Ride Report Skyline Trail

Discussion in 'Ride Reports' started by Jordansrealm, Jun 27, 2013.

  1. Danimal

    Danimal Gary the Cat

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    Your RR made me.....

    Road Skyline today, July 4th, with Herzalot.
    Good purpose built trail. Still very new cut. Give it a season under snow to settle the trail in, and it'll be even better.

    Did quite a bit of skyline, and finished off with Pineknot.
    Nice range of dirt. Some decomposed granite areas, softer dark sticky dirt areas, and looser lightly sandy areas.

    Had a great time, special thanks to hrz for being tour guide, and jordansrealm for making get off my ass a do a day trip.

    As a side note, NO traffic today from OC to BBear. Really, nothing, not on the 91, 215, 10...nada. Really nice to drive without hitting the brakes!
     
  2. Fullerton Mike

    Fullerton Mike I LOVE BIKES!

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    We had the chance to ride it in April and it was great.. we went back last weekend and it was great. I feel the trail is in great shape and real fun to ride... I understand the big bear team will be adding more trails like this over the next few years!!!!
     
  3. me and my bike

    me and my bike New Member

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    So how are we supposed to do skyline having the most amount of fun? Should we take the lift up or can we pedal from the bottom? Left to right or right to left? And how beginner friendly is it?
     
  4. EL Jim

    EL Jim New Member

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    It's not an official trail, very hard to find though. it took me 2-3 years find it, and I live here ! Lot of HAB, can't say I would ride it again.

    1depends on fitness 2. About the same either way, better views west to east. 3. Intermediate
     
  5. Danimal

    Danimal Gary the Cat

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    Lots of up and down, twist and turns. I'm surprised how fatigued my upper body got which tells me I need to get out more.
    Not a newbie or beginner trail. I'd peg it at low-intermediate also.

    Great new trail, going back soon
     
  6. herzalot

    herzalot Well-Known Member

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    I prefer the route I described earlier. Riding up 2N10 and maybe Plantation on the west end. Ride Skyline all the way east, then come back and ride it as far west as you would like. Drop down Pine Knot or keep going. If you ride from the bottom, it'll be about 2400' of total climbing with all the ups and downs of Skyline. You could also get an adventure pass for your car and drive up 2N10 and leave your car somewhere along the way. That will help you cut down on climbing. I know you like to climb Mo, so I assume you are asking with someone else in mind. The trail is low intermediate. You have to know how to make tight turns in loose conditions, and there are a few short rocky climbs that may require one to put a foot down or walk a few steps. No exposure. Delightful trees!

    Thanks Dan - great ride up there. The weather was stunning, and we encountered only two other riders on the trail, plus three lost DHers in full battle gear pushing their bikes. You're right, the traffic at 10 am from OC to BB was non existent. Glad to hear your drive home was equally smooth. We were forced to just stay at the cabin, drink beer and wine and watch fireworks over the lake. Hitting the lifts this morning with the big bike. Wheeeeeee!
     
  7. b5driver

    b5driver New Member

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    Is this pretty easy to figure out where to go? I'm staying up in Arrowhead and was thinking of heading over on Saturday to check it out, but I've never ridden there.
     
  8. Danimal

    Danimal Gary the Cat

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    Yes it is pretty easy.
    It parallels 2N10, so if your on that, you can find it.

    I think your able to take the lift up, and save quite a bit of climbing, but whats the fun in that...:lol:
     
  9. scan

    scan Member

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    just rode skyline today and it is as great as everyone else says. . the weather was great this afternoon and a good amount of shade.I wanted to ride more of it to the west but I ran out of gas.I thought the loop I did was going to be around 11 miles but it turned out to be over 21. I started at town trail up 2n08,up pine knot,skyline to the east and back, then down pineknot, back to snow summit.
     
  10. Pain Freak

    Pain Freak Dead or Alive

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    Skyline would be considered a premier trail most places. I love it but I wouldn't go so far as to call it a classic. Mostly due to the lack of difficulty. But with the beauty and the fun of the trail it will be one that most folks will remember and always enjoy. Off the trail is Trick or Treat which has some great flow and a little more difficult techy terrain to it. I've rode it a couple times now and the last time we came down Plantation which is fun too but more for the folks who aren't looking for more challenging terrain. I'd skip the lifts to get to Skyline as the climb is mild but with the elevation at the start it's a little difficult. Don't let that stop you though as you are soon to the top and from then on, it's mostly short ups and downs. Truly an xc ride and make time for numerous views and breaks as this isn't a trail to rush.
     
