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El Corte de Madera
64 reviews
4.61 of 5
Everything from very Technical Singletrack to mellow Fireroads. Lots of different loops, routes available. Nice redwood forest area with a big creek at the bottom. Excellent variety of trails from woodsy singletrack to fast fireroads to rocky sandstone. Stays fairly cool thanks to tree coverage and proximity to oceanside winds. Lots of mosquitos in summer. Very muddy in winter.
I-280 or 101 to highway 92 west. At the top of the hill, turn left onto Skyline Blvd (hwy 35). Skyline south for 8 miles to the Skegg's Point parking lot on the left. (Note that you can't legally turn left directly into the parking lot; instead, continue along Skyline and make a U-turn.)
Or coming from the South, take 84 west from 280, then turn right onto 92 north. Follow for about 7 miles, Skegg's Point will be on your right hand side.
Summary: I hate fire road climbs and this place is all about them. Do not get me wrong, I love to climb, but on singletrack. This place would be perfect is all fireroads would become singletrack overnight. Overall, it is a good workout on SS. Resolution has a few hairy spots, but otherwise it is not very technical (may be cause I always do Manzanita up).
Recommended Route: dan51's root -> cm02 -> cm05 -> blue blossom (yammy) -> crosscut -> manzanita -> fir -> resolution -> tafoni -> back to cm02
Other recommended trails in the same area: demo, henry coe (oh yeaHHHHHHHH)
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Summary: Was there last Sunday. Started at 11:30. Drove up from Saratoga and saw there's a major sheriff/CHP crackdown at 35 and 9. Major. Several cop bikes and several vehicles. Cops standing next to the stop signs, waving motorcyclists over. Drove past 35 and 84 to Skeggs Pt.
At gate CM01, I enter and immediately take asphalt road up, entering trail gate and begin on Fir Trail, then Manzanita, then Timberview, then Virginia Mill, then South Leaf, then Leaf. Have to admit, I didn't eat my Wheaties and had to exit at Star Hill Road and then up Swett Road to Hwy 35 and back to the main Skeggs Pt. parking lot.
Most of this is fire roads. Timberview and Virginia Mill has singletrack and Leaf is only singletrack. There are recent truck tire tracks in the mud in some places.
I noticed a couple trails were closed to cyclists due to rainwater runoff (oops). Several fallen trees and a bit of mud. On my way in, a guy warns me of the "major mud". No worries, I still have my fenders on my Santa Cruz. Nearly zero wildlife here today. There are parts of trails where you don't even hear birds. Serious. The silence was at once sought after & stunning. At a couple of stream crossings, I see salamanders in the water.
Somebody left a blue tent behind on the side of Virginia Mill(?). A very new galvanized steel bridge crosses very high over the creek. All of the other briges are wooden and could support horses, but this one is beefy!! A little poison oak on my legs, but none on my arms.
The best trail of all is the singletrack on Leaf Trail. This is a XC trail with slight climbs that hugs the edge of the hill, winding around and over rocks, between trees, and really is a serene part of the Preserve.
Recommended Route: Take the paper map from the trailhead. Or, buy the map from Krebs. I had mine laminated at Kinko's. I wouldn't go in here w/o a map - unless you've been here several times. There are some steep climbs on a few trails that can be muddy w/o traction or dusty w/o traction. Either way, if you're trying to leave and have no more gas in your tank, you don't want to get onto those trails trying to exit.
Normally, I take Tafoni to Resolution to El Corte de Madera, etc.
Last Sunday, I wanted to take the recommended route from the Krebs map. A great workout, it was. My front disc brake made such melodies on the downhill that I committed to a pro mechanic checkup. You will know why some people say this place was made for motorcycles.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Grizzly, Saratoga Gap, Longridge, nearly everything on 35 / Skyline is great. Excellent signage, and very well-maintained.
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Summary: This is where we used to ride motorcycles years ago, and I still have the old map with the original trail names...I think Manzanita is the only one that didn't change. At first I was bitter when more and more riders discovered this place, and all our secret trails got found. But now I must admit it's just as good as it ever was, and it's still the best local riding. The area looks small on a map, but it's got tons of trails and convoluted terrain...you can practically get lost in here.
Recommended Route: using the original motorcycle trail names, I like Rut Hill, Devil's Staircase, Hippie Trail, Three-Road Trail, and lots more. OK, I know this doesn't help. Just explore...it's all good.
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Summary: Skeggs Point is a fun place to ride in the coastal mountains between the towns of Halfmoon Bay and Woodside. What makes the park special is that a lot of the riding is in a redwood forest.
There are a number of different trails and about five different ways to access the trail system which encompasses 2,000 acres.
The main access point is the Skeggs Point parking lot which is located on the San Francisco Bay side of Skyline Blvd approximately 11 miles south of Hwy. 92.
The parking lot is a viewpoint of the San Francisco Bay/Mid Penninsula area, and is located between gates 1 & 2 of the El Corte de Madera Open Space Preserve.
The trails in the park are pretty much cross country oriented. The most technical trail is probably South Leaf followed by Steam Donkey, Manzanita, Resolution, Blue Blossom and North Leaf.
The easiest trail is Sierra Morena along with El Corte de Madrea, Timberview, Lawrence Creek and Gordon Mill.
If you are looking for a BIG drop in elevation (down to 600') and biggest climb back to the parking lot you can try the Virgina Mill trail.
Recommended Route: It depends on your skill level. Get a map at the trailhead and incorporate as many of your kind of trails into some type of loop.
Other recommended trails in the same area: If you are a skilled rider you can try the Santa Cruz area which is 50 miles south or the Pacifica are which is 30 miles north.
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Recommended Route: A good quick ride: El Corte Madera Creek to Tafoni. You can also hit the Vista Point down Fir, it adds about 15 minutes unless you smoke a blunt at the vista which adds much more time.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Skeggs is the crack.
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