Description

While most of the best mountain bike trails in the Los Angeles area are located in the San Gabriel mountains on the edge of the city, or further afield in the wilderness parks near Laguna Beach, Turnbull Canyon stands as an exception to this rule.

The Turnbull Canyon Trail System is located in a suburban open space near the town of Whittier, just a few minutes from downtown Los Angeles.

This convenient location, surrounded on all sides by suburban sprawl, means that Turnbull is an ultra-popular outdoor draw for both mountain bikers and hikers alike.

As you ride, you'll need to remain vigilant of the possibility of encountering other trail users around every corner.

But if you can brave the crowds, or find an off-peak time to hit the trails, the singletrack at Turnbull Canyon is quite delightful for an in-town hit. Like most mountain bike trails in the region, this network consists of a combination of dirt roads and singletrack.

As a general rule, you'll climb the dirt roads to access the top of the ridges and then pick one of the many singletrack trails to descend back down.

While you can, of course, only do one climb and one descent, the route mapped here is a triple loop combination that features some of the best trails in the Turnbull Canyon Trail System.

The key descents featured here are 7th St., Worsham Canyon, and another ripping singletrack off of Skyline Drive.

Overall, the trails here are classic So Cal: dry, dusty, loose-over-hardpack, with some rocks mixed in.

On the average, the trails at Turnbull are a bit easier than some of the other singletrack trails in the region.

Here you can expect flowy turns and mostly smooth singletrack to predominate.

A few rocks, rock gardens, and steep descents will keep you on your toes, but if you prefer to ride a hardtail, Turnbull is a great place to do it! Sources: https://www.singletracks.com/mtb-trails/mtb-in-socal-general-impressions-turnbull-canyon-and-fullerton-loop/