If you are one of those people who like to earn your downhill then you may want to give the Los Pinetos trail a shot. The Los Pinetos Trail is a 2.3 mile long downhill singletrack trail located in the hills of Santa Clarita. It offers fast corners, technical sections and some semi steep downhill sections. But to get to the fun part you will need to put in some work but that makes the downhill fun part that much better when you have to earn it. Just make sure you are not too tired before going down so you can stay in control! |
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Los Pinetos Trail Video
Los Pinetos Trail Review
Like mentioned above it will take some work to get to the start of the downhill fun but it's worth the effort especially since you will get some good exercise while making your way to the top. The fire road climb starts out a little steep but levels off and gets pretty smooth as you go up. If it's hot outside then it will be a bit painful dealing with the heat but if it's done on a cool day then it's pretty smooth sailing.
If you start from the trail on the bottom then that will be a much easier ride taking you to the bottom of the Los Pinetos trail but then you will have to climb the trail itself which may be a little challenging at least at some parts with the hardest part being navigating the hikers on the trail. This can be especially difficult coming down the trail on a nice day on a weekend and make the decent kind of a bummer since this trail can get pretty crowded. It's best to do it on a weekday or super early to get the most fun out of the downhill.
As for the trail itself it's fast and curvy with some technical areas to challenge your skills. There are some natural obstacles that you can jump over giving you an extra thrill on your way down. There are also some nice built in berms that allow you to take the corners with a bit more speed. Much of the trail is shaded keeping you cool and offering some nice scenery. Near the end it gets a little steeper and rockier and makes for some technical fun... if you are into that.
Before you know it the ride will be over and you will be back at the bottom and have to make your way back to the top if you started from there which will involve some road riding. Of if you did the 2 car thing you can park near the bottom of the trail and leave from there. Overall it’s a little work getting to the trail and it's a short trail but still worth doing if you can do it on a day where the hikers are limited otherwise you will be in for some disappointment when you keep having to stop or slow down over and over again.
Los Pinetos Trail Pictures
Directions to the Los Pinetos Trail
View Los Pinetos in a larger map
To get to the Los Pinetos Trail make your way to the 14 Freeway towards Santa Clarita. If you plan on doing it as a loop you would take the Newhall Ave. exit and head west over to the park and ride parking lot. If there is no room there then you can park in the actual park parking lot and pay the $5 fee for day parking. If you plan on parking a car at the bottom of the trail then take the Placerita Canyon Rd. exit west about 3 miles and park there. Then you can take the other car to the parking lot off of Newhall Ave. To start your ride head up the fire road and make sure to stay on the Santa Clara Truck Trail because there are other trails that branch off from the main trail. Many of them reconnect back into the main trail but it will add some extra ride time if you get lost. It's a good idea to bring a map or use the GPS on your smartphone if you have one.
Once on the Santa Clara Truck Trail ride for about 5 miles and you will come to a picnic type area with a restroom building and this is where the trail starts. If you are planning on riding up Los Pinetos from the bottom then there is a parking lot where it comes out on Placerita Canyon Rd. and also a sign so it should be pretty easy to find. Doing it with one car is not much more work than doing a 2 car trip since the ride back to Newhall Ave. from the bottom of Los Pinetos is pretty easy.
