Mount Lowe Railway

Overview

"The Mount Lowe Railway is a historic railroad grade that used to transport people up the mountains to several different hotels and resorts that used to rest high up in the San Gabriels. Today the train tracks are gone, but you can still ride through an old tunnel, see old bridges, and even the ruins of some of the hotels.<br /> <br /> The railway itself is a wide doubletrack that descends down from the Mount Wilson Observatory road all the way down to the city below. However, singletrack trails have been built around the railway, forming an excellent network of mountain bike trails! <br /> <br /> You can ride up the railway and down the singletrack, as the guidebook recommends, or you could just get shuttled up to the trailhead at the top of the railway (on Mount Wilson Redbox Rd.) and just enjoy the delectable downhill! GPS coordinates for the top trailhead are given above (insert your address and click the “map it” function), or if you want to climb up from the bottom drive to these coordinates: 34.21482, -118.14553. If you do decide to shuttle, I recommend leaving a car down at Loma Alta Park, as it’s free (you have to buy a National Forest Adventure Pass if you park at the bottom of Mount Lowe) and there is singletrack dropping down basically right to the park (see GPS track provided).<br /> <br /> There is a comples trail network up here with an untold number of options, but here is one route to take down.<br /> <br /> From the top, begin by descending the Mount Lowe Railway for a couple of miles. Soak in the gorgeous views, and live it up as you ride through a tunnel in the mountainside—how often do you get to do that on a mountain bike? Ignore a few of the trails branching off, but when you reach the junction with the turn off to Inspiration Point, catch the Sam Merrill trail, which parallels the road for a while and then turns downhill. <br /> <br /> After shredding the rolling singletrack through the trees, Sam Merrill pops out into the exposed face of the mountain, turning into a technical, sw

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Mount Lowe Railway

Mount Lowe Railway

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