| If you like riding up or down switchbacks then you need to check out the Space Mountain section of the Los Robles Trail area in Thousand Oaks. Although there are a few other trails you can ride out there, Space Mountain tends to be the most popular because it's the most fun of course. It gets its name from the Space Mountain rollercoaster at Disneyland because it sort of flows the same way on the way down that is as the rollercoaster does. Even though you can ride up through the switchbacks to other trails, many people will ride up and then turn around and ride back down. |
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Space Mountain offers sweeping turns as well as some rather sharp turns with some fairly rocky areas mixed in. If you like bumpy then this is the trail for you. It's also a good one to do if you want something fairly quick where you can do a there and back type of ride. It's about a 3 mile ride up with 900 feet of elevation gain. You can also keep going at the top and ride over to where the Rosewood Trail starts for a fun little downhill ride that's not quite as rocky but not as long either.
Space Mountain Video
Space Mountain Review
Space Mountain is a popular trail as well as a favorite for many local mountain bikers. It offers a good climb for the cardio, fast decent for the downhillers and rocky terrain for those who like to get technical. Some people may find that the rocks take away from the downhill fun because you can't go full blast without making your hands go numb. It's probably not a good idea to go full blast since there are many hikers who use this trail as well.
When you start the ride it's a short period of wide and flat trail and then it's pretty much nonstop uphill until you get to the top. The grade is not too steep so any intermediate rider will not have a problem riding up the whole thing nonstop. The rocks will also give you a challenge on the ride up if you are into that sort of thing.
Once you get to the top you can take a breath and check out the view of Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park before heading back down. Then once you start going down it's pretty much a go as fast as you can handle ride with jarring rocks and sharp turns to slide around. When you get to the bottom you can take the loop trail that you will see off to your left for a bit of extra singletrack fun that will dump you out a little further down Greenmeadow Ave. from the parking area. This last section may even end up being your favorite part. Just keep in mind that when you first start this separate section stay to the right at the Y or you will miss the good part of the trail.
Space Mountain Pictures
Directions to Los Robles\Space Mountain
View Los Robles Trails - Space Mountain in a larger map
There are several ways to get to the Space Mountain trail depending where you start from. The most common place is to take the 101 Freeway and exit on Moorpark Rd. and go west until it ends. You will see a dirt parking lot on the corner of Moorpark Rd. and Greenmeadow Ave. where you can park or you can park on the street.
Next take the wide trail and keep going straight until you get to a small hill that offers 2 ways to get up it. If you take the way on the left then make a right when you get to the top and if you take the way to the right just keep going straight when you get to the top. Then you will go down a short rocky hill and when you get to the bottom hang a left and you will then start your Space Mountain climb. You will know you are at the top when it flattens out just before starting to go down again.
You can also ride up the Rosewood Trail and then hang a left at the top and follow it all the way to the beginning of the Space Mountain decent. Just keep in mind that you will either have to turn around and come back up Space Mountain to get back to Rosewood or ride the street back to Newbury Park where Rosewood starts. This would be a good longer there and back ride because you would get to go down Rosewood on the way back which is really fun.
