My Biking Excursion Through Mount Zion

Perusing through the maps at my local bike shop (Incycle), I came across a selection of trails in the San Gabriel Mountains. Oddly, these trails are only twenty minutes from my old house, yet I had never sought the variety of biking opportunities the S.G. mountains hold, generally preferring the trails in Orange County. Feeling adventurous and armed with $5.00 (the cost for parking via "Forest Adventure Pass"), I chose and set upon Upper Winter Creek Trail, through Mt. Zion.

This trail is located about six winding miles up the mountain from Santa Anita Ave., off the 210 Fwy. The starting point for this ride, as well as several others, is Chantry Flats, which is the only flat ground in the area. The Flats are just a small asphalt parking lot next to a forest ranger's outpost. Upper Winter Creek Trail is mapped out at 9 miles round trip and rated by the directory as Moderate to Strenuous riding.

I rode my Diamondback on this trail and between rests and crashes, got back to my truck in a little over four hours. The trail was lushly beautiful and I rode through "Hoegee's Loop", up and down the mountain. However, about a quarter mile into my ride, I got lost as I could not differentiate the various trails due to lack of signs. The path I chose turned out to be a hiker's trail. It was only about two feet wide, climbing over boulders and across small waterfalls. For hours I rode up and up, assuming 50% uphill ride equals 50% downhill ride but when I reached the top, the downhill portion seemed even more treacherous!

Numerous blind corners, roots, streams, and slabs of outcropping rock assaulted me, yet I persevered. I conquered Mt. Zion! Of course, once you reach the end of the ride, exhausted, you must ride about another half a mile back up a seeming 120-degree sloped fire road to reach the parking lot which by then pretty much finishes you off. Overall I declare it as gorgeous scenery, great times and a solid sense of satisfaction.