Weekday Slow-paced Mountain Bike Ride - Bommer/Shady Canyons

Join us in the City of Irvine’s Open Space Preserve on this docent-led mountain bike ride through Shady Canyon and Bommer Canyon, with a side trip into Laguna Coast Wilderness Park’s Upper Laurel Canyon. The ride will stop several times along the way to rest/regroup and to take in the panoramic views of Orange County, the Santa Ana Mountains and the San Joaquin Hills. This is a slow-paced ride designed for the intermediate rider who is in excellent cardio shape and is physically fit, and who has experience riding challenging single tracks, but sometimes needs to move slower on steep ascents/descents. There a couple of sections that may be ‘hike-a-bike’ due to technical difficulty or steepness. Riders must have a minimum of one year of mountain bike experience. This is a strenuous 13 mile ride with approximately 2100 feet of elevation gain.

Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-4 activity on the land. Electric Mountain Bikes of any class or type are not permitted for recreational use.

The route starts out from the Bommer Cattle Camp and starts by climbing up West Fork into the Laguna Coast Wilderness park. We will then head back towards the Irvine Open space through Upper Laurel Canyon on the Lizard Trail. The route continues along Serrano Ridge and then through Shady Canyon on singletrack trails. We will finish the loop back to the Cattle Camp on Hogback Ridge and the Ridge Route singletrack. If you are very physically fit and in excellent cardio shape, this is a great opportunity to enjoy the wilderness and some challenging riding!

This activity originates in the City of Irvine’s Open Space Preserve and travels into OC Parks’ Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.