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Art Smith Trail
8 reviews
4.75 of 5
never do it alone, and i highly recommend taking somebady that knows the area well.....scary desert
dry rocky, sandy cacti death...
trail has a voluntary closure from feb. to june so the bighorns can hump in peace.....
From Interstate 10 Take the Monterey(hiway74) Exit south and thru town, after climbing a slight grade you will be at the Trailhead(etched in slaterock) to the right....you can stage a vehicle here, or take the road option for a serious XC ride, or go
up and back(not recommended)For SHUTTLE: Keep going up the hiway74 to pinon Rd. park here and ride down to palm canyon rd and go Right. decend on a well travel fireroad, there one T intersection, go left.....
For Big XCRIDE : Go back down to hiway 111 west, turn
after about 8miles left onto cathedral cyn rd. right onto terrace then follow up to a right on valley vista to the fireroad, hop the gate, and start the climb....
Summary: My riding buddy and I tackled the Art Smith trail this weekend knida by mistake. We ment to ride the Hahns Buena Vista trail. When we got to the picnic area we ran into a couple of locals who told us that the best way back to my truck would be the Art Smith to the 74. The 74 is a high speed down hill into Palm Desert. Our hotel was on Monterey which is the 74 so we planned to go strait to the hotel and pick up my ride later cutting off the 8 mile ride to Dunn rd. By the way the locals we spoke with said they had been riding the trails here for about 14 years and have never seen a Big Horn Sheep, EVER! I told them that they could check out some Big Horn at the Living Desert Zoo!
They got a bunch there!!
I gave this trail 5 of everything because I almost died on it!
The Art Smith is longer than the Hahns so we didn't bring enough water and by mid morning it was pretty hot, I was told by my wife upon our very over due return to the hotel that it was 106 deg. At the end of the trail, but not the end of the ride, we were both out of water (started with 4 liters between us). There is a welcome center at the 74 where the dirt ends. There we found a drinking fountain and a gift shop that had three bottles of warm water at a dollar a piece. drank all three in the a/c and filled the camelbacks at the fountain. rode to the hotel filled both tubs with cold water and taped my last will and testament on the digital camera. What an awesome ride! The guys we met at the top comented on how "they"( insert your favorite eco-terrorist group here) wanted to keep bikers off the trail. Which is evident by the one mile strech of Dunn rd. which is marked by "no trespassing" signs and a bunch of "Please let the sheep hump" signs (note the word "Please" on all the signs).What I thought was odd was the BLM signs on the "privite" land. Check out my gallery for all the signs I take pics of.
Lots of decomposed granit, sandy washes, and very little shade. stickers thorns and other sharp stuff. bring 2 spare tubes and extra water. I had to change a tube on the trail My buddy had a flat the next morning and today I noticed both of my tires are soft.
The ride down is a blast and we plan to do it again, just not soon.
Recommended Route: Interstate 10 to the Monterey exit. Take Monterey south to hwy 111. West on hwy 111 to Cathedral Canyon. Cathedral Canyon south to Terrace. West on Terrace to Vally Vista. On the right hand side of Vally Vista as you are headed south you will see a white gate. climb over the gate and ride the sandy trail to the Dunn rd. sign and a collection of warning signs( all of which start with "please"). Climb the rock barrier and start the climb to the picnic area.
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Review Date December 22, 2003
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Aerobic Difficulty 5 of 5
Technical Difficulty 5 of 5
Ridden Trail: Every few months
Reviewed by: johnwww
,
Cross Country Rider
Summary: Unfortunately Art Smith is now closed from Jan 1st to October 1st. They made it mandatory closure and is enforced by trailhead cameras.
Recommended Route: Out and back starting from Art Smith trailhead. There are some hike-a-bike sections but most are ridable for an experienced rider.
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Review Date December 22, 2003
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Aerobic Difficulty 5 of 5
Technical Difficulty 5 of 5
Ridden Trail: Every few months
Reviewed by: john
,
Cross Country Rider
Summary: Unfortunately Art Smith is now closed from Jan 1st to October 1st. They made it mandatory closure and is enforced by trailhead cameras.
Recommended Route: Out and back starting from Art Smith trailhead. There are some hike-a-bike sections but most are ridable for an experienced rider.
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Review Date November 29, 2002
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Ridden Trail: Ridden Once
Reviewed by: matt
, from orange county
Summary: If you ride around SoCal, this trail is more exhilarating and technical than El Prieto, Gabriellino, anything at Aliso, anything at Santiago Oaks, or Noble Canyon. A must do. Only had an hour and a half of daylight but gave it a shot. Made it almost to the end (about 7 miles) before I had to turn around for daylight, though much was hike-a-bike b/c it was my first time and I was alone and this is one tough trail. One bonus of riding/hiking up was being able to spot lines for the ride back downhill...which was AWESOME. Rock drops, nose-wheelie switchies, exposure, elevation, views of the valley, and everything else you could ask for in backcountry riding. Bummed I didn't see any humping bighorn sheep...
Recommended Route: Rode up and back, probably not recommended to climb up unless you're a trialist.
Other recommended trails in the same area: As far as I know, this is the best ride if you're hanging out in the Palm Springs area.
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Review Date January 27, 2002
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Ridden Trail: Ridden Once
Reviewed by: KvV
, from delaware, OH
Summary: didn't get on it
Other recommended trails in the same area: Just a follow up on "Pauly the Ripper"s review above, I just rode up from town to go for a run on the trail, it being january and all, I thought I'd be ok. The posted signs say the trail is actually closed Jan 1 thru Sep 30. Doesn't leave much riding/running time...
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4.75 of 5
5 of 5
5 of 5
