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Noble Canyon Round Trip

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Difficult Difficult
 4.5 (91)
  1. Areas
  2. CA
  3. …Southern California
  4. Pine Valley
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“A great half day work out with the technically challenging Noble Canyon singletrack. ”

Jost Diederichs
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Map Key

18.9

Miles

30.5

KM

60%

Singletrack

5,507' 1,679 m

High

3,693' 1,126 m

Low

2,435' 742 m

Up

2,440' 744 m

Down

5%

Avg Grade (3°)

31%

Max Grade (17°)

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Allowed

Overview

A paved fire road (closed to motorized vehicles) connects the bottom Noble Canyon trailhead with the top. The return is pure singletrack down Noble Canyon. There a a couple of miles rather technical sections. Carry your bike on those if you care.

Need to Know

  • Access to the Cleveland National Forest requires an Adventure Pass. Yearly Pass = $30. Daily Pass = $5. More info here. A daily pass can be purchased at the general store in Pine Valley.
  • Many people shuttle this ride, starting from the Big Laguna Campground off of Sunrise highway. That's definitely a good option as well, but it's a loop as mapped.

Description

You simply follow the paved road all the way until it ends at the Sunrise Highway. About half way there is a sharp right turn (a beautiful shade tree on the left - nice resting place). At this turn you could also go straight onto the Indian Trail, which ends on the Noble Canyon trail near the top.

Once you arrive at the Sunrise Highway, turn right and you'll find the upper Noble Canyon trailhead after about 1/2 a mile. Noble Canyon starts out fairly smooth with a slight climb. With the technical challenges kept to a minimum it's possible to enjoy the long views across the mountains.

You'll cross Pine Creek Road a couple of times along with the intersection to Indian Creek. This intersection is important when riding the Cuyamaca to Noble Canyon - IMBA Epic.

The smooth and fast descent continues until you reach a horse gate. The route becomes much more technical here as it enters the canyon and transitions from forest to chaparral. The trail texture changes to blocky rocks and drops. If you can handle it, speed and momentum is helpful through this kind of terrain.

When the terrain and vegetation changes again from chaparral to desert, the trail narrows and becomes more exposed above the canyon floor. The route is mostly descending with a few short climbs and includes two highly regarded rocky, technical sections: Stairway to Hell and Roman Road.

Towards the bottom of Noble Canyon, the trail will come to an intersection. Turn left here to take a longer route back to the Lower Noble Canyon Trailhead (Pine Creek Picnic Area). This section is smooth with a gradual climb and descent.

Contacts

Land Manager: USFS - Cleveland National Forest Office

Shared By:

Jost Diederichs with improvements by Susie Murphy and 1 other
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.5 from 91 votes

#1

in Pine Valley

#104

Overall
  4.5 from 91 votes
5 Star
58%
4 Star
36%
3 Star
4%
2 Star
2%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Pine Valley

#15

in California

#104

Overall
212 Views Last Month
32,246 Since Aug 28, 2013
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Photos

The Roman Road on lower Noble Canyon
Apr 19, 2013 near Pine Va…, CA
Randy cleaning STH!
Sep 5, 2018 near Pine Va…, CA
Ninja shred!
Sep 5, 2018 near Pine Va…, CA
NOBLE CANYON!!! My new favorite MTB trail!
May 24, 2018 near Pine Va…, CA
The lower reaches of the Noble Canyon trail travel through the desert.
Apr 23, 2013 near Pine Va…, CA
Upper reaches of the Noble Canyon trail.
Apr 19, 2013 near Pine Va…, CA

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Check-Ins

Sep 4, 2023
Russell H
19.6mi — 3h 53m
Apr 16, 2023
Brian Moore
Apr 10, 2023
John Clark
Dec 5, 2022
Antonio Castro
Sep 18, 2022
Zack P
19.6mi — 3h 00m
Jun 24, 2022
Chris Sanders
2020
May 9, 2022
Roman Beck
Dec 21, 2021
Susie Mun

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