Angeles Crest Hwy Map and Condition

[linp]

http://www.socalsvriders.com/maps/angelescrest.jpg

MS Streets and Trips 2002 map file:
Angelescrest.est (http://www.socalsvriders.com/maps/Angelescrest.est)

Pashnit.com's description of Angeles Crest Highway (http://www.pashnit.com/roads/cal/AngelsCrest.htm)

Current Weather:
<a href="http://www.myaffiliateprogram.com/u/accuwx/wp.asp?id=19232&amp;thisZip=91042" target="new"><img src="http://www.accuweather.com/wxpost/small_byzip/91042/21/wxport.png" border="0" width="48" height="82" alt="WXPort"></a>

[linp]

Angeles Crest Highway (Hwy 2) to Mt. Wilson:
http://www.socalsvriders.com/maps/angelescrest2.jpg

MS Streets and Trips 2002 map file:
Angelescrest2.est (http://www.socalsvriders.com/maps/Angelescrest2.est)

[Natedawgg]

What's that side road there? Mt Lowe Rd. & NF-2N66?

Looks like a reeeeeally twisty little tid bit. Anyone know if it's paved?

Also, if you want less traffic & easier turns, try approaching from Big Tujunga Rd., and then getting off HWY 2 at Angeles Forest Rd. Better surface, less trafic & :hog: :hog: :hog:

Zoom. Zoom.

:D

[dnakase]

Originally posted by Natedawgg
What's that side road there? Mt Lowe Rd. & NF-2N66?

Looks like a reeeeeally twisty little tid bit. Anyone know if it's paved?

Also, if you want less traffic & easier turns, try approaching from Big Tujunga Rd., and then getting off HWY 2 at Angeles Forest Rd. Better surface, less trafic & :hog: :hog: :hog:

Zoom. Zoom.

:D

Don't think it is...

Also the road out to Mt. Wilson is vary tight. So tight infact that I might take the sugestion of doing a loop of Big Tujunga/HWY 2 for Thursday's ride.... I'll have to think about it.

[liammtierney]

theres no way to get to GMR from angeles crest is there? right before wrightwood, there is that dotted line that goes down to mt baldy hwich connects to GMR. whats that dotted line?

[bwarbiany]

Liamm,
I think there are roads up there (39 connects, plus some fire roads)... Unfortunately, I don't think they're paved. I haven't had enough time to explore up 39 to check it out, but the sign always says it's closed to 2...

Brad

[Natedawgg]

Super off-road SV adventure. Bring a lunch, clean underwear, & your health insurance card.

:D

[cyclox]

Originally posted by Natedawgg
What's that side road there? Mt Lowe Rd. & NF-2N66?

Looks like a reeeeeally twisty little tid bit. Anyone know if it's paved?

:D

Nope, it's an unpaved fire road. Great for mountain biking though.

[Slaughter]

Thought I'd start sort-of a road conditions for the Crest thread... we saw so dang many rocks in the road today that I thought it worth mentioning (wind was blowing like SNOT and loosened tons of good sized rocks)

We found the Crest was FULL of freaking BIG-A$$ED ROCKS from Newcomb's all the way to Wrightwood. We just gave up and slowed Waaaayyyy down. Saw 2 cars changing flat tires. Some of these rocks were basketball-sized. Some stretches of road had rocks and gravel covering the whole width of both lanes.

We ran the Crest from Glendale, up and over to Wrightwood. In the course of covering all the routes, we ran Upper Big Tujunga, Angeles forest too. The stretch from UBT to Newcomb's started getting rocky but nowhere nearly as bad as between Newcomb;s and Wrightwood.

I don't expect this to change til the wind dies down and they scrape the roads.

Wrightwood got unofficial notice today to keep their ears on their radios and pay attention to announcements - if the fire in Devore crested the hill, they may have to evacuate (though doesn't look that likely)

Be careful out there!

[doub1etap]

Yea I was up there today and noticed it too. I passed two caltrans trucks with scrapers, so hopefully they'll take care of it fast.

It was nice to climb above the nasty smoke covering LA. Ahh to breathe deeply again.

[Tillers_Rule]

Yea, I really like the Angeles crest, Newcombes has the BOMB breakfast too:D

[Slaughter]

I like Newcombs - food might only be so so but you can't beat the location.

Always a good ride. Get some huevos rancheros and a cup of coffee and eat outside and gawk at all the bikes rolling in and out all day.

[Hafabusa]

How's the Crest?

Thinking of going this weekend up to Newcombs.

Ernie

[stough]

Hey man, don't waste your time on resentment. Especially over merged posts. ;)

As of the middle of last week...

