Like a $12 cappuccino, this highly curated route is not for everyone. It’s hard to get to. It’s an acquired taste. It’s elitist, presumptuous, and kinda rude. But one taste and you’ll join the fold of people denying that it exists just to keep it to yourself. You’ll start saying silly things like “it’s freezing out here,” when it’s 57 degrees, “no one walks in LA,” after parking your car 7 blocks away, and “LA Cycling Sucks.” 1st rule of fight club, amirite? Well, we see that the same way we see the speed limit - Optional!
That’s why we’re sharing the “Escape L.A.” bikepacking route. You’ll experience the best cycling Los Angeles and the surrounding area has to offer. Starting & finishing at the Santa Monica pier, “Escape L.A.” cuts a jagged line through the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, challenging the user to rugged, wild terrain nestled comfortably in the modern world.
Good luck finding a parking spot! And don’t ask us, we’re not from this neighborhood! You’ll get a taste of Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Mulholland Drive, the Santa Monica pier, the L.A. river, and Griffith Park. You’ll even see a few filming locations and military sites. The L.A. area is an epicenter for all things entertainment, industry, transportation, education, diversity, and more.
Would you believe we have some of the best off-road cycling in the country too? Although it’s a metropolis with a population of just under 4 million people, infamous for its rich and famous, traffic congestion, and housing shortage - L.A. offers hundreds of thousands of acres of public land within cycling distance.
It is one of the few places on Earth where you can completely lose yourself in the wilderness while in one of the most population-dense areas of the world. You will experience coastal views that distract from the housing shortage, rugged foothills that overwhelm the suburbs, and mountains that dwarf the city’s skyscrapers. Whether you like dodging beachgoers on the oceanfront, climbing endless coastal canyons, going totally aero on a road section, ripping chunky singletrack, or traversing endless forest roads, this route has it.
You’ll be transported to the vast and abundant public lands surrounding the area, highlighting the beauty, accessibility, and contrast of this land.
If you don’t believe us, take a break from writing your screenplay & let’s get outa the city! But don’t underestimate this stuff… just like Los Angeles real estate, the cost is steep… 290 miles, 39,000ft++!
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HEADS UP!! As of April 5, 2024: Sullivan Canyon (in the Santa Monica’s) is temporarily closed due to rain damage.
If you intend to ITT this route, please contact Snake first so he can properly prepare you with reroute options!!
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Ride & Route
This is not a race, this is a self-supported challenge.
This is simply a route we created and we wanted to share it with you.
You may choose which direction to ride the loop.
Grand Depart:
Stay tuned for our next Grand Depart! It’ll likely be in Novemeber of 2024. Santa Monica Pier. Get stoked.
Individual Time Trial:
Please CONTACT US if you’re doing an ITT that will be recorded. This route is most enjoyable in the spring & fall.
RULES
This is not a race - it’s a challenge and can be done any time of the year. We will have a grand departure on November 9th, 2023 at 7am. Stay tuned for the sign-up opportunity. This will just be a small group of us riding the route on our own at the same time. Here are some rules to adhere to if you’d like your effort recorded.
Record your ride - If you would like your time to be recorded and documented, you will need to be on the route tracker. You may also need to provide a GPX file.
Stay on the route - if you deviate from the route, you must return to the point you left.
Leave no trace
Read it - practice it: https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/
Obey all laws
This includes traffic laws, park restrictions, fire restrictions, and camping restrictions
Pay attention to legal and non-legal camping areas.
Don’t be a jerk - yield to hikers and horses. Be a good mountain biker and cyclist ambassador. Bring a bell for the crowded trails. Say hello, and smile, it’s only bike riding.
Fully self-supported
Complete the entire route, under your own power.
Trail magic is okay if it’s not prearranged. Trail magic from friends following and tracking you is not okay. No trail magic setups/tables etc.
Media crews. Personal documentation is encouraged. Pre-approved neutral media coverage is allowed if coverage is general to the event and not focused on any single rider(s). Please contact us if you wish to cover the challenge in this way.
Individual caches (food, water, etc) are not allowed.
Support from other riders is okay.
Be prepared for long stretches without food and water. Expert backcountry experience is required. No one will be there to help you.
Gas stations, restaurants, hotels, campgrounds, and any other commercial services along the route are fair game as long as they are not pre-arranged.
