- Ride Details
- Distance: 52 miles
- Summit Elevation: 5694′
- Total Ascent: 6090′
- Time: 4-6 hours
- Difficulty: Advanced
- Cue Sheet: Download
The San Gabriel Mountains in the area north of Orange County have two long routes that any serious rider has tackled. They start out on opposite sides of the San Gabriel River valley. Baldy Village and Baldy Lifts start on the east side of the valley and have some views of the river and dams as you start up Glendora Mountain Road, but Highway 39 to Crystal Lake Cafe is where you’ll find the best views of the river and the lakes formed by the dams.
Most riders start at Encanto Park in Duarte. The park has bathrooms, playgrounds, fields and other facilities. It’s a busy place on weekend mornings as riders gear up for various rides.
As you enter the park, you’ll see the Puente Largo Bridge. You’ll start your ride by crossing that bridge and turning left onto the San Gabriel River Trail. Ride the river trail about 2.5 miles and then you’ll leave the trail for CA 39 just before you start to climb.
A few miles up you’ll pass the Morris Dam. There are some great places to get a photo at the top of the Morris Reservoir.
After the Morris Reservoir, you’ll reach the San Gabriel Dam. Start to watch on your right after the dam (at the eight mile mark of the ride) for the pair of bald eagles that nest near the road. They are a bit tricky to find if you don’t know where to look, but if they are nesting, you’ll generally see photographers who can not only point out the birds, but tell you what they have been doing for the last few hours.
About 11.5 miles from the start, you’ll reach the bridge at the junction of East Fork Road. It’s a great place to stop for photos. The good news is that you are nearly halfway to the cafe. The bad news is that you’ve done less than a quarter of the climbing.
The last 14 miles of the ride are the longest sustained climb in this part of San Gabriel Mountains. Put on your headphones and pick some good music for the 4,000 feet of climbing before you reach the Crystal Lake Cafe.
About 23.5 miles into the ride, you’ll turn off of Hwy 39 onto Crystal Lake Road. You’ll see signs for the cafe, the lake and campgrounds. The lake and the general area used to be a hot spot for the LA crowd in the early twentieth century, but there isn’t much to see there now.
When you reach the cafe, you’ll probably see motorcycles and other bicycles. The cafe is closed on Tuesdays so that’s a day to avoid. They have a little of everything inside the store and the owner and his family are awesome. I’ve forgotten my wallet and he let me fill up and pay on the next ride. Make sure you spend a few dollars while you are there. If you are lucky, he’ll have made brownies. If you see their cat, make sure you say hello.
As always, be careful on the descent. There are long straightaways at eight percent where you can pick up at lot of speed. Be aware of road conditions on the way up so you can be prepared on the way down. When you reach the bridge at East Fork again, expect some headwinds (hot in the summer)for the last eight miles before you return to the river trail that will take you back to Encanto Park.