Idyllwild's Hub Trails

The Best XC Trail System in Southern California

After sleuthing online and studying old maps, I made my way to Idyllwild to finally find/ride all the good stuff of legend. Two days there convinced me that the legend is true and that the best cross-country mountain biking trails in southern California are in Idyllwild. I even found one of the DH lines and hit 2 of the jumps!

If you like to pedal tight singletrack across terrain that is oak forest and pines and desert chaparral, all interchanging around seemingly every other corner, Idyllwild is all of that and so much more: trails that roll over and between boulders; deep dark forest paths that drip Tolkien; mile-high meadows that blow in the wind; and one particular ridge trail that winds its way into pure mountain biking happiness. I could not believe what I had “found.” While riding, I thought: why has it taken me so long to ride these trails?

Here’s why, perhaps. You will not find them on Trail Forks or MTBProject. There might be a Strava line or two, but they don’t really provide insight into accessing the trails. You can find an old map online. No maps of the trails are currently for sale anywhere. When you get there, there are no trail signs. You have to be able to actually read a map and understand how to translate that into reading the landscape. A phone won’t help you much. Nothing on the land tells you what trail you are on.

Zero. Zilch. Nada.

Perfect! Twenty-five-plus years ago I started mountain biking at a place called Michaux State Forest in Pennsylvania, not far from where I grew up. It was the same as Idyllwild — locals build trails and you figure it all out by going out and exploring. At both places, forest/dirt/gravel roads are transit ways between/to the singletrack. How do you find the trails? You do so by feeling your way around the terrain.

See that boulder? I bet a trail goes in there.

See that old gate? Surely a trail is beyond it.

See that wash out? I’m going to check it out. There could be a trail that goes off from it.

And so on and so forth.

Pack a lot of water. Throw is some extra food. Go. You’ll climb. You’ll descend. You’ll roll up and down and smile for many a mile.

No, I’m not giving any tips on this one. No “How-to” of any kind is coming from me. The Idyllwild locals have a gem. The last thing I’d want is for the trails to become crowded. No apologies, either! Respect the history. Don’t know what the Hub is about? Ask around or do some research.

There is a spirit to this kind of riding experience, one that I’ve been missing. I love nothing more when mountain biking than being out there and seeing a path lead off to somewhere else and there’s no sign of any kind to tell me where I am on a map. Wandering into the unknown and simply taking it all in along the way is, well … here you go: soulifying.

Thoughts: if you know where to go, or if you figure it out, be mindful of the local riders. This is their playground and they have an unspoken agreement of sort with the local land managers. Be low profile. For example, there’s no need to turn your post-ride parking area hang out session into a party. Don’t mess with the trails. No need for you to “make them better” while you’re visiting. DO NOT share your ride lines on social media.

so does mountain biking

When you’re done riding, go to Idyllwild Brewing Company for some grub and cheer. The setting is beautiful, with all the trees around you while out on the patio/deck area. This time around, the current session IPA was quite tasty. They now have 6-packs of their flagship IPA and they fill growlers and crowlers.

While in Idyllwild, take a hike. Suicide Rock and Devil’s Slide are both spectacular. On this trip, I hiked Devil’s Slide one morning, had lunch, and then went and rode/found more trails later in the afternoon. Spring in Idyllwild is great. Also, go in winter sometime; there’s really good snowshoeing. Nomad Ventures has snowshoe rentals for 5 bucks/24 hours.

In closing, Idyllwild provided me the realization that good ole’ mountain biking like days of yesteryear still exist. Call me nostalgic, or say I’m getting old and grumpy. I get it. I don’t care. I know I’m right (!) when saying that this kind of mountain biking is better than your perfectly graded flow trail with “sign, sign, everywhere a sign, blockin’ out the scenery …” and telling you that you’re on the trail that is Insta-famous and now makes you cooler than cool for riding it!

Idyllwild, California