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Late last year, majority of Whiting Ranch park (commonly known as Whiting to local trail users) sustained heavy damage from the arson-caused Santiago fire.  It has been closed since last October 2007.  Long awaited news from OC Parks brings excitement for many as Whiting is scheduled to open mid to late July.  To read more click on this link. 

          Whiting Ranch on fire.

Whiting Ranch was one of the more popular parks for mountain bikers in Orange County, CA.  Its typical loop is 7 miles, but for many mountain bikers they did one of two things – either ride a double loop or connect with Santiago Truck Trail (STT) and down the Luge.  The Luge’s exit is near the famous Cooks Corner; a local watering hole for many bikers (Harley type).  STT/Luge along with other nearby trails were also damaged from the same fire.  Whiting Ranch will be the first scheduled to re-open.  

I’m excited and cannot wait!  I used to frequent Whiting when I was working in South OC.  I have had many rides with great memories.  The typical loop is rather short but it has many things to offer a mountain biker enthusiast.   There are the long climbs up Mustard Rd., a killer singletrack down Cactus, and plenty in between to keep you on your toes.  

     My son, Jared in the late 90s on Borrego trail.  

Whiting Ranch is in the rebuilding process so I’m sure it won’t be quite the same just yet.  But in time, with everyone’s help, we’ll have it back to where it once was. 

               Popular hiking spot - Red Rock trail.  Off limits to bikers, but certainly a spot you don’t want to  miss.

     The only time I hiked Whiting Ranch.  Red Rock Canyon, March 2002.     

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Taking a quick break to scope out the smooth rock descent

Khoa, Steve, Tim & I got out to El Moro near Newport Coast for a loop. The beauty of El Moro is that it is right next to the beach which makes El Moro a great place to ride when it is hot out. Although there is not much tree coverage, being closer to the ocean reduces the temperature and boy was it hot in Southern California with temperatures reaching triple digits farther inland where I live.

Tim taking it with ease

El Moro started with some fun singletrack which led to a short fireroad descent that led to the most overgrown singletrack I’ve ridden through to date. The weeds were taller than me and the other plants we rode through left scratches on my arm including one that was deep enough to bleed. One section required a continual “ducking� while pedaling manuever to avoid getting my faced whipped by the weeds. Khoa made the comment that sometimes being short has its advantages. At that moment, I couldn’t agree more. By the way I performed a quick tick check afterwards. Highly recommended when riding through areas with bushes and other vegetation inundating the trail.

Some of the best parts of this ride didn’t even involve riding. It involved being at the top of a climb and looking back on the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Khoa’s camera phone pictures, thanks Khoa, do not do justice to the magnificent ocean. Yes, that’s the Pacific behind us and no, it did not just turn turquoise. haha. We took a detour just to get a better look at it (well worth the detour, I might add).

Turquoise Pacific Ocean

The ride ended on a slightly sour note as I grazed a cactus leaf on the way back to the car. It left a few thorns in my shin and flatted my rear tire out about 200 yards from the car. I was too lazy to change it so I just hoofed it out. No worries though the bike is ok.

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