Reviewed by: johnwww ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
This is a stiff climb. You will get numb nuts by the time you finish the climb. You will climb 4000ft over 9 miles. Direction: Drive up 74 4 miles past Pinyon Flats. Look for Santa Rosa mountain road on your left. Park your car at the gate and start climbing on the fireroad. The grade you encounter at the beginning is the grade that it will be for the next 9 miles. Look for a signed singletrack at the 9 miles mark next to a chained fireroad. This is the beginning of the singletrack. It is not too technical but sometimes rocky. Singletrack is about 4 miles than you hit a doubletrack. Turn left on the double track. After some up and down on the double track, you will turn left on this fireroad and is all downhill all the way back to Pinyon Flats. You will have to road ride back to the car. Total mileage is about 22.

Reviewed by: Paul , from The bottom of this trail

Summary:
The Fireroad up the back is 9miles and is called Santa Rosa Spring.....its west on hwy. 74 about 3miles from the sawmill trailhead. shuttle or ride it.as you pass the 1st camp up top, look for a trailhead marker on the left, then hold on....

Recommended Route:
Go around the back to Toro Peak, and come down the singletrack, unless you are into hike-a-bike.....
this will promise to be 1 of the burliest loops in so cal, about 11mioles of climbing and 5miles of some righteous(brutal to some) Downhill.....

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Pinyon Trail- Palm Canyon Trail-Ribbinwood Loop-Ramona Trail-Feel free to email me if you would like to enhance your experience on these trails-ride on!!!

Reviewed by: KHS dude , from Tarzana, CA

Summary:
Rode this trail yesterday, weather was perfect... not too hot and not too cold either. Well, what can I say? The trail starts you off at the part of the mountain where you see a lot of desert cactus, dry vegetation, and dry rocks. As you go up and up though, the whole area changes to more lush vegetation, technical slick rock, and even pine trees! Wow! What a change when you approximately reach the 8000 feet elevation of the Santa Rosa Mountain! Once we reached the first pine tree, we headed back down since it was getting late but next time (oh yes, there will be a next time!) we'll make sure that we reach all the way to the top of the mountain on what my trusty trail book calls El Toro peak!!!

Recommended Route:
All the way up (or up till you see the first pine tree in the mountain) and then all the way down!!!

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Goat Trails (Murray Peak)