Safety
Do not underestimate this route! Be aware of the following conditions and do your research.
Water - “L.A. was not built in the desert, but the desert may be coming to us.” It is scorched here and the sun beats you down. There will be long stretches without water. Pay attention and do your research.
Cars - This route will take you through some high-traffic areas. Wear high visibility clothing and use flashing lights. Take the lane if needed and obey traffic laws. Use hand signals.
Vert - You will be walking your bike up some long stretches. You’ll be measuring this ride in the number of “10k days” rather than in miles. We’ll say it again for the folks in the back: 290 miles, 39,000++ feet of vertical ascent! This may possibly be among the steepest bikepacking routes in the country.
Fire - Know the fire regulations for the area before lighting any fires… they change based on the open space you happen to be in so do your research! Also, wildfires are a thing so don’t get burned!
Weather - It goes without saying, but temps could soar into the 100’s or dip into the 30’s, you could get snowed on or sunburned. Don’t fall asleep on this or you’ll be sorry.
OUR STORY
WHY ESCAPE LA?
This route was inspired by tens of thousands of miles logged by its creators, who are locals to the LA area and used the land to train for bikepacking adventures in other locales. Given the sheer volume of incredible riding woven like a spider web throughout the greater Los Angeles area, it was only a matter of time before they realized, “why don’t we have a route right here?!”
One of the big catalysts for this route was an incredible idea championed by many throughout the last 40 years called the “Rim of the Valley” - a network of connected trails looping around the San Fernando Valley incorporating an inspiring level of cooperation between city, state, federal, and tribal land stewards. A solid entry point to this rabbit hole can be found here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b1a5b96aa361447cb9eeb154ffa28077
HISTORY OF THE AREA
Indigenous peoples have lived along the California coast for at least 11,000 years. Our route will traverse through three different tribal lands. This is the ancestral land of the Tataviam, Tongva, and Chumash people.
Spanish colonizers came around in the late 1700’s, occupied the area, and set up missions as they relocated and enslaved the indigenous people. Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821 where they sold some of the missions to private owners… each of these moments being proverbial nails in the coffin of the indigenous peoples’ society and lifeways.
The Mexican-American war brought new bloodshed and new systems of power to further marginalize the indigenous people. Anglo-Americans were the victors, utilizing forced labor and legal acrobatics in the treaty system, which all but eliminated any indigenous ownership over the land by the 1880’s.
The LA of today is full of cultural history that is the result of an intersectionality of atrocity, opportunism, survival, creativity, forgiveness, persistence, genocide, and politics. And yet, it is our home. Industry, diversity, and influence are some of the things we Angelinos are proud of, but that doesn’t diminish the fact that it was built on controversy and incredible loss.
Our hope as you traverse the land is that you see something many folks overlook… something the Tongva language calls “Tovaangar,” meaning, “The World.” There are 10’s of thousands of undeveloped acres woven between the highway lines of the map. As you ride this route, may you experience “Tovaangar” - a vision of the LA area through the eyes of the first residents of the land. We hope to give honor, dignity, and gratitude for their story as we tread lightly across the land as guests, not owners.
https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-col1-tongva-language-native-american-tribe/
GEOLOGY
Starting from the ocean the Santa Monica mountains rise to 3k ft summits. This is due to volcanic activity and the complex interaction of tectonic plates and the San Andreas fault system. Looming just north of the city are the San Gabriel mountains, a transverse range with peaks that reach 10k ft (although our high point is only 6k). This all translates into some steep and hard riding!
Discover the dynamic geological history of Southern California, where the stunning landscapes of mountains, valleys, and coastal formations were formed over millions of years of tectonic and volcanic activity and geologic processes. Traverse through the rugged Santa Monica Mountains, which were created from sedimentary rocks deposited in ancient seas and uplifted by tectonic activity. Witness the dramatic collision of the North American and Pacific Plates in the San Gabriel Mountains, resulting in a network of faults, folds, and metamorphic and igneous rocks. Explore the sedimentary rocks of Conejo and Simi Valleys that were once submerged in ancient seas and uplifted over time. This journey through the diverse geology of Southern California is a unique and captivating experience that will leave you in awe of the natural forces that shaped this beautiful region.