Noble Canyon: What a Day!

Bike, Beer, and Youthful Angst

Ten years ago, a couple months after moving to San Diego, friends flew in for a week of riding trails in San Diego and Kernville. One of the outings involved parking in Pine Valley at the Noble Canyon trailhead and climbing up Pine Creek Road to the Lagunas, making a loop of sort around the meadows and then back around and down Noble. I hadn’t climbed up Pine Creek Road that far since then, until yesterday. Over the past 10 years, a Noble ride always meant going all the way up and back and then up some more to Champagne Pass. From Champagne, I go down and over to connect into Noble. Shuttle? Never done it!

Under a beautiful blue bird sky and temps in the low 70s, with a gentle breeze, I grunted my way up what Google Maps says is 5.8 miles of what is road/broken road/dirt from the trailhead in Pine Valley to the cut-in to Noble Canyon National Recreation Trail on the right, attaining some 1700 feet of elevation gain. I loved every second of the climb, the just-under-an hour long turning of pedals, with steep grades that raise the heartrate and labors the breathing, it provided a sense of calm and clarity.