Saddleback Run: up Main Divide Trail, above Orange County. May 09, 2010.

[SharpStick]

You asked for it, now let's do it: Saddleback Mountain, the antennas, Beek's Place and 100 places to play less than an hour from anywhere in Orange County. Here's a simple map:
http://www.dirtopia.com/w/images/c/c4/ClevelandNationalForest.gif

Starting at the southern end of North Main Divide Trail (on Ortega), we can haul ourselves into the forest with a good "meet the stragglers" at Beek's Place by 12: PM or so. We can come down on Maple Springs whenever we're done and stop at Cook's for a late lunch.

I think we should meet where Ortega Highway hits the 5 freeway so it's easy to assemble YotaTron. I like Taco Bell, so how about at the Taco Bell just west of the 5 on Ortega? There's a Starbucks a couple hundred yards down the street from that Taco Bell if anyone prefers that...

Most of the trails are... somewhat... outlined on dirtopia.com.
http://www.dirtopia.com/wiki/Orange_County%2C_California

There's a good variety, with plenty of safe offshoots to play upon. Of course, the world (and future access) demands that you remember to tread lightly - this is not a slogan, this is the rule.

I will be covering the run for off-road.com as part of a story about the area trails for a "local adventure how-to" kind'a story, and we'll talk about the run on the radio the next Saturday - just look up "Garage Hour" on FaceSlave, and tune in to 1170AM on Saturdays at 6: PM.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Garage-Hour/195803523130

STICK

[SharpStick]

Meeting place - Starbucks just west of the Ortega/5 FWY exit on Obispo, 9: AM.

http://www.starbucks.com/store/17603

Good trails, lots of good offshoots, places you don't usually think you could get to.

We're driving up from San Diego at about 8: AM - post if you're joining us.

STICK

[Crinale]

how was this trip? im interested to find out how it went...

[SharpStick]

Bwah! Then you should have come along.

Great drive, excellent weather, killer fog rolling over the ridge, 5000ft vertical, and we save a Jeeper's ass from near death and a sure spot on an Epic Fail poster. He might still get a poster of two Toyotas yanking him from certain doom...

The only problem (and Scuba will attest) is that a number of the sportier bypasses have been blocked off, much to our chagrin. You'd think the state is so unbelievably broke that they'd skid spending tens of thousands of dollars to block perfectly good side road action that takes up about a thousandth of a percent of the wilderness.

Photos to come (here, on Yota and on the Faceslave page for my show - Garage Hour).

STICK

[Crinale]

my 4runner is under the weather currently... shes got about a month before she'll be trail ready again