RR: Stockton Flats

[dstepper]

Stockton Flats, San Gabriel National Forest.

In my ever-ending quest to find new places to ride, I sometimes end up with a not so great place to ride, but a great experience just the same. This is one of those: looks great on the map but no so good for biking…Note: would be most excellent 4-wheel drive ride.

So I go to the end of the pavement on Lytle Creek Road, where the shooting range is. I heard the road is not in good shape so I decide to start pedaling at the end of pavement. My goal was to climb Mt. Baldy Fireroad out of Stockton Flats to Baldy Notch. Anyway the ride: the gravel road gets worse and worse as I climb up the canyon. Elevation is maybe 6800 foot and the road really is not a road anymore…you are just riding up a large wash…way loose and nothing anywhere in site that resembles anything smooth. I am wearing myself out in this stuff thinking, “this wash will not even be fun coming back down”. I can endure tough things if I know there is a downhill reward at the end. A couple of three hours later I get to Stockton Flats and make the decision to turn around as it is taking me much longer than I had planned and I still have not reached Mt. Baldy Road…where the real climbing begins. I doubt I will try this one again.

The pictures below are of the Lytle Creek Road and what I rode to get to Stockton Flats.

[TURNERob]

Looks like some nice scenery, but man those rocks don't look like much fun to ride in.....especially at altitude (Nunya please chime if that is high elevation or not). Thanks for the pics Dean. We saw you signed in @ LCWP this morning

[Pain Freak]

It really wasn't that bad of a ride before the rains came a few years back. The rain washed out all the dirt that had accumilated between the rocks and made riding possible. I was hoping it was doing the same again (filling in) but reading your rr I know better then to go up there again. My son and some of his friends have gone up it in some 4X4's and liked it. I might just do that.

[dstepper]

Originally Posted by TURNERob

Looks like some nice scenery, but man those rocks don't look like much fun to ride in.....especially at altitude (Nunya please chime if that is high elevation or not). Thanks for the pics Dean. We saw you signed in @ LCWP this morning

The sign in was from Saturday afternoon.

[LBmtb]

Definitely doesn't look like very much fun to ride up or down in. But like you said, Dean, that comes with the territory when you go checking out as many trails as you do. I guess we're lucky to have you because you try all the trails, report back, and then we ride the good ones

[marsjourneyer]

The best way to do that trail would be to go up Falls Road (Mt. Baldy) or take the chair lifts up and then there is a short ride to the fire road that drops into stockon flats. Just make sure that if you are flying down the trail that you watch for the CLOSED GATE that is near the bottom. Would not be nice to hit. Just try to park a car somewhere around lytle creek, otherwise enjoy the nice ride back to your car.