I stayed up near Angelus Oaks over Labor Day weekend. This can only mean one thing, another opportunity to ride the Santa Ana River Trail. Since I started in the middle of the day, I decided to peddle up Glass Road and Seven Oaks Road to the trailhead near Hwy 38. From there it's 11 miles of rolling single track down to the elegantly named Middle Control Road. The trail continues another two miles out to Angelus Oaks and descends to Mentone. I'll save those sections for when I have the opportunity to ride with friends (who can provide a shuttle car amongst other things). The 11 miles I did ride was fantastic. This is fast, flowy single track with tight turns,berms and a smattering of stream crossings.. Much of the upper trail cascades along a steep hillside; there are plenty of narrow sections with sufficient drop offs to keep one from day dreaming. Almost the entire trail is completely canopied. A few open sections allow for fantastic views of the valley below.I can't recommend this trail enough. I rode mid-day and didn't see one other rider...for 11 miles! The only people I passed was a family of hikers. Where was everyone? It was Labor Day weekend, Los Angeles was on fire, the entire SoCal basin was blazing with heat and it was perfect in the mountains. It makes one wonder.
