This is the most popular off-road-biking destination in the county for a reason. "There are miles and miles of tracks to get up and around on," says Banning Fiber-Ostrow, the owner of Banning's Bikes in Fullerton. "You can do the entire loop of 26 miles or just take shorter rides. There's great climbing and descending, some tricky stuff and switchbacks. But there are also plenty of trails for beginning riders." Ninety percent of the 1,500-acre park was torched during the 2007 Santiago Fire, and the park was closed for nearly a year. But nature possesses an amazing resiliency that, coupled with tons of human work, has helped restore the park. You may navigate through human and equine obstacles, especially in the front portion of the park. But the farther in you go, the fewer non-bikers you'll encounter. There are single-track, double-track and paved trails, many of which skirt oak-tree-lined creeks or ride along steep ridges. The most challenging, technical ride is the 6.8-mile Cactus Ridge Loop, which includes the notorious Luge, a single track that descends 230 feet in a quarter-mile. There are plenty of prickly-pear cactus to make your life a living hell if you tip over the edge. The 5.7-mile Whiting Loop is an intermediate track that takes you through different terrain. It's the most populated trail, and beginners should take it backward.
Whiting Ranch is one of the best trails in Orange County, but just to clarify for the newbies who are getting into the sport, the Luge is not a part of Cactus trail. From Whiting you have to cross Santiago Canyon and climb the Modjeska grade which allows you to descend the Luge half way up and loop around back to Whiting.
We will be leading plenty of group rides from REVO Cycles in Lake Forest when the trails dry out. Promise not to get you lost.
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