The Crest is in good shape up to the Big Tejunga intersection. Occasional gravel in the 25 mph left hand carousel before Red Box (Mt Wilson turn off). After the Upper Big T intersection, however, there be dragons. Or at least ice and gravel covering most of the road surface.

Angeles Forest/Big T is great with little sand from Oro Vista all the way to Upper Big T (and prolly all the way to Lancaster). Upper Big T is also clear all the way up to Short Cut Fire Station. From the station up to the Crest there is occasional gravel and ice. I took it at 35 with much nail biting.

Oh Yeah, and Angeles Forest is clear and dry from the Big T intersection up to the Crest.

I highly recommend week days around lunch time. No cops and less ice.

Later,
Tim.

[DOC]

Yeah, my favorite time also. Any weekday in the middle of the afternoon. Sometimes I'll work all weelend so that I can take days off in the middle of the week to go riding, it's the best time.
DoC

[dnakase]

So I needed some ginger at the market...

But I had to ride to Newcomb's for coffee first...

[dnakase]

... basicly for no good reason other than IT FINALLY STOPED RAINING!

It was cold...

[dnakase]

...and wet

[dnakase]

....But only after Angeles Forest Hwy and only in the apexes :eek:

[cracked lid]

Reader's Digest magazine has named Angeles Crest the "Best Drive" in the country.

[dnakase]

Good. Now if they'd only repave it.

[etk]

On May 16th, the road signs indicated that Angeles Crest was not open all the way between La Canada/Flintridge & Wrightwood. Does anyone know why, & when it will finally be open all the way?

[NukleoN]

Rode it today and it's open and clear to Upper Big T...don't know how it is past the Palmdale offshoot tho. There is some contruction happening at the bottom.

[zzzwillzzz]

Originally posted by etk
On May 16th, the road signs indicated that Angeles Crest was not open all the way between La Canada/Flintridge & Wrightwood. Does anyone know why, & when it will finally be open all the way? it won't open 'til memorial day weekend. why? because they don't feel like maintaining the road from all the falling rocks, so they just keep it closed 'til summer. that's what i heard anyways...

[gregbenner]

from Newcomb's ranch to Wrightwood. As those of you who ride Angeles Forest and Angeles Crest, arguably the best section is the 33 miles from Newcomb's Ranch north/east to Wrightwood. Every year, this section is close in November to sometime in the spring (actually July 4 last year). The road reaches a high point of 7,901' at Dawson's Saddle:eek:

It is in very good condition, they put new oil on it last week before opening it. ZZZwill and i rode it Saturday morn, and i rode it again in the afternoon. :D :cool:

I'll be at Pahrump this coming weekend (Cal Sportbikes) but maybe we can organize a ride the week after or so.

greg

[motodude]

Originally posted by gregbenner
from Newcomb's ranch to Wrightwood. As those of you who ride Angeles Forest and Angeles Crest, arguably the best section is the 33 miles from Newcomb's Ranch north/east to Wrightwood.


Whoa...you mean that nasty, washboard-like section of the Crest has finally been repaved??? Or was it just one of those 'surface-seal slurry' jobs, that leave all the bumps intact??

[gregbenner]

Originally posted by motodude
Whoa...you mean that nasty, washboard-like section of the Crest has finally been repaved??? Or was it just one of those 'surface-seal slurry' jobs, that leave all the bumps intact??


Not sure, my bike must have different suspension than yours, I don't really remember any "nasty, washboard-like section".

Maybe if you go fast, you "plane" up over the bumps:D

[sixxer]

Road today 6/28.

Scattered small rocks here and there.

Saw about 2 cops and a little traffic, not much.

Was my first time on the crest, and it was awesome.

I liked it a lot better then palomar.

[gregbenner]

Originally posted by sixxer
Road today 6/28.

Was my first time on the crest, and it was awesome.

I liked it a lot better then palomar.

Interesting comment. I rode palomar a couple weeks ago for the 1st time. Went on Friday late morning. Only had time to go up, stop for a coke, down and up the "back side", then down the front. I don't remember seeing any other bikes at all.

I liked it, tighter than the Crest, and much shorter. i realize the riders who frequent it go up and down several times, but it still seemed too short, at leat compared to ACH.

However, since I live 5 miles from the Crest (in LA), and have a cabin in Wrightwood I may be a little biased.:rolleyes:

Going up and back wednesday afternoon, can't wait.:p

[dnakase]

Week day rides are a lot more plesant now that the :squid: s are out in force.

