Olivenhain resevoir
The Olivenhain Reservoir is not far away, next to the Elfin Forest preserve on Harmony Grove road. There are a bunch of trails around this area, many of them too steep or rocky to bike. But the views are stunning and there’s some decent riding in there if you approach from the right direction.
The climb is no joke regardless of the route. I tried to capture how steep this section is below but I couldn't do it justice. It’s about 1,200ft to the top of the ridge, but getting there includes a bit of wandering so my vertical numbers are greater than the actual elevation.
Its steep
Looking back down the hill, climbing up to the reservoir
At the top there are plenty of trail options, and going down steep and technical trails is at least achievable and sometimes fun. I only know about three routes here so I plan to explore more sometime soon.
I haven’t biked on the far side of the reservoir in the image above. That could be combined with a descent on Del Dios Highland preserve trail, which leads down to Del Dios Road and Lake Hodges to the west.
DISTANCE
17.25 MI
2h 30m
RIDE TIME
ELEVATION
2152 ft
This time I stayed on the west side and came back down to Harmony Grove through Elfin Forest. The rocks and hairpins keep it interesting but they can beat up your arms after a while. Must have good brakes and tires! Eventually it connects to some nice smooth fire roads and pavement. Overall it’s a fun loop with some great views and some serious climbs.