Long ride around Aliso and Woods Canyon

I've heard and read a lot about this popular destination in Orange County. Most riders seems to gather here frequently. I was expecting some sort of local mecca. With that in mind, I headed to that place Saturday morning. I found a parking lot packed with cars with bike racks, so I was expecting the best.

Started along the large bike path and turned right onto Wood Canyon after a few miles. Then found the Coyote Run Trail which is a nice and easy single track, but way too short. At that point I was sure that I had found THE spot for cool riding, I was just looking forward to more climbing and downhill. Back on the main trail, turned right toward where I came from for a few hundred yards and up the 5 Oaks trail, recently maintained by the "Share" mountain bike club. Turned out to be a long painful climb, where I had to push the bike. I knew it was a out-and-back trail but wanted to enjoy the view and the downhill, which was pretty fun. Back again on the main trail, this time heading to the top of the canyon, along that big wide bike path, full of hikers, joggers and mom and pops pushing their 4k$ full suspension bikes on the first little climb. Left on Cholla, cool little ST going smoothly up. Then I'm on the ridge and I have to choose a trail to go down. A rider suggested me Rock-It, the most famous, so here I go, hoping for the best. Good ride down, but a bit disappointing. Could have been better built, should have had a nicer flow, more subtleties. I felt like the trail was trying to go to the bottom as fast as possible, without giving the time to really enjoy it, keeping you busy holding the handlebar hard. What's the rush?

Wasn't totally fulfilled with that idea of climbing along a big wide fire road and then going down as straight as possible so I went up again and decided to go on the other side of the ridge. Up on the same wide trail and then down the other side on Stair Steps trail. That one was a nicer ST, more challenging technically but the type of trail you take the time to do slowly concentrating on your balance, trying not to put the feet on the ground. Crossed the big Laguna Canyon Road and then up another fire road (Willow Canyon Road), nice climb, nice scenery. Left at the pass on Boomer Ridge Road until I reached Old Emerald Trail, another real single track. Nice downhill, nice narrow trail running through the bush. Then back up to the pass to catch up the Boomer Ridge Trail but in the other direction this time. After a few miles, finally found the two smoothest ST of the day: The Missing Link and Fence Line Trails. Both very easy, but perfect to reconnect with what cross country is really about: pushing the pedals and negotiating rocks and turns.

From the end of Fence Line, I finally found RattleSnake a long ST a bit disappointing because going too fast down to the bottom of the valley. Another trail of muddled horse footprints dried by the sun that seems to only aims at shaking your bones without even letting you using any of your skills. I hate that type of ST. And after 300 feet of vertical downhill, I reached another fire road for another 500 feets of downhill. My mother would have love that... At that point I was kind of bored so I decided to head back, which means climbing three canyons on fire roads, and going down the other side on three others I-will-shake-your-bones-without-giving-you-fun ST: Old Emerald Falls Trail, Laguna Ridge Trail and Mathis Canyon Trail. Back into Aliso Wood Canyons Park, I found a little flat ST: Dripping Cave Trail to make me happier before heading back home.

Maybe I had too much expectations for that place, but it didn't turn out to be that cool. It's definitely not the place where I'll find the perfect single track, although some portions were good, it was overall disappointing. It was a good long day, the number of climb was perfect for pushing my muscle after a winter of inactivity.