Now that works seems to be picking up maybe I can afford to run to Newcombs for coffee :D

[bling_thing]

The fire is spooking the deer up there. I got this from another site:

Deer Activity @ ACH
(Rider Hits Deer 07/20)

Just wanted to report and give a heads up to all those riding the crest. It seem that there has been a lot of deer activity just 3 miles south of Newcomb's. Make sure to take it easy, yesterday a friend and I just ordered lunch at Nuke's and this guy pulls up on a R1 that has a cracked upper and front fender. He also had some deer hair stuck in parts of the fairing. On the way down we saw it, pretty good size deer. He was lucky that he saved it.

The amazing thing was, he said that a bunch of them crossed the road at once, so he decided to hit the one straight in front of him. He was doing about 80 and scrubbed off enough speed that when he hit the deer he was still able to stay on the bike.

BTW this incident was a 1215pm. Not the normal time you would expect deer activity.

[dnakase]

So he didn't keep it as Road Kill?

What a waste :sad:

[bling_thing]

How do you pack a deer on an R1? Think about it!

[cyclox]

Originally posted by bling_thing
How do you pack a deer on an R1? Think about it!

What, there's no room under the passenger seat?

[bling_thing]

Cyclox!

If you don't want ice cream, how about some venison?

[300]

FYI,

there's a back road of ACH, which is fun, and huge sweepers
allow you to 80~90mph thru them

7 miles south of Newcomb's, which is missing from the map

awesome road, well paved

[bling_thing]

300,

I've seen your avatar on the socalsportbike site! You cruising on the "DARKSIDE" as well now?

300,

You're BUSTED dude, I just went back and checked. You be postwhoring in somebody elses back yard...

Bishop Bling!

[300]

no wonder your avatar seems familiar to me.....


that back road in deed is the DARKSIDE of ACH.....
it seems so abandonned.....
i wouldnt dare to ride that road alone.....

its all earl's fault..... http://www.katanaplanet.com/kp/images/smilies/2fingerlol.gif he took us there.....


just whose backyard i'm postwhoring.....? http://www.katanaplanet.com/kp/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[cyclox]

are you talking about upper big tujunga road?

if so, yeah, there are some fast sweepers on the stretch between ACH (angeles crest highway, not acetylcholine) and angeles forest highway. pavement is much smoother than ACH too.

[soulofadra6o]

let me see if i can find the spot where i laid it :monkey:

[BTLines]

Been searching for news on how the recent fires have affected access to and through ACH. I seem to be getting conflicting stories. Anyone out there heard or seen anything? I was hoping to take Big Pine Hwy (and other connecting roads) from SCV to Arrowhead on Friday, and possibly ACH going back on Sunday.
If part of ACH is down, can Nukes still be reached coming from the North?

Thanks

[LaPiñaLoca]

I was out there two weeks ago and the fire was close to Little Tujunga but nowhere near Angeles Crest Highway. I would guess you are clear on ACH and Newcomb's Ranch. If the "Nuke's" you were talking about is Nukleon's house, you would've been clear approaching it form the north, the only problem would be if you are coming from the south and the fire crossed over Little Tujunga, in which case they might be repairing the road.

aaron

[BTLines]

Thanks, Aaron.

By "Nukes" I was referring to Newcomb's Ranch, which I was hoping to stop by on Sunday.

[LaPiñaLoca]

Ah, well have fun, they just repaved the portion from Newcomb's to Wrightwood, still had the "fresh oil" signs up when I was there, heh.

aaron

[LaPiñaLoca]

Anybody ridden ACH recently? I need to go up to Lancaster early thurs. and am considering take the bike through ACH instead of the car up the 14, bah.

I'm a little concerned about ice and debris . . . .

aaron

[Tom]

ACH closed for the winter in late October. I doubt it'll re-open anytime soon. You can find updates at the dot website...

http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi

[DOC]

Originally posted by ubermensch
ACH closed for the winter in late October. I doubt it'll re-open anytime soon. You can find updates at the dot website...

http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi I went up there on Thanksgiving, wasn't closed. Closed now due to mudslides. Tried to go up in my car the other day. Little T, Big T, ACH all closed .
DOC

[malkey]

Originally posted by ubermensch
ACH closed for the winter in late October. I doubt it'll re-open anytime soon. You can find updates at the dot website...

http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi A bunch of us went up there the weekend before Christmas and it was open. Wouldn't go up there for a while now though... :(

[LaPiñaLoca]

thanks all, I chickened out and took my car. I was rewarded with a 4 hour return trip becuse some asshat decided to merge four lanes of the 5 into one lane for no apparent reason, maybe they were testing out the cones. Never again will I take my car anywhere during normal commuting hours.

aaron

[racinteach]

hey arron due to these storms alot of the roads look fine but are undercut adn ready to collapse..some have even buckled...they may have been checking out the side of the road to make sure the raod was still safe...it 's bad out there rigth now especailly near the mountains...

