In this trail review we will cover several trails all within the same general area. All of the trails area accessible from the same fire road so it's easy to do them all in one day assuming you don't mind riding up the fire road a few times to cover them all. Castaic is located just north of Santa Clarita off the 5 Freeway. Castaic has its own lake named... you guessed it Castaic Lake and is popular for camping and other outdoor activities. There is also an area nearby that has mountain bike races with different classes that anyone can enter. |
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The trails are mainly singletrack downhill runs but are not very steep for the most part. There are a couple areas where you may have to get on the brakes but other than that you can just let er rip and enjoy the ride. You won't encounter anything too technical except for some ruts and a few rocks here and there. On Kona there are a few small jumps you can hit if you see them in time before passing them up.
G-Out is on the other side of the hill and offers a different kind of ride. You start out like the other trails but then get to some up and down sections where you have to be on your game when it comes to being in the right gear. Plus lots of the trial is at an angle forcing you to stay on your toes more than you normally would. G-Out also takes you out at a different area than the others so it's a good one to do last and then ride back to the car.
Kona Trail Video
G-Out Trail Video
Castaic Trails Review
These trails make for a complete day of riding because you get your uphill ride on the fire road and then your downhill reward on the various trails. The climb is not too long depending on where you start and is about 4 or 5 miles. It's not super steep but having to do it more than once may not be your idea of fun. But you do get a nice break going down before having to do it again.
Out of all the trails Kona offers the most excitement in the way of speed and some small jumps you can hit if you notice them in time. Creek Bed and Karl's are a little slower but are the same type of trail overall. Burn Victim starts from the top and ends up at the bottom of Kona\start of Creek Bed but is not nearly as fun as the others when it comes to speed. If you want to do Burn Victim you can do that by itself and then head back to the fire road, ride up and then do the Kona, Creek Bed and Karl's ride down to the bottom.
G-Spot is one of those trails you need to do a few time to really enjoy. The first time you do it you will be thrown off by the strange flow of the trail. If you don't pay attention you will find that you are struggling to get up the humps that are spread throughout the trail. Even though it's mostly downhill it still requires a bit of physical effort to ride plus its longer than the other trails.
Overall these trails in the Castaic area are worth checking out and you should do them at least once to see for yourself. If you live close to that area then we can see them being part of your regular trail rotation since it's not too much effort getting to the top of the hill and it's a good time coming down. The best time to do these trails would be in the winter because it can get very hot in Castaic as in triple digits and you don't want to be riding up that hill in that weather.
Castaic Trails Pictures
Directions to the Castaic Trails
View MTB Trails in Castaic in a larger mapin a larger map
Getting to these trails is pretty easy if you can find your way to the 5 Freeway north of Los Angeles and head towards Castaic. Take the Parker Rd exit toward Castaic and make a right if coming from the south and a left if coming from the north. Then you will turn right onto Ridge Rte Rd and park at the Castaic Sports Complex or better yet at the parking lot next to it where the park is.
From there you can ride through the park to Tapia Canyon Rd and hang a left. Then where Tapia Canyon comes to a T make a right and then make your first right which is still called Tapia Canyon Rd for some reason. Stay on this road and it will eventually turn into a dirt road and you will want to keep to your right when it forks. Stay on this dirt road all the way to the top at the power line towers and the trails split off from there. Check out the map to the right to get an idea of where the trails start. If you want to park closer there is parking alongside the road on Tapia Canyon before the dirt fire road starts. Just be sure to keep it down while riding on the first part of the fire road since there are homes there and they have the right to shut down the road to bikes if it gets to be a hassle for them.