United StatesCalifornia Old Ridge Route
Old Ridge Route Bike Climb - PJAMM Cycling

15.3
PDI
24.4 mi
DISTANCE
4,221 ft
GAINED
2.4 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
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INTRO

The Old Ridge Route is a road with a long and storied history. Built in 1915 and Known as "The Grapevine", the road is the original way to get from Los Angeles area into the Central Valley. The road was closed for being too dangerous, having caused many crashes due to its high speeds, tight curves, and steep dropoffs, and in 1933 was replaced by the US 99 interstate, which was replaced by the faster I-5 interstate in the 60s. 

Now the majority of the road is closed to cars, leaving a peaceful and scenic ride for cyclists. 

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Road surface:
Buttery smooth to ok to bad to borderline gravel ride, then back to smooth. Since the road is closed to cars, they don't clear loose gravel/landslide residue very often. 

Traffic:
You'll encounter some cars until the intersection of Templin Hwy (mile 7), but very few after that. Both times we did it, the road was closed to cars at mile 8.7

Parking:
They'll charge you a fee to park at the Castaic Lake park, so we just park in one of these neighborhoods for free.

One of the problems with this climb is it doesn't really go anywhere. It starts in Castaic, which is already a small exit off the 5, the kind with a couple gas stations and a McDonalds. And it goes to... Gorman? (keep riding another 10 miles)  The Tumble Inn? (literal ruins)  The Sandberg Inn? (also ruins)  Three Points? (is this even a real place?) 

We stopped for a soda and water refill at the Lucky Days dive bar in Lake Hughes halfway around our 68 mile loop which we recommend. 

It's also closed to cars for a section, so there's hardly any traffic and no one to help if you get in trouble. Definitely a bring all your own water and food kind of ride.
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
The main attraction in the area is Castaic Lake State Park, one of the most popular non-ocean spots in LA area to go boating. 
Fun fact: the dam is under constant monitoring due to seismic activity from the San Andreas Fault. 

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CLIMB SUMMARY

The Old Ridge Route

We’ve done the Old Ridge Route twice - once in March and once in December. As common in the Southern California mountains, the conditions varied drastically between the two rides - and not surprisingly was hotter in early December. The first time we were cold, muddy, and admittedly turned around because we were uncomfortable and “we can just come back and do it again later”, and the second time we also wanted to turn around (but didn’t) because we were very, very hot and almost ran out of water.

Cold and wet vs hot and dusty - in December!

The road surface varies drastically - it’s perfectly doable on a road bike with 25c tires. The first part of the climb is almost brand new, buttery smooth pavement - then when the road becomes closed to cars at mile 8.7, you slowly begin to wish you were on your gravel bike.

Epic views of the Sespe Condor Sanctuary, one of the only places you can see the American Condor in the wild.

The climb itself is inconsistent and undulating, and besides the first 1,850 foot pull could accurately be described as “rollers” by a fit cyclist.

Needless to say, the views are amazing.

This is a cool historic road. Built in 1915 and known as “The Grapevine”, it’s the original way to get from Los Angeles into the Central Valley. However, it was extremely dangerous. Blind curves, steep gradients, and high speeds (not by our standards today) caused dozens of accidents and fatalities.

The dangerous road was eventually closed in 1933 in favor of the much less curvy US-99 interstate

The Old Ridge Route in 1922

The Golden State Highway (US-99) replaced the ridge route in the 1930s. It was much more truck-friendly, speeding up produce deliveries from the central valley to Los Angeles. In the 60s, US 99 was replaced by I-5 which we all know and love. The old highway is open and rideable today.

It’s a wrap!