[svspete]

Maybe they'll repave and git rid of those nasty bumps and tar-snakes.

[illustr8dman]

=P~ One can always dream!!!

[rwalterk]

I went up there today just to check, it's still completely closed just a few miles north of the 210 freeway. :( Last time I was able to ride it was Christmas Day. Oh well.

[DOC]

Originally posted by rwalterk
I went up there today just to check, it's still completely closed just a few miles north of the 210 freeway. :( Last time I was able to ride it was Christmas Day. Oh well.
Yeah, me too. I want to see how much water they have backed up behind the damn in Big T.
DOC

[rwalterk]

Cal Trans site says it's open from the 210 to just past Newcomb's Ranch. Gonna try it Saturday morning. Brrr... :D

[malkey]

Originally posted by rwalterk
Cal Trans site says it's open from the 210 to just past Newcomb's Ranch. Gonna try it Saturday morning. Brrr... :D Can we please get a report on the conditions when you get back?

Thanks :D

[rwalterk]

Just got back from riding to Newcomb's Ranch and back. Holy crap it was cold... :p

Conditions are good until you get past the intersection of Upper Big Tujunga, then there are ice patches in the shady spots all the way up to Nuke's and also a lot of gravel left over from the snow plows. Totally skidded on the first turn with the ice patches because I wasn't expecting it. If you're gonna ride it this weekend, turn around when you reach Upper Big Tujunga, otherwise it's pretty slow going the rest of the way. Saw a bunch o' dudes on R1s/Gixxers when I got there but they all said the same thing - too slick for fun above Upper Big Tujunga. Also it's damn cold up there - dress warmly.

[malkey]

Thanks for the info Ray :D

[sixxer]

any more updates?

[soulofadra6o]

umm i went last weekend....the upper T road that leads straight to newcombs was closed (still) it was still a bit cold...we stopped at newcombs because we didnt wanna go up further..i dont really pay much attention to the road signs because that's like my 3rd time going there...but the road from ACH to the upper T intersection is a bit on the bumpy side..oh look out for families of pinecones on the road!

[jadeblue1]

Due to the road closures/partial closures of some of the best riding roads here in LA county, I’m going out once a week to ride, scout out the remaining damage, and make sure the best eatin’ places are still open. I’ll post pics when available, and list gas stops, snack stops etc.

Angeles Crest HIghway/ Angeles Forest Highway.

What’s the difference? Angeles Forest runs along the bottom of the canyon, Angeles Crest runs along the top of the ridge. Angeles Crest is open to Mt. Wilson, but closed to 9 mile rd. There is a detour that will take you onto the Angeles Forest Highway, then you go right on 9 mile and you end up back on Angeles Crest. This detour is only 8 miles longer than riding the Crest straight, but it does seem a lot longer. It is pretty twisty, and very scenic, though, and you can make a full ride out of just going up to Newcomb’s Ranch & back.

Gas Stations
There’s 2 right off the 210 Fwy, & there’s some in Acton, at the other end of the Angeles Forest Hwy. I strongly recommend to get gas if you even think you’re going to need it before you go up the Crest. I’ve had my gas light come on 3 miles before Newcomb’s, and I managed to get back down, but I coasted the last 4 miles downhill, after the bike stalled out. I’ve also gotten to the top with other riders who had the same thing happen so we had to turn around. Nothing ruins a good ride like running out of gas.

Food
Newcomb’s Ranch, at the top of the Crest, just past Chilao Flats. Full menu, full bar, really good homemade pie. I’m not sure how late they’re open, but for quite a while after dark-we stopped there on the full moon ride last fall. The guys behind the bar are always friendly, and this place has pretty good parking.

Running Springs Cafe is on Angeles Forest Hwy, about 1 mile south of the 9 mile rd turnoff, on the west side of the road. It’s a couple of barn red buildings with a small parking lot. This is a breakfast/lunch type of place, and closes in the afternoon. But they’ve got really great burgers, chili, and homemade pies, and very good prices.


Next week, I’m going to take the backroads from either Big Tujunga or Little tujunga to Bouquet Canyon.

[NukleoN]

Awesome Shandra...I haven't scouted Big T or Little T yet...I figure Doc is the Little T sentry on the site and knows the condition of it. ;) As for Bouquet...I rode it recently but there is some flooding on parts of the road..though it is finally open (thanks for the heads-up Cyclox). Can't wait till it dries up..one of my favorite local rides.

