My Favorite Routes II: Mountain Junction Loop...

Thank goodness for Monday holidays and the extra weekend day for riding. This ride, which I call the Mountain Junction Loop, was one of the first rides I discovered when I moved to Claremont some seven year ago. At that time I would do it several times a week, not just on the weekends, but during the week after work as well; it is short enough and fast enough that it can be ridden well into late September/October in the evenings before it gets too dark.

Using Chaparral Park as a starting point, just like my Quick Ride, posted earlier, you will head up Mills Avenue for 1.5 miles, before turning right onto Mt. Baldy Road. Continue riding steadily upward between the overly large homes, through the light at Padua Avenue (where for the Quick Ride you would turn right). Maybe half a mile past Padua the road will take a noticeable upward pivot. This hill takes you up to the top of San Antonio Dam, will cause anyone to slow, but if you are used to climbing will not cause any undue problems. 

The road turns upward.

Top o' the dam. Frankish Peak in back. Link to mtb ride there, here.

Anyway, once you have reached the top of the dam, the difficult part of this ride is over. The road levels off to a steady and slight uphill grade. In quick succession you will pass junction with the Palmer-Evey road (there are almost always cars parked here belonging to hikers, trail runners, mountain bikers heading up to Potato Mountain), and then the National Forest boundary sign. A short distance more and you reach Mountain Junction. This is where Mountain Avenue comes up from Upland. The road, of course, continues on up the Baldy Village and beyond to the ski lifts, but for this ride we will turn right and head down mountain. At the bottom of a short, sharp decline you will cross a bridge over San Antonio creek, which today had only a little water in it, but can create quite a rumble when it is swollen with snowmelt.

Parking for Palmer-Evey.

Entering the Angeles NF.

Nice gentle grade. Mt. Baldy in the distance.

The hillsides close in.

Mountain views.

Mountain Junction.

Looking back out to the canyon mouth.

A little water under the bridge.

Area behind the dam.

One of many.

Bend right at this intersection.

There are a few small ranches up along this section of Mountain Ave and there can be some heavy equipment from the sand and gravel operations behind the dam, but except for when there is snow up above, traffic is normally quite light. Once you swing away past the dam Mountain bends to the right at an intersection. Follow the sign and you are back in the city, the San Antonio Heights area of Upland to be exact. Continue down Mountain for another mile and a half or so, then turn right on Benson, following it around a couple turns, over the 210 Freeway, and then make a right onto Baseline Road. Take Baseline to Mills, turn left and after approximately 12 miles, and maybe 1500 feet of climbing, you are back where you started. It is a short ride, so if you are looking to get a decent training ride in you will need to do it more than once, or maybe as part of a longer ride along the foothills. Both Mt. Baldy Road and Mountain Avenue are popular routes with local cyclists so you will no doubt see other riders either headed up or down. It can get hot during the summer, but since the ride is so short, the heat is more likely to be an annoying inconvenience than anything. Even though you never really get that high (elevation at the junction is 3000 ft) there are some nice year-round views of the surrounding peaks. Enjoy the ride.

Headed down Mountain, back in the city.

My Favorite Routes I: the Palmer-Evey