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The Luge Loop

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Difficult Difficult
 4.5 (81)
  1. Areas
  2. CA
  3. …Los Angeles
  4. Irvine Ranch Open Space
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“An OC classic, this night-legal ride features a scenic climb over the OC, and The Luge descent. ”

Dave Gregg
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Map Key

7.7

Miles

12.4

KM

65%

Singletrack

2,302' 702 m

High

1,117' 340 m

Low

1,227' 374 m

Up

1,203' 367 m

Down

6%

Avg Grade (3°)

31%

Max Grade (17°)

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Unknown

The iconic bar and grill, Cook's Corner, is protective of parking for its walk-in customers, so please respect their parking requirements for mountain bikers.

Overview

Once on dirt, this ride is one of the good ones. The climb is a rocky doubletrack with crazy good views of the OC and sunsets. The descent is a steep, twisting, cliff-exposed singletrack, more like a carved half-pipe, that snakes to the final paved downhill.

Yes, there's a good amount of riding on pavement, but at least some of it is 40mph downhill... er... huh-hum... actually officer, I was going the speed limit of 35mph, I swear.

Need to Know

All of the dirt on this ride is US Cleveland National Forest and, unlike state/county parks, does not close for rain or darkness (night riding!).

Description

From Cook's Corner, find a good gear and go right (northwest) up Santiago Canyon Rd. Pound out the 1.2 miles of mildly steep pavement and bear right onto Modjeska Grade Rd, a much steeper, paved, first gear grinder. About a 1/3rd of a mile of pain later turn right into a dirt staging area behind a rusted, iron trail gate. This is the start of Santiago Truck Trail (STT).

The single/doubletrack climbs mildly through rocky terrain for 2.5 miles. Be careful not to ride off the trail when distracted by awesome views, especially at sunset. Descend for about 3/4ths of a mile to a rounded hilltop with a flagpole on its crown. This is the official start of The Luge.

An insane rush, this skinny, carved half-pipe plunges steeply down the side of a cliff face, turning and dancing right on the edge. There are a number of 6"-12" drops along its length, sometimes within the turns, sometimes one on top of the other. The trail ends at Live Oak Canyon Rd where you turn right and enjoy the 35-40mph downhill rush back to your car.

Contacts

Land Manager: USFS - Cleveland National Forest Office

Shared By:

Dave Gregg with improvements by Nick S
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.5 from 81 votes

#1

in Irvine Ranch Open Space

#69

Overall
  4.5 from 81 votes
5 Star
59%
4 Star
36%
3 Star
5%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Irvine Ranch Open Space

#8

in California

#69

Overall
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42,666 Since Jun 6, 2015
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Photos

Video of the Luge Down hill shot by DPCAero.com
Feb 10, 2016 near Trabuco…, CA
Riding The Luge
Dec 22, 2015 near Trabuco…, CA
A Run Down The Luge (And another local trail).
Jun 20, 2022 near Portola…, CA
Down the Luge. Shot by DPCAero.com
Feb 10, 2016 near Portola…, CA
The scenery from The Luge Trail. Photo by DPCAero.com
Feb 10, 2016 near Trabuco…, CA
My first time riding ‘The Luge’ cautiously.
Nov 26, 2017 near Trabuco…, CA

1 Comment

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Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 67 days ago
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Check-Ins

Oct 12, 2024
Yungli Ji
Aug 24, 2024
Hongwu Liang
Aug 19, 2024
Brad Strain
Long and hot climb to the top but trail is in great shape coming down 8mi — 1h 25m
Oct 9, 2023
Rich Kelly
w/Jessica — 1h 31m
Apr 28, 2023
Daryl Pearlstein
Apr 2, 2023
Pablo H.
muddy on the way down the luge 7.7mi
Dec 3, 2022
Kevin Morrison
7.7mi
Mar 18, 2022
Mac Kristin

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