Is Upper Big T open?

[slowpoke]

Excellent writeup!

I could picture all of the roads you were talking about in a mental map.

(for those of you that don't know, 9 Mile is the nickname of Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road - this connects Angeles Forrest with Angeles Crest).

(I think that Little T is closed at Lake View Terrace, but open from Santa Clarita, south to the closure. I haven't actually seen it, though).

[NukleoN]

Cool I was thinking of tooling around on ACH today...just a cruise. I'll let ya know what I see.

Update...if you're headed to ACH via Sunland, warning, there is a stretch of road toward ACH which is about 150 yards of unpaved gravel with a bunch of little rocks....it's rideable, but just be careful....

Otherwise, the roads were nice and clear...didn't go north of the Palmdale turnoff tho. Very few cops too..I guess that's a plus side of riding during the week.

[DOC]

Originally posted by jadeblue1
, really good homemade pie. and homemade pies, and very good prices.


Next week, I’m going to take the backroads from either Big Tujunga or Little tujunga to Bouquet Canyon.
Got a thing about homemade pies, huh? Me too!:p
DOC
PS: Forget about Little T, it's down for a while. Public works department web site says 2007.:mad:

Originally posted by slowpoke


(I think that Little T is closed at Lake View Terrace, but open from Santa Clarita, south to the closure. I haven't actually seen it, though).
Yeah, Little T is closed right at my house. You can actually go about a 1/4 mile past my house but the road closed sign is right across the street from me. The other end of the closure is at Gold Creek road which is just south of the Wildlife Waystation, so you can come down the canyon from the north and turn around and go back again. That's not a bad ride.
DOC

[DOC]

Originally posted by DOC
Got a thing about homemade pies, huh? Me too!:p
DOC
PS: Forget about Little T, it's down for a while. Public works department web site says 2007.:mad:


Yeah, Little T is closed right at my house. You can actually go about a 1/4 mile past my house but the road closed sign is right across the street from me. The other end of the closure is at Gold Creek road which is just south of the Wildlife Waystation, so you can come down the canyon from the north and turn around and go back again. That's not a bad ride.
DOC

Edit: Actually, Gold Creek road is incorrect. That's just the closest road to the closure so they use that as a reference point. The road closes at the polo club and just past that point a drainage pipe that runs under the road has apparently collapsed. You can get through if you want to run the roadblock and walk your bike around the bad area. They uised to have a parking enforcement car there 24/7 to stop people from going through but that isn't occuring any more.

[illustr8dman]

Are you suggesting we break the law?

[DOC]

Originally posted by illustr8dman
Are you suggesting we break the law?
Absolutely!
DOC;)

[sixxer]

anybody know when the wrightwood side(eastern) of the crest will be open?

[slowpoke]

Repaving from the bottom up to AFH. Some sections were still scraped down. The repaved sections are nice and smooth, but sandy today.

And, to no one's surprise, still closed past the tunnels.

[illustr8dman]

Originally posted by slowpoke
Repaving from the bottom up to AFH. Some sections were still scraped down. The repaved sections are nice and smooth, but sandy today.

And, to no one's surprise, still closed past the tunnels.

I'm totally confused about why they're repaving the sections that were fine and ingoreing the pavement that is so rippled you can play it like a record...

Did they get their job duties confused or what!!!!

[Pdiddy]

you guys know when all the repaving will be done? planing to hit up ACH this sunday.

[smokescreen]

There are two seasons up there. Winter... And road work. It'll never be done. the important parts will never even be done right.

[Pdiddy]

haha, nice to know smoke, still like it better than azusa with all those dump trucks running us off the road.

[Darth Lefty]

I've been down AFH and ACH a couple of times now, and there was always, always traffic.

[JV711]

I'll just say that AFH and UBT are "construction-free" as of Sunday afternoon.

[zmann]

Paving-
As of last week, they had finished paving and widening up to the first split (Angeles Forrest Hwy and Angeles Crest Hwy) and cages are driving much faster and it seems like there are more wrecks.

From the split to somewhere near Upper Big T they had paved just the side running down the mtn around the middle of last month and are supposedly doing the other side before the new year. Maybe they've already done it since last week. By "they" I mean Granite Construction who was contracted to do the work.

According to the worker I chatted with, after the new year they are going to continue paving from Upper Big T. for the next ~55 miles. They are using "rubberized asphalt".


Stout-
Haven't seen him up there since his wreck and he didn't show up for a court date last week.

Newcombs-
They have free wifi now for those lucky enough to work by laptop.
Try the nachos!

