Current Aliso Trail Conditions(Last update: 3-24-14)

The entrance to Mathis has re-opened. I'm sure most will not agree with what was done including myself, but from I was told it was necessary to allow for emergency vehicles to be able to access and also maneuver. Any questions or concerns should be directed at the OC Parks and head Ranger there. Thanks

 

5 oaks trail

Heads up guys,


I just rode 5 oaks trail today it is bad, too much loose sand and rocks. I had to stop three to four times the bike was slipping and sliding all the way.... So guys be careful coming down the trail.

 

Has anyone ridden Mentally Sensitive lately? Just wondering how loose/sketch/rutted it might be right about now?

 

I am assuming prob not great.. to me that trail is best after some light rain.. anyway, I do have a buddy who did ride it fairly recently and he said it was rough (brutal may have been exact words) but that may also be his shortage of skills talkin too

 

Rode it about a week ago. Didn't think it was too bad.... but powdery dirt and braking ruts into the corners. I was careful to pick lines to keep the front wheel out of the ruts and didn't have a problem with riding it, although slowly....

 

Thanks guys, that is pretty much what I figured it would be like. And, pretty much the overall status quo for most of the Aliso trails this time of year.

 

Rode it a few weeks ago and it's in a better shape than 5 Oaks. It has generally been getting better the more it is ridden in.

 

I've heard 5 Oaks is pretty beat up.. that's too bad.. would like to ride it soon..

 

Rockit, Stairsteps, Car Wreck, and Lynx are all in good condition. Haven't ridden MS lately but I've heard it's still the same old loose and steep.

 

Aliso is in very good condition. Very tacky, the trails absorbed the water very well and most of the trails are in excellent condition.

 

Thanks for posting this it got me off my the couch and got in a nice ride out there even if I was Han Solo. I climbed Meadows and went back down and over to Dripping Cave. I climbed out of there and took Coyote to the Wood Canyon Trail to Cholla. I took that up and came down Lynx and all the trails were in good shape. However, when I got to the bottom of Lynx it started to rain so I got a little wet on the way in. Overall it was good time even if the place was kinda empty
.

 

I rode Aliso yesterday and it's in great shape! Only a few puddles with standing water, but very easy to ride around. Cholla, car wreck and connecting fire roads are totally dry (the rocks a the bottom of CW are a bit slick but that's it).

Go out and ride!


Aliso is in great shape right now

 

I should Have Known Better

Against my better judgement, I attempted to ride Aliso yesterday. I wasn't going to, but the sun came out and I couldn't resist. Big mistake! OK, I stopped to check in with the ranger just to see how bad the trails were. He said he wanted to keep the park open, but had not inspected the conditions. My first sign of trouble was rolling down the little single track that runs along side the pavement. About half way down, I hit the muck. I'm talking muck of the B* variety. I moved over to the pavement and decided I would probe into Woods Canyon a little and then turn around. Well, Woods was not too bad so I kept going. I should say the first 2.5 miles of Woods was OK, after that, I hit the muck again. I should have turned back at this point, but figured...If I could just make it to Cholla... Anyway, after more sloppy HAB, I made it to Cholla which wasn't too bad. I should have cut my losses there and returned on pavement. The fire road to Rock-it was an other disaster. Rear wheel was really loading up by now and I was having trouble moving forward. The upper part of Rock-it was even worse. I managed to minimize trail damage by walking on one side and rolling my bike on the other side. The rest of the ride was OK and I made out with minimum damage to trail and bike.

Bottom line - Just because a park is open doesn't mean it is OK to ride. And don't take the rangers word for it. Give the trails a rest. I regret the damage I and a few others did to Aliso yesterday. #-o

 

yeahh Ive seen that a couple of time with aliso, staying open when its not dry, or opening too early. Same thing with oaks

 

The Head Ranger, Ed Bridges is an avid mountain biker and wants to keep the park open for all to enjoy. But, sometimes you have to use your better judgement and not ride... especially when your wheels lock up.... just say'n...

 

Same thing happened to me about six weeks ago, but this time the trails were pretty dry until descending Meadows. Don't think much trail damage was done, but walking down wasn't much fun. By the way, I wish all parks had a ranger like Ed.

 

Aliso was open today, anyone ride the loop trail, cholla, rockit, mathis ???

 

Did 5Oaks, Cholla RockIt Coyote Cholla Lynx today at 4pm. Avoidable mud everywhere except the top of RockIt as you approach the metal tower / antenna thing, whatever that is. Actually walked one of the two huge trail-width puddles. Looked like some had done some bushwhacking to avoid it, but we just walked on the edge of the trail/puddle. The rest of RockIt was fine, but the tires got a bit slick/muddy from the couple of puddles. Slid out in the rock garden but saved it and recovered fine. I've ridden it in worse conditions. Cholla wasn't bad at all. Lynx was in good shape. 5Oaks was in great condition.

 

Heavy mist made Cholla, Lynx, Rock-It, Meadows and all the connectors/ extra credit so tacky and wonderful this morning.

 

Thanks for rubbing that in