# Angeles Crest open to bicylists?



## il sogno

I heard that AC is gonna be open to bicyclists and hikers but closed to cars. Has anyone heard about this? Anybody know when this is going to happen?


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## ccroy2001

*Where is it closed now?*

Hi,

Is it closed just above La Canada? Or further up? The devastation will be horrible, but riding with no cars will be awesome!


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## fast ferd

The CHP provides little info online. I spoke to the operator at the Altadena CHP station a minute ago. She said ACH remains closed for both vehicles and cyclists, starting at the gate above La Canada.

The lady sounded a little pissy to me. If her organization provided better website communication, she wouldn't need to field questions from dorky cyclists.


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## Bixe

*Ach...*



il sogno said:


> I heard that AC is gonna be open to bicyclists and hikers but closed to cars. Has anyone heard about this? Anybody know when this is going to happen?


Do you really want to ride it?
Have a look....
<object width="560" height="340">


<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YNPTd39jAlM&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></object>


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## JSR

Bixe said:


> Have a look....


Somebody set the toaster on 11.

JSR


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## rocco

Bixe said:


> Do you really want to ride it?
> Have a look....



I do and if it's closed to cars but open to bikes then even more so.


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## ccroy2001

*It's bad now, but*

The video looks very similar to Santiago Canyon after the big fire in Orange County a few years ago. At 1st it's overwhelming how ugly it is, but with some rain, not too much, you'll see little signs of life coming back: Green grass here and there, a tree that survived, and animals. After a year or so it will look better but probably take decades for the forest to come back.

I would ride it especially if it's open only to bikes, hikers.

Chris


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## Hollywood

rocco said:


> I do and if it's closed to cars but open to bikes then even more so.


there's rumors of it being opened to bikes & hikers. Stay tuned. Also, heads-up to the residents.

http://laist.com/2009/10/07/map_predicted_debris_flows_into_pas.php


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## Bixe

*....*



Hollywood said:


> there's rumors of it being opened to bikes & hikers. Stay tuned. Also, heads-up to the residents.


The notion that riding that road without the auto traffic is always appealing.
When GMR/GRR was closed to all but the cyclists and hikers a few years back, the riding conditions were excellent.
Those roads were closed to all during the weekday daylight hours while heavy equipment conducted repair operations. Caltrans posted workers at the closures specifically to keep the cyclists from jumping the barricades and even then, there were a couple reports of workers being threatened by cyclists.
The conditions on ACH/AFH at the moment are more extreme and the repair work following a couple of the winter storms will be more extensive.
While I'll be up there riding w/ anyone else, let's stay out of the way of those who have a big job to do.


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## fast ferd

When the time comes, not a bad idea to ride ACH with at least one buddy. You go over the edge of one of them guardrail-less turns, they may not find you until about the fifth debris flow in the middle of March.

Those fried guardrails are sure a weird sight. Not to mention the various signs laid out along the shoulder. It will take Caltrans ages to make those roads driveable.


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## il sogno

Bixe said:


> Do you really want to ride it?


That video is from Sept 3. I'll bet the foliage has grown in significantly since then. 

I'm sure CalTrans will only open it to cyclists when they feel it's safe to do so. 

Hell yeah I'll ride it. :thumbsup:


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## tom_h

The burned forests along ACH make me sad ... I was lucky to have ridden it last June.

Unseasonably early and heavy rains (>4 inches) are forecast for tonight (Tues Oct 13) and tomorrow. Without the vegetation, those mountain roads will become even more damaged and/or covered with rock slides.


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## roadfix

Bixe said:


> Do you really want to ride it?
> Have a look....


Do I want to ride it? Sure, why not? The road looks good.


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## Tumbleweed

Is Big T (and upper Big T) open, plus Angeles Forest Hwy? Mentioned on the local news last night was the 'reopening' of Big T and Angeles Forest following passing of the storm. Unsure if the newscasters meant access is to the general public or just local traffic.


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## heytoyotaguy

angeles crest is a great ride and the road didnt burn! go in a group people drive stupidly and there is alot of glass on the shoulder.
try to go early mornign due to the fact that it feels like you are riding into the sun in the afternoon. happy riding...


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## Hollywood

heytoyotaguy said:


> go in a group people drive stupidly and there is alot of glass on the shoulder.


ummm... *breaking news alert*....


"_More than 40 miles of the Angeles Crest Highway from La Canada Flintridge to Islip Saddle have been closed indefinitely because of the Station Fire, which has burned off road striping and destroyed guard rails and signage along the scenic route_, Caltrans officials said."


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## JSR

I thought Bixe's video was fairly instructional as to the burned-outedness of ACH.

JSR


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## ispoke

Slide debris and missing guard rails are definitely a concern - I wouldn't count on a high speed descent back to La Canada like we used to do.

That said, the video was beautiful. Some of the most scenic hiking we did was in the Verdugos a few weeks after they burned. I'm sure cycling on ACH would similarly qualify. Burn areas have a moonscape appearance, especially while the hills are still charred black. It's a very unique experience for those lucky enough to see it.

We live in the desert and things burn. Don't be sad about the temporary change in vegetation. The Verdugos are growing back. Griffith Park is growing back...


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## grrlyrida

This is how I imagine AC looks. Rode Glendora Mountain Road to Baldy Village Tuesday with Lola. GMR took the brunt of the fire damage. The fire jump over GMR and continued up the mountainside. But once you get past the shack, Glendora Ridge Road was left unscathed. This is at mile marker 6 - 7. Taken with Lola's cell. That's me in the middle (in pink of course).


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## Tumbleweed

Monday, 11/30 @ 5 a.m., Big T, Upper Big T, AF Hwy, and parts of AC reopen. Source: KNX 1070 while sitting motionless on the 101.
At least until the 1st rain. Then devastation ensues.


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## bandoulu

I heard they will open monday also.


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## rocco

Sounds like a very dangerous proposition to me.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-angeles-crest1-2009dec01,0,2215671.story


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## grrlyrida

I'm gonna check it out Wed. :idea:


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## rocco

grrlyrida said:


> I'm gonna check it out Wed. :idea:



I'd do the descent very slow.


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## banksd1983

anyone go up yet?


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## fast ferd

One of my main riding buddies went up Tuesday, making it to the Mt Wilson parking lot before turning around. He described it as riding through a lunar landscape. He did not find the road littered with rock or dirt any more than usual. The problem with rocks from last week resulted from those high winds that blew thru after Thanksgiving.

I live near the base of ACH and noticed about ten-fold the number of cars screaming down the hill each morning with motorists from the Antelope Valley. Oh, goody, let's have another runaway truck or two.


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## Joe Dirte

Not to anyones surprise but its closed again as of 5PM tonight.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/12/many-roads-in-angeles-national-forest-closed-as-rains-approach.html


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## rocco

I just enough time to ride up Angeles Crest to the Angeles Forest intersection and back down to home this afternoon. I'm very impressed by the work CalTrans did to get the road in ship shape condition so fast. It was quite an enjoyable ride... especially the descent. I'll be heading back up again this week and I'll be going all the way to the top of Mt. Wilson.


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