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Lower Monroe Truck Trail

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate Intermediate
 4.3 (97)
  1. Areas
  2. CA
  3. …Los Angeles
  4. …Glendora
  5. Mystic Canyon
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“A great doubletrack to the top of Glendora Mountain Road and a screaming downhill. ”

Aviv Bar
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Map Key

16.1

Miles

25.9

KM

65%

Singletrack

3,435' 1,047 m

High

1,201' 366 m

Low

2,319' 707 m

Up

2,319' 707 m

Down

5%

Avg Grade (3°)

14%

Max Grade (8°)

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Unknown

Overview

The Lower Monroe Truck Trail combines a flat doubletrack rock garden with a steady but gradual eight-mile twisty climb to the top of Glendora Mountain Road. The reward comes in the form of a scenic eight-mile descent back to the start point.

Need to Know

A large parking area is available along Glendora Mountain Road approximately 1/2 mile south of the trailhead and in smaller patches leading into the trailhead.

Description

The ride begins through a fairly flat rock garden creek, a bumpy and twisty 1.7-mile section with intermittent tree cover, but nothing extremely technical. The trail is mostly doubletrack, but narrows to singletrack in various spots along the rock garden.

At the end of the rock garden, the doubletrack takes a sharp right turn to begin a 6.2-mile climb. The climb is not extremely difficult, but it is steady with a very small number of flat areas and short descents along the way. A majority of the ride does not contain any tree cover.

At 3.3 miles, there is a plateau with amazing views of the San Gabriel Valley and south towards Orange County. This is a popular rest point before the climb gets a bit steeper.

From the rest point, the trail continues to climb as it winds along various sides of the mountains, providing great scenery. The trail ends at a turn-around point with a gate that leads to a dirt parking lot, adjacent to Glendora Mountain Road. If you want to skip the climb workout, you can shuttle to this parking lot and downhill the trail all day long.

Making a 180° turn at the gate will send you right back down the way you came up, but at a MUCH faster pace. The ride down Lower Monroe Truck Trail can be compared to a downhill park without the crazy jumps and super sharp turns. It is a fast-paced. twisty ride, negotiating a trail that is rocky and rutted in many places with trail-hugging vegetation.

The downhill seems to last forever and is guaranteed to put a constant smile on your face. On the lower area of the descent, you may encounter a few pedestrians, so a cowbell will serve your downhill well.

Also full-finger length gloves are highly recommended during dry summer months, to protect yourself against those handlebar-level thorny plants. Since you'll be exposed to the sun for the majority of the trail, a good supply of water is also recommended.

Contacts

Land Manager: USFS - Angeles National Forest Office

Shared By:

Aviv Bar
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.3 from 97 votes

#1

in Mystic Canyon

#135

Overall
  4.3 from 97 votes
5 Star
43%
4 Star
45%
3 Star
9%
2 Star
2%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Mystic Canyon

#18

in California

#135

Overall
144 Views Last Month
33,844 Since May 29, 2014
Intermediate Intermediate
0%
0%
78%
10%
11%
0%
Add a Photo

Photos

GMR EAST SESSION - JAN '16
Feb 1, 2016 near San Dimas, CA
Climbing up, about a mile north of Mystic Cyn.
Nov 26, 2015 near Glendora, CA
GMR viewed from Mystic Canyon
Oct 11, 2015 near Glendora, CA
Mystic Canyon
Oct 11, 2015 near Glendora, CA
Lower Monroe Truck Trail Downhill on a 2020 Specialized Fuse Comp Hardtail
Jul 17, 2020 near San Dimas, CA
Lower Monroe Trail Guide
Sep 23, 2018 near Glendora, CA

7 Comments

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

Unknown
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Jul 5, 2023
Alden Esguerra
Apr 24, 2023
Brad Strain
Lower area has a lot of water running through it but it's possible to ride and keep your feet dry. After the first mile trail dries out. 12mi
Feb 2, 2023
Glenn Chu
lower section rock bed is overflowing, multiple stream crossings. lots of ruts and crevices 13.6mi — 3h 05m
Oct 24, 2022
Aristides Alexandrina
Sep 5, 2022
Jason Carothers
Mar 20, 2022
Jeremy Collins
2h 30m
Jan 24, 2022
Peter Yi
on the e-mtb. perfect conditions. 15mi — 2h 00m
Dec 11, 2021
Paul Vander

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