The Millennium Loop Trail is a popular trail used by hikers and mountain bikers and offers some nice singletrack riding, hill climbs, descents and views. There are a few ways to access the Millennium Loop Trail but one of the more popular ways is via the Bark Park Trail at the Calabasas Bark Park dog park. The entire loop including the Bark Park Trail is around 15 miles and takes you through the hills of Calabasas which can be really nice before everything dries up and turns brown in the summer. |
|
|||||||||||
Its recommended to do this ride in a clockwise fashion otherwise you will be riding up more than down and also have to ride up the switchbacks as well which wouldn't be too fun. There are a couple of places where you cross back into civilization over some roads and for the most part you will see either houses or the freeway so you don't feel like you are really out in the wilderness on this ride.
Millennium Loop Trail Video
Millennium Loop Trail Review
This ride offers a decent amount of fun with some of the descents. The best descent is the one on the Bark Park Trail leading back to the parking lot assuming there are not too many people headed up the trail which can get crowded on nice days. There are some other descents along the 15 mile ride that are fun as well.
Even though 15 miles is not a huge distance for a ride, you will feel like you did a ride by the time you are finished. It should take you 2-3 hours to complete the ride depending on your pace and how often you stop. It's pretty easy to follow the trail and not get lost. There is one part when you get to the top of the Anza Calabash Loop Trail where you will run into a paved areas with some trucks parked there and you will have to ride up on the pavement to see the trail continue on the left. Then shortly after when going down the trail you will need to look for the trail to continue off to the right rather than straight otherwise you will be back tracking to get to the next climb.
Many people talk about the steep switchbacks on this trail like they were a highlight of the ride but they are not. The corners on these switchbacks are very sharp making it hard to go down them at a fast pace unless you are good at sliding your back tire around curves. There are other switchbacks you will encounter on the ride which have a much better flow where you can keep your speed up.
As for climbing you will definitely be doing some of that. There will be around 5 times where you will have to do a reasonable climb before getting to go down again. The climbs are not too long or steep but after the third one or so you will be ready for them to be over. If it's a hot summer day then you should either do this really early, later in the evening or not at all since it can get hot in Calabasas making for a difficult and potentially dangerous ride.
Millennium Loop Traill Pictures
Directions to the Bark Park \ Millennium Loop Trail
View the Millenium Loop Trail in a larger map
Like mentioned before, the best way to do the Millennium Loop Trail is to start from the Bark Park which is about a mile from the 101 freeway. To get there take the Las Virgenes Rd exit and head west towards the beach and the Bark Park dog park will be on your left. The entrance may be a little hard to spot if you have never seen it before.
The parking lot is not that big and will be in use by people at the dog park so keep that in mind when going in a large group. The trailhead starts at the far end of the parking lot by the kiosk sign and goes up right from the start. In about a mile the trail will come to a T and this is where you connect to the Millennium loop. We recommend going left to get the most enjoyment out of this ride.