  11. hillharman

    hillharman New Member

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    I'd love to get my hands on a good .gpx of the route people recommend for Skyline.
     
  12. YzMxer99

    YzMxer99 New Member

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    9/6/14 and 9/7/14 Ride Report (no GPX needed)

    So the family went to Big Bear this last weekend and Snow Summit wasn't in the schedule #-oI will admit that I was a bit bummed that I wouldn't have the time to play around at Snow Summit, but that went away after riding Jordan's Skyline route.(http://app.strava.com/activities/63128337). If you get the chance, do yourself a favor and go ride this trail.

    Information about the trail network in Big Bear is somewhat difficult to find online, which is a shame because the online presence doesn't speak to how well the trails are marked. Here is a picture of the huge trail map that is posted at most major junctions on the Skyline trail. I was shocked to see they even include a "You are Here" marker. This allowed us to put away the GPS and just ride. For those that want to check out a larger version of the trail map: http://s90.photobucket.com/user/YzMx...tml?sort=3&o=2

    [​IMG]

    Most of the climbing is done on the 2N10 fire road, so the hard work is out of the way by the time you reach the Skyline trail head. As I mentioned before, everything is really well marked. You can see the little brown post to the right of the tree marking the single track trail head. There is also one of the awesome trail maps to the left, which you cannot see in the picture.

    [​IMG]

    Once you enter into the single track, it becomes pure snaking, switchback, and BERMED bliss that goes on for miles with some technical spots and small climbs mixed in to keep it interesting. I was to busy enjoying the trail's flow to take alot of pictures, but you get the point...

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    The views were amazing too. There was always an ongoing conflict between riding hard to play with the trail features and riding mellow to enjoy the scenery.\\:D/

    [​IMG]

    Eventually, Skyline comes to 4-corners type junction between Pine Knot, Seven Oakes, 2N10, and 2N17. This is about the trail's half-way point and there are nice little benches to sit, enjoy a snack, and take in the view. Of course, you will also find a trail map and trail markers at this junction as well. In fact, this is where took the picture of the trail map I posted above.

    [​IMG]


    On the first day, we continued on Jordan's route and kept following Skyline to Plantation. Skyline gets a little more technical from the junction, but still an amazing amount of fun. My only critique of Jordan's Skyline route was that there was a significant amount of fire road descending at the end of the ride. The second day, I dropped into Pine Knot in the hopes of eliminating some of the fire road descending. It did. :) Pine Knot was a downhill, switch back, blast for me that might have been a bit technical for my wife. So depending on your skill level, you might consider taking Pine Knot down.

    The views from Pine Knot are amazing too.

    [​IMG]

    My only complaint about Skyline was that it was a bit dry and dusty, but what trail isn't dry and dusty with the current California drought? As for skill level, the beautiful thing about the Skyline trail is that it runs parallel to the 2N10 fire road. So in the event that you get over your head, you can usually drop out of the trail.

    Oh! Almost forgot to mention. There are little "hidden" features, such as log rides and small rock drops, on the edges of the trail that (I believe) were purposely built into the trail. So keep you eye's open. I was actually leaning on a large log watching a rider and didn't realize it was meant to be ridden until the rider was on top of it.

    Anyways, thanks again for the ride report Jordan and I will be back to that trail!
     
  13. CarlS

    CarlS Member

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    Nice RR. I'm glad other people enjoy that trail as much as I do. It's my favorite within 1.5hr drive time.

    Here is a good 22 mile route to try that is 95% single track from Snow Summt you can extend it by adding cabin 89 and lower pine knot and/or by parking at Aspen Glen.

    http://ridewithgps.com/trips/3418588
     
  14. evdog

    evdog Member

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    Nice, I did that same route a few weeks ago. Except I continued over to Cabin 89 and took that up to the fire road rather than turning right on Mill Cr Rd/2N10. Adds a bit more singletrack and a short but steep hike a bike.
     
  15. redwoods

    redwoods Active Member

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    It is a great trail. It feels more difficult than numbers like elevation gain or distance would suggest, probably due to the elevation (all over 7000'). For people wanting a more moderate ride experience you can park in various places at either end (saves some climbing) or bug out down one of the trails that heads downhill toward town, making a shorter loop if desired.
     
  16. cranky

    cranky Member

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    I really like that trail too. I have ridden west to pine knot a couple of times but never in the opposite direction.

    For my last run at SS on Monday I rode the section from the resort gate just past Westridge all the way east to Fern trail. It flows really nice on that section in that direction for a 5.5 mile ride back to the lifts.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
     

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