Ride Report Crystal Lake/Mt Islip with Timmay!

This R&R is a bit late, 8 days later to be exact. Since it's raining in some areas(I'm in Costa Mesa and it's raining now). I thought I'd post up this RR now. Better late than never I guess.

It was perfect day in the San Gabes for a ride ..., beautiful and clear. The temp was about mid 60's when we started and never got above 85 when we finished. If you look close, you can still see the moon just to right of the tree.


It was just the 3 of us.., Dell aka Ladd Jasper, Timmy and myself.


The 1st section after the campground was a tough little trail. Although very short, it took the wind right out of us from the start since you start above 5,600 ft. Your lungs feel it right away.


We continue up Big Cienega Trail which flattens out some and a mix of covered sections and exposure




Nearing the top of that section, it opens up to a beautiful clear sky.


Looking back at the same section.


Here's a view from the top of that same section and my token bike pic.



From here, we continue up the Windy Gap Trail, then up the Islip Ridge Trail



This section gets a bit tough as you're way above 6,500 ft


..., but there's sections that aren't so bad as well.



It's nice to take in the views now and then.


Here's Timmy coming up this section. As you can see, the views from here are amazing.



This area was hit hard by the Curve Fire a while back, but is recovering nicely.


Dell giving the ole "thumbs up" on the climb.

 

continued...,

Here's Timmy and Dell at about 7,000 ft




This is the section you return later to descend.


Tight single track on the way up to the Mt Islip.








Tim and Dell admiring the view...,


Here's one of the views they were checking out


continuing up...,







Tight and exposure to Dell's right


This will be fun on the way back down


The last bit was a bit steep, but almost there.

 

Last set...,

The last section was steep in some parts and at above 8,200 ft, you certainly feel it.


Timmy coming to Mt Islip Peak.


I guess this must of been a old ranger lookout station at some point. maybe Steppie or someone else can fill us in on it's history


Group shot at the top


One last look a the view before we head down :bang:






The trail down has some tight switchbacks. This is not one of them.




We had several trees to go over on the way down


Timmy flying down this section


The last bit of single track before the camp grounds. (Lake Trail)


Nice way to finish any ride



We only did about 10.6 miles, but the climbing was significant considering most of it was done in the 1st 4 miles. We gained just under 2,800 ft according to Garmin Connect. It's a beautiful ride and there is a campsite at the trailhead. This would be a great camp and ride as you can do a bigger ride towards Windy Gap on the second day.

It was great to ride with Dell again, been too long and with Timmy one last time before he moved up to Sacramento. We had perfect weather, it was new dirt for all 3 of us, the views were excellent and trail was fun. Can't beat that.

 

Gene, nice RR and great picts!

 

looks amazing, do you have a strava of this ride? love to try it.

 

Yes I do: http://app.strava.com/rides/24107605

Here's the Geoladders Route as well:
http://www.geoladders.com/show_route.php?route=61703

Funny how the elevation is about 100ft difference.

 

Nice write-up! I've done Mt Islip a couple times...but as a hike.
The structure at the top was an old Forestry Service fire-lookout. It was built in the '20s I think. It was moved to S. Hawkins.

 

Thanks for the RR & photos, Gene. Crystal Lake used to be one of my favorite rides before the road closure and fire. It's a shame to see how much damage the fire caused but it's nice to see that it's coming back and you can still ride up there.

We used to park a little below the turnoff for the lake and pick up another singletrack that ended at the campground, ride up to So Mt Hawkins, up a faint trail along the ridgeline towards Mt. Hawkins, drop down to Windy Gap, climb Islip, and then drop back down to the campground and the first singletrack. More than a few times we were turned around by deep snow, including once in June.

What I really want to know is where you picked up those Pliny the Elders?

 

Haha, I have a few places where I can get them. The Whole Foods in El Segundo, Tustin and Laguna Beach has them as well as the Bristol Farms in Manhattan Beach, Westchester near LAX and New Port Beach. They don't always have them, but key thing is I know when they get their deliveries and check that day when I'm in those areas. If you don't live near ether one of these, check with a store near area and ask for it as these are not put out on the self like the other beers.

 

I like. Away from all of the hustle and bustle.

 

That Ride Report was outstanding. Thanks for that Gene!

 

Beautiful shots! Thanks Gene!

 

Glad you boys enjoyed the route, Stjunkie and I have been riding the heck out of that loop and i am glad to see others up there enjoying it. To me it is the best the Gabes has to offer after the Station Fire.

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2

 

Rad ride report Gene! Thanks for sharing! I may just have to learn how to pedal my bike up a hill like that.... LOL

 

Great to see a Gabes RR again. Really looking forward to some dirt after all this road training. Thanks for the great pics.

 

Good, good times, guys. Having heard Steppie's ringing endorsement on several occasions, I jumped at the chance to join Timmy and Gene on this ride. And a fantastic one it turned out to be, too. I was warned against taking the singlespeed, and thankfully listened to reason. That initial climb up Windy Gap is pretty stout, and I made ample use of all the gears I'd brought. As Gene mentioned, once we turned onto Big Cienega Trail the grade mellowed, the views opened up, and the stoke went through the roof. Some HAB here and there followed, particularly as we neared the summit of Islip, but we knew we'd get it all back on the way down so happily pushed on.

The descent is one of the better ones I've experienced in the Gabes, and could only be improved by a good buckthorn brushing and deadfall removal. Despite that, this whole loop is an absolute hidden gem. I see camping here in my near future, and doing some more exploring on the other trails in the area.

 

Question. Is this a loop or an out n' back?

 

We did it as a loop, which is usually my preference and the way I will do this ride in the future. Our route was Windy Gap to Big Cienega to Islip Ridge. We took the spur up to Mt. Islip's summit, then returned back to and past the intersection of BC and IR, and continued all the way down to Crystal Lake. It's a short (~1/3 mi) paved climb from the end of the trail, then look for a singletrack connector on your right. This will take you to the access road to the campground. Turn left, and you're just a couple hundred yards from the parking area.

 

Running a bit behind on chiming in here...thanks for posting the RR gene!

Such a great ride to cap off a crazy week. Perfect weather, good buds, fresh dirt...and steppie-endorsed dirt at that. Very much that " out there" backcountry feel on this ride, and we all absolutely loved it. I"ll post up some of my pics tonight.

Great time guys" :beer:

 

Next time somebody rides this area post an invite. I'd love to check it out with someone who knows the area!!!