Skegg's Point/El Corte de
Madera is too big to ride the entire trail network in one day, but
how about a perimeter ride... so that's what Brian, Bruno & I set
out to do! I've outlined the route with red, and if you click
on the map image, it will bring up a .pdf version that will print
very nicely. Coming along for the rider were-
Bruno on his LeMond Poprad Cyclocross machine,
using a combination of muscle (only two chainrings, neither one
really small) and finesse (skinny 700c Cyclocross tires don't have
a whole lot of traction) to thread his way through-
Brian on his ancient TREK non-suspended
mountain bike, affectionately called "Old Bike" (as opposed to his
5200, which is called "New Bike)-
And Mike (me) on an early 90s TREK 9800 carbon
mountain bike, front suspension only (and barely that, as the fork
has seen better days, er years).
10:00 That's Bruno
heading up South Leaf Trail, which starts at the end of Methuselah.
10:16 Brian rounding a
corner on South Leaf.
10:38 On
the left, Bruno exits South Leaf and starts Virginia Mill Trail.
Virginia Mill starts innocently enough, but soon gets quite narrow,
and is the only trail in the park where you're almost guaranteed a
case of poison oak, as there just isn't enough traffic in this part
of the park to keep any growth away from the trail.
The high point (which is ironic, since it's probably the lowest
elevation in the park) comes at the creek crossing which,
fortunately, is the type that you wouldn't even think of trying to
ride across.
And here
you can see why you can't ride across it! There are times when
a lightweight Cyclocross bike comes in handy at Skeggs, but many
more times when you're amazed that someone can ride something with
such skinny tires and no suspension. We expect great things
from Bruno during this coming season's Cyclocross races!
Exiting Springboard Trail and contemplating Steam Donkey, coming up.
Did we say up? Way, way, WAY up!
The name should have given it away... Steam Donkeys were devices
used for logging back in the late 1800s. Basically you had a
big steam engine at the top of a steep hill, and attached long
chains from it to haul logs up. This was done in areas where
the terrain was too steep for roads. Unfortunately, nobody's
gotten the word out that there might be terrain that's too steep for
trails!
Things to keep
in mind when riding at Skeggs/El Corte de Madera-
There's no water to drink except
what you bring in. The only creeks you'll come across are
very small and have already travelled a good distance through
areas that are ripe for things that would make you ill. I
highly recommend something like a Camelbak, as even two full water
bottles might not be enough, especially because
Getting lost is a real
possibility. The only maps available are at the trailheads
on Skyline Blvd, and the signage is not great. There's
nothing on any of the trail signs, for example, to tell you which
way is "out". Fortunately, we only took one wrong turn, a
short .6 mile detour (.3 miles in each direction, one of which was
most definitely up.
Your map is the only way to figure out where you are and, if you
put it unprotected into a back pocket, it might become too
tattered and torn to be useful before the end of the ride!
I'd suggest bringing along a small plastic baggie to put the map
in.
These are multi-use trails, so
you'll run across hikers now and then, and possibly (although very
rarely) horses. Because the park is so large, it can absorb
a huge number of mountain bikers without seeming crowded, so
there's a tendency to forget that you might suddenly come across a
fellow mountain biker in the other direction! Please ride
accordingly and keep your speeds reasonable (besides, if you
don't, you risk getting an expensive ticket from one of the park
rangers, who do actually ride mountain bikes themselves out on the
trails!).
You start in the clouds and
descend into hell... sometimes repeating the process several
times. But no matter what, you're going to have to climb
your way back out to get to your car, which means you can't just
cut your ride short if you're tired and have an easy ride out.
No way, no how. So make sure you've got plenty of time, and
bring along more food & water than you think you might need.
Who knows, others in your group might, if you don't!
Trails vary from relatively easy
to very technical, and if you plan to get deep into the park,
you're going to encounter both. What's nice is that the
really technical trails don't go on forever; they connect at
either end with trails that are considerably easier to handle your
bike on. So when the going gets tough, just hang in there
for a while, and things will get better!
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