will be okay. Turn left at the entrance to the park and the ride is finished. Hope you enjoyed one of the prettiest rides in the area.