La Costa Hills / Denk Moutain

La Costa Hills, Mountain Bike Trails, Trails in La Costa / San Elijo No Responses »
Sep 212011

Closest Mountain Biking to Encinitas

If you had to pick one trail in the North Coast area is that is close to the major populations it would be Rancho La Costa. In the center of Rancho La Costa area is Denk Tank Mountain. Denk Tank Mountain is the highest point in Carlsbad. Denk Tank Mountain offers a spectacular panoramic view of much of coastal San Diego. Rancho La Costa Preserve is managed by the Center for Natural Lands Management(CNLN). Through out the year, CNLN and the San Diego Mountain Bike Association have trail building days. These trail building days are a key part of keeping these heavily use trails in good condition for the mountain biker.

View La Costa Hills Moutain Bike Trails in a larger map

Rancho La Costa has three main trails. Visit one of the San Diego Bike shops to get a map of the trails. There are two trails going to the top of the hill on the south side of Denk Mountain (“Switchback” on the west side and “Vista Del Mar” on the East side). Connecting these to trails is Tank Hill / Denning fire road along the ridge of the top of Denk Mountain.

I suggest that you start at the parking area near the crossing of Camino Junipero and Corta Romero and ride east to Sitio Salvia and turn into the gravel road on the east side of the road. From there you can connect to the west switchback trail call “Switchbacks” or “The Old Switchbacks”. A mile up the “Switchbacks” you will come to the Tank Hill fire road. If you are an aggressive down hill full suspension mountain biker you can make a sharp right turn and go down the NASCAR. This is the best steep downhill trail in the entire San Diego Coastal region. You will often see fully armored downhillers on their Trek full suspension mountain bikes bombing down NASCAR.

If you are looking for a longer, less aggressive route I would suggest that you continue east on the Tank Hill / Denning fire road up to the top of Denk Mountain and take a breather and be impressed with the 360 degree view of San Diego.

Once you are rested and have placed a rock on the pile at the vista (This is a ritual that all in the know mountain bikers do), continue east to the Vista Del Mar trail. Eventually you will descend to Corte Romero near where your car is parked.

This mountain bike route will take mountain bikers 45 to 90 minutes. Catch your breath and try the other trails of Rancho La Costa.

For more information about this area contact El Camino Bike Shop, San Diego’s best Bike Shop.

Posted by Dave at 4:10 pm

Man Vs Machine – La Costa Hills / Denk Mountain

Course Map, events, La Costa Hills, W5 Rides 5 Responses »
Jul 112011

Who is Faster up to the top of La Costa Hills / Denk Mountain

Man or Machine?

Denk Mountain Hill Climb

Who is Faster?

The question is who is faster-  the Runner or the Mountain Biker?

The answer is the formation of the event Man Vs Machine, where each is pitted against the other in a timed event up the hill.

History of the concept:
Last year a group of us would meet on Fridays to Mountain Bike up Denk Mountain (Top of Rancho La Costa Conservation Area).  Sometimes we would have runners participate.  It became clear that by choosing different routes it was not clear who would be at the top of the hill first – Man or Machine.

Man Vs Machine is looking to be a simple affair:

  1. Decide if you are a Man/Woman/Hiker or a Machine.
  2. Register for the event on line (Before Aug 27th)
  3. Show up at Cadenza park the morning of the event (6:30am to 7:10am)
  4. Give us your donation of $10 or more for RLCC (Only Cash)
  5. Get your starting time
  6. Go to the starting location (Starting at 7:30am)
  7. Go as fast as you can up the hill

FAQ

When is the Event?
Sunday August 28th.  This will be our  LOW KEY first time event of its kind.  email us at focycling@gmail.com if you have questions

Where is the Event?
Here is a Google Map of the area with:

  • Parking Registration Area
  • Approximate start location
  • Finish location

Where do I register?
We are using Eventbrite for registration. We will not be taking any day of event sign ups. It is too complicated for us to track.  Below is the registration:

What are the rules?
Only two rules.  You must run / hike /ride up legal trails within the Open Space.  You cannot race down the hill.  We need to be safe.

What is the cost?
We are raising money for Center for Natural Lands Management Rancho La Costa Habitat Conservation Area. We are asking for a $10 donation at the time of registration.


Posted by Dave at 7:13 am Tagged with: , , , , ,

Archipelago Ride 2011 Teaser

El Camino Bike Shop, Epic Rides, events, La Costa Hills, Trails in La Costa / San Elijo No Responses »
Apr 222011

Archipelago Ride 2011 Teaser from Harold Preston on Vimeo.

Posted by 29erGuy at 10:30 am Tagged with: , ,

North County SAN DIEGO Turkey Day MTB Ride – 7AM!

29ER, bike routes, Course Map, Epic Rides, La Costa Hills, Trails in La Costa / San Elijo, W5 Rides 1 Response »
Nov 242010

Erik Dekold is looking to start an annual Mountain Bike Ride in San Elijo.  Here is his email:

Subject: North County Turkey Day MTB Ride – 7AM!
Looking to get out for an early morning MTB ride before eating waaaay too much? A few buddies and I want to get a North County tradition started, modeled after the Turkey Day ride up in the Bay Area which draws nearly 400 people – all riding to the top of a peak with tons of food and drink. More info on that one here:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=574879

We’re going to meet at the fountain in the town square of San Elijo Hills, departing at 7AM, so be there a little early. We’ll ride to the top of Frank’s Peak, which has an incredible 360 degree view of the North County. Although it’s too late notice to bring food this year, feel free to bring a couple of your favorite beers or whatnot to consume once we reach the top. Expect to be done and back to the cars by around 9-9:30.

Please spread the word to anyone not on this list. Hope to see you out there!

Kurt G. – 408 316 2504 cell

Here are the locations:

View North County San Diego Turkey Day Locations in a larger map

Posted by Dave at 1:48 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,

What a Ride – The Archipelago

29erGuy, El Camino Bike Shop, La Costa Hills No Responses »
Apr 192010
Posted by 29ER Guy’s Admin

Every now and then the right mix of people, places and circumstances come together to form the perfect event. This past Saturday morning in Southern California there was just such an event.

The archipelago ride as it was called was in its second year. Created by a mountain biker and local legend it was designed to be a ride that would bring about awareness of the local recreation areas we have and to imagine how wonderful it would be if they were all connected together. Commemorative t-shirts were made showing the ride route on a map with each area strung together like a chain of islands.

This year over 100 riders showed up for what was sure to be an all day epic. It was being billed as a 50-mile ride that would include trails from 9 local recreation areas. Was it a ride? A race? Was it just a great excuse to ride a mountain bike all day with your friends? It turned out to be all of those and more.

Riders were treated to all sorts of challenges from monster switch back climbs to rocky stream crossings. Along the way the event coordinator would show up at key spots to direct traffic and make sure everyone stayed on track. He also entertained the riders by wearing outfits befitting of the “Hawaiian Island” theme of the ride. The ride ended with a BBQ complete with plenty of beer and food. In the end I felt as though I had been a part of something memorable. What the future holds for this ride is anyone’s guess. Some say it could become an official race, some hope that it remains under-ground true to its roots. One thing for sure is this event has the heart and soul to become one of Southern California’s premier mountain bike events. – 29ER Guy

More Pictures here. Email me if you have pictures from the ride.

Posted by 29erGuy at 8:45 am Tagged with: , , ,
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