Weather-
F#$%ing cold

Safety-
The new paving is wider, smoother, and less noisy with car tires- all of which seems to have the cars in particular driving much faster than before. The recent partially complete road work (and the remaining sand and debris) is a little disconcerting when driving up there on the bike (especially at night). There was a wreck on the first day they repaved and perhaps many since. Snooty mentioned that a rider died up there this past Saturday.

[Tillers_Rule]

Cool, thanks for the update!

[Peiell]

Just went up today and the paving is now complete on BOTH sides of the road from the bottom to Upper Big T (9 mile). The only sketchy area was from the Palmdale turnoff to Mt. Wilson. There's still quite a bit of dirt on the road, sometimes in piles, and gravel lines both sides of the road at times. It looks like once they put the painted lines down on that section, they'll also clean up the roads a bit more.

Either way, once the road gets cleared, it's going to be a sweet ass ride, even more so than before. The SV suspension glides over the new asphalt instead of shaking you to the core.

Another word of warning, what zmann said above about people driving faster is probably true. When I was coming down, I saw two cop cruisers positioned a few turns away from one another. This was around 2:30 in the afternoon.

[LowSpdWobble]

Anyone been to the crest lately? I'm thinking about going tomorrow...wanna know of it's clear of debris and pigs beforehand.

[gitarjunky]

Originally posted by LowSpdWobble
Anyone been to the crest lately? I'm thinking about going tomorrow...wanna know of it's clear of debris and pigs beforehand.

You should have come today with everyone! It was a blast.....The roads are super clear for the most part (a little gravel here and there), we only saw one CHP in an SUV and he pulled over and let us pass so.....Road condition/weather wise should be about the same for tomorrow, although I don't know what the cop situation will be like then....good times....

[LowSpdWobble]

hmm, sounds awesome. thanks!

[svjosh]

So I got out of school today and decided to try a new road. I checked socal and Angeles crest looked good. 1st it was very cold and had black ice and snow in parts, 2nd the road was closed. I was coming from San Bernardino to Pasadena on the 2 and the entire road was blocked. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up!

[Darth Lefty]

Originally posted by svjosh
1st it was very cold and had black ice and snow in parts, 2nd the road was closed. I was coming from San Bernardino to Pasadena on the 2 and the entire road was blocked. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up!
Half of ACH has been closed for several years now. It closes in winter; there were landslides during winter 04-05 and they never reopened it, and the road got worse last year. They aren't planning to get back to fixing it til 2008, so God only knows when it will really open. When we do Crest rides we start in La Canada and go to Newcomb's Ranch, about halfway through and the last business before the roadblock. We then usually double back to do Upper Big T and Angeles Forest Highway.

[JV711]

I have mixed feeling about ACH being repaired in 08 - I have relatives in Victorville, it'd be really cool to visit them more often (I live off Big T); but I appreciate ACH being essentially a 30 mile long cul-de-sac.

The commuter traffic from La Canada to Palmdale via AFH is annoying now, similar ACH to Wrightwood commuters would only disturb my occasional mid-week/after-work nirvana.

[Darth Lefty]

But don't you want them to upgrade it to a 10-lane highway with turns that won't slosh your coffee?

[JV711]

road conditions update: there was a small fire Fri that burned 8 acres. Look out for debris and stuff.

View from my bedroom window:

[JV711]

extreme closeup:

[rwalterk]

There was snow on the side of the road yesterday - the upper elevations got a nice little dusting from the storms over the weekend. Coldest ride I've had up to Nuke's in a really long time. Road's fine though.

[SportyV]

If you take Lower Big T up to AFH, watch out for the dirt in the middle of the road a few turns after Vogel Flats.

Otherwise, AFH, Upper Big T, and ACH were clear when I looped it. :)

The weather was quite brisk at 9 a.m. this morning, but I very much enjoyed the fragrance from the honeysuckle growing along the roadside and the clean, crisp air.

[JV711]

The weather was quite brisk at 9 a.m. this morning, but I very much enjoyed the fragrance from the honeysuckle growing along the roadside and the clean, crisp air.

I too rode the Crest today, I did the "2-hour long lunch" ride at 1pm. The scent of the pine trees above 7,000 ft elevation is joyful.

Above Newcombs it's cool at 59', the road is clear UNTIL you get to Snow Crest/Valcrest. After that, it turns into landside country with rocks and more rocks, from tennis ball size on up, all the way to where the sidewalk ends:

[Hitman]

I took a ride up Angeles Crest today, and the road was great nice and clean almost like the swept up just fo me.

