My Favorite Routes IV: The Guardians of the Canyon...

I have given this ride the name Guardians of the Canyon because it ascends the two peaks at the mouth of San Antonio Canyon, Frankish Peak to the east, and Potato Mountain on the west. Let me start off by saying that, though I have done each of the sections shown, I have never gobbled up this entire route in one sitting; however I do believe there are people who have ridden this exact route, or close approximations, as one multi-hour ride - it is doable, maybe not easily doable, but doable none-the-less. Starting at the Thompson Creek Trailhead parking lot at the north end of Mills Avenue in Claremont, the loop can be made in either a clockwise of counter-clockwise direction with advantages and disadvantages to each. Following a clockwise route the long paved drag up Mt. Baldy Road must be tackled, and there is no way to substantially shorten the ride should you need to when going this way. Counter-clockwise means you have to tackle the miserably steep and straight paved section at the beginning of Cucamonga Canyon; on the other hand, if you are done-in following the descent of Mt. Baldy Road, you need not suffer through the Palmer - Evey Section, just continue down MB Road back to the start.
Most of these sections have been covered elsewhere by me, so I will give mostly basic descriptions and provide links to where you can get the more complete story.
If you do this ride in a counter-clockwise direction you will leave the parking lot and head east along Mt. Baldy Road. You will zig and zag along a succession of dirt and paved roads, continuing to head east through the city of Upland. Eventually you will reach the intersection of Almond and Skyline and start your climb up into Cucamonga Canyon. From here you can follow this link for a short description and a few photos of a ride into Cucamonga Canyon from 2008. I have been back a couple times since, but no write-up to show. The first part of this climb is paved, and on a mountain bike it quite frankly sucks. However, once you actually turn into Cucamonga Canyon the road turns to dirt, the scenery becomes much more rugged, and the climb becomes much more enjoyable. If you take a moment to stop you can hear waterfalls rumbling far below. At the first junction you come to, swing left and head down into the canyon depths. When you hit bottom you will be tempted to spend the afternoon; it is beautiful, quite and secluded. The creek is wide here with pools beneath tall alders and sycamores. But, you still have a long way to go, so push on.

From the canyon bottom you will cross over the creek and head uphill toward Frankish Peak. The road from here to the Stoddard Peak trail (a couple miles beyond Frankish Peak) varies widely in its condition. Part of the time you will cruise along enjoying the mountain and canyon scenery; other times you will dismount and hike-a-bike over and around rock slides and washouts. This road is unmaintained through here, so be prepared for the worst. After a bit you will reach a crossroads I call three corners; it is simply a junction of three trails. If you are energetic and have the time take the left trail up to Frankish Peak. You have to push through a thorn thicket at first, but then the road up, opens up, and becomes quite reasonable. Nice views from the summit. Retrace your tire tracks to three corners and then continue climbing.

You are now on the Barrett - Stoddard Road and the varied conditions continue and the scenery becomes ever more dramatic as you ascend. After a couple miles of effort you will reach a plateau below Stoddard Peak, and the high point on the route. Heading down from there the route follows along single and double track trails and then turns to a wider dirt road. There are a few stream crossings and you pass through the little hamlet of Barrett Canyon. Be sure to look for the storybook house, it is incredible. Another handful of minutes you will finish this section of the route and hit the pavement again, Mt. Baldy Road this time, and all downhill. A link to a snowy winter ride along the Barrett - Stoddard is here. And another with less snow here.

As you head down Mt. Baldy Road you will pass the Mountain Avenue junction. Continue on toward Claremont (and if you are too tired for the last bit of dirt keep going until you reach the parking lot where you started. If, on the other hand you still have energy, look for the trailhead of the Palmer - Evey Road. This starts off quite steep, and continues so until reaching a saddle at the turn-off to Potato Mountain. If you have excess energy you can make this ascent to bag both of the Guardians. The climb is relatively short, but after the distance you have already ridden, the steepness may have you walking much of the way. A little bit of a Potato link is here. After climbing Potato return to the saddle and then follow the Palmer - Evey down to the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park, descend through Cobal Canyon and arrive back at the start point. See the Palmer - Evey link below for this final section of the route.

My Favorite Routes I: the Palmer - Evey
My Favorite Routes II: Mountain Junction Loop
My Favorite Routes III: Highway 39, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4