[JV711]

On my ACH ride today I stopped at the road closure to remove my helmet and unzip my jacket to get some cool wind on me... and right then an 18 wheeler came from BEHIND the closure so I talked to the driver and asked him if they were planning on opening the road someday soon.

He said they seriously at work building a new bridge over whatever portion washed out years ago... so maybe as soon as THIS AUTUMN we will be able to ride ACH all the way to Wrightwood/Phelan/Victorville.

Has anyone ever ridden San Gabriel Canyon Road (39) north of the Resevoir? It connects ACH to GMR/GRR just past the current closure.

[rwalterk]

I read that the road was supposed to open this fall... sweet.

That stretch of 39 has been closed for decades - it's not going to reopen.

[gotfz1]

From Crystal Lake to ACH it has been closed since '78 or so. A lot of it was one lane, like GRR. Too many rockslides so CalTrans decided they couldn't maintain it.

It's been closed just a few miles past the OHV area for awhile now because of fire and storm damage. I spoke to a ranger a couple months ago and she claimed the campground up there had been repaired and thought CalTrans had finished most work.

[JV711]

OK, hit ACH for my Friday afternoon ride - no news on the gate opening. But I just wanted to remark that it's the third week of September, and I think this is the IDEAL riding season. The sweltering heat of summer has passed, it's a refreshing 69' degrees at Newcombs at 3pm and the road is mostly clear. The roadside chapparel is turning rust/brown/sage to contrast with it's former green of spring and summer.

In a month the Santa Ana winds will be here, and that means wildfires... then there'll be snow in less than 75 days. SO SOAK IT UP. THIS IS THE BEST OF THE CREST.


ps
the zucchini fries at Newcombs - they give you like 4 servings compared to Carl's Jr. I couldn't even finish my basket.

[SportyV]

Regarding the gate opening, I was given Oct. 11th as the "estimated" date when I called the Forest Service.

On Wednesday, when I rode with Derek and a bunch of others, one of my friends also joined us and bumped into a CalTrans guy that he knew. He asked him if he knew anything about when the road would be open. The guy told him the end of October.

So who knows? :dunno:

Just enjoy the parts of the Crest, Lower and Big T, and AFH that we do have available to us! I love riding up there every time I go. :)

[jonkull]

Just curious...does anyone know what road conditions are like on Big T/Angeles Crest after it rains? I'm considering going up there tomorrow but not sure if it'll be wet/slippery.

[live2suck]

Just curious...does anyone know what road conditions are like on Big T/Angeles Crest after it rains? I'm considering going up there tomorrow but not sure if it'll be wet/slippery.

Be careful....SportyV and I tried to go early this morning and the bottom was getting covered in gravel and large rocks already....you might have better luck tomorrow though....the rain and fog were too thick for us to comfortably ride in.

[jonkull]

That's what I figured. I was on my way to Big T when the rain hit today so I turned around. I'll see what happens tomorrow...

[JV711]

Ok, I'm doubtful that ACH will open in 2008. I was poking around CalTrans' website (http://dot.ca.gov), I found their FY2009 budget. There is a mid-tier project ($940K) on our beloved SR2, with a completion date of Q2-09:

Program Dist EA Co. Rte. Prf Beg PM Prf End PM IMMS Acivity Code Project Cost ($1,000's) Qtr (FY) RTL FY
HM1-PM 7 3Y190 LA 2 14.2 R 18.5 A10018 - High ADT/RAC Overlay & B10020 - PCC Crack Sealing $940 2 2009

And a major project ($2.1M) with a completion date of Q1-2009:

cd ea5 co rte pfx bkpm pfx ahpm sys_loc project description total const $ qtr rtl fyr by CTC Funding
07 11973 LA 002 R 025.5 R 029.6 UPGRADE BRIDGE RAILS $2,100,000 1 2009

So in my interpretation, ACH wont be open till next year. Someone prove me wrong please.

[dogcatcher]

Road Condition:

Rode ACH this morning at 9am. Damn, it was COLD. High winds blew me and debris all over the road. Small pebbles all the way up to 8" boulders strewn across the road.

I hope it is cleaned up soon. Be careful up there for a while.

D

[newbe]

Hi Dogcaatcher, How bad the dirt and debris on the ACH??? Any parts that are worse then others???

Alex

[dogcatcher]

I only went up to Newcomb's but the first few miles from the bottom were ok, a little dusty. Then a couple miles south of the ranger station it really got nuts, all the way to the ranch.

[newbe]

AHOY again... Are you saying it was NUTS cause of the dirt or the wind???
I wanted to point it before but the dog in your avater got a cool smile lol..

[dogcatcher]

both debris and wind. One of our riders was blown off the road to the shoulder. He said the wind caught his front end and sent it "skipping" off the road. Luckily he kept it upright.

[newbe]

Thanks i guess we would have to take it nice and easy tonight... Hey just in case you want to come on a full moon ride tonight

[CamiloSan]

oh ya I forgot is was fucking cold during the day. I gotta find time to hook up the heated grips. wind was annoying but not too bad. we should all be leaving a little lean angle in reserve for yellow-line crossers anyway (unless you're on ladybug, in which case..;)).

finally, the gate was still closed to wrightwood on saturday.

[MarkBone]

what kinda (brand/material) Gloves you folks use up there? i went sunday and it was pretty chilly, but especially on me fingers and hands. my gauntlet gloves are of the "racer" type so im figuring thats why but just curious what you guys use.

[SportyV]

In the colder weather, I use two pairs of gloves: Fieldsheer gauntlet type gloves and then a pair of gloves that I normally wear when running in cold weather. Together, they kept my hands nice and toasty when I rode up on ACH last winter in the mornings. :)

[JV711]

I wear cortech scarab gloves, which is a full gauntlet type. Seems to keep my hands OK down to about 33 degrees. I've never ridden for more than two hours so at 33 degress tho.

I hear plastic "glove liners" and "heated grips" are the way to go if you get uncomfortably tingle-y cold hands. If they get so cold they burn, turn ashey or lose all feeling, or make you "sleepy" you need to buy those heated grips ASAP.

[CamiloSan]

If they get so cold they burn, turn ashey or lose all feeling, or make you "sleepy" you need to buy those heated grips ASAP.Bought 'em last year.... now to get around to finally installing the 'em.

[newbe]

Rode there last night.. About 5 miles past NewCombs the road started to get dirty. Some places it was so bad that i might as well be off road. Some places i had to go on the other side of the road and other spots i were off roading. But other wise the road was in great shape.

Alex

[MarkBone]

I wear cortech scarab gloves, which is a full gauntlet type. Seems to keep my hands OK down to about 33 degrees. I've never ridden for more than two hours so at 33 degress tho.

I hear plastic "glove liners" and "heated grips" are the way to go if you get uncomfortably tingle-y cold hands. If they get so cold they burn, turn ashey or lose all feeling, or make you "sleepy" you need to buy those heated grips ASAP.

they dont get that cold, just enough to be annoying. heck i have some military goretex w/polypropylene liners rappeling gloves that may do the trick.

yeah those will do...im not hardcore enough to install heated grips lol

[dogcatcher]

Any update on this dirty road?

[smokescreen]

they are still winterizing the road, so there will be dirty patches where they've not cleaned up after themselves. And this morning officer stout was on the hill. That freaked me out. Thought I was done for sure

[dogcatcher]

What do you mean by "winterizing"? Does that include road salt?

[smokescreen]

no, specifically, they cut back the hill so that slides don't cross, and snow has somewhere to be plowed. No salt that I've seen, I thought that was illegal in California as it works..

[smokescreen]

BTW, have your people got in a husky near the crest lately? Out neighbor lost his (Mya) and he's quite distrought.

[BTLines]

FYI, one of my clients is a trucking company that specializes in oversize loads. They were transporting a huge concrete girder up the Crest yesterday and it buckled and slid off the trailer. Looks like it's blocking traffic both directions and may not be moved anytime today. When I get some specifics about where it is, I'll post an update.

[dogcatcher]

It if is near Big Pines it should be past the current closure. I should still be able to make it to Newcomb's.

Ride still on for 11am

[BTLines]

I just confirmed, it is on the Wrightwood side of the closure.

[dogcatcher]

Not bad condition today. Some dust just north of AFH from the plows clearing the road and some small rocks from intermittent slides north of Newcombs

[apropos]

How's the condition this week? I'm riding up tomorrow morning with my wife.

[dogcatcher]

no idea, you can let us know

[rwalterk]

Rode it today. Conditions are very good, just the usual debris the last 2 miles or so before the closure. One squad car and one moto cop (not Stout).

We were riding a very safe pace a couple of miles from Nuke's, maybe going around 50. The moto cop pulled in behind my bro (who was behind me) and tailed him for 1/4 mile or so. He was tailgating my bro so close it was ridiculous. My bro rides a stock older Ninja 250. I guess he was waiting for us to do something stupid while he was, ummm, doing something stupid. A little unsafe if you ask me. Finally he got bored and pulled over to turn around and look for some squids.

[apropos]

Was a little windy when I went up yesterday morning.

[dogcatcher]

Nice and clean today.