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+ 159

Mount Lowe (Sam Merrill Trail Sunset Trail West Mount Lowe Mount Lowe Railway Mt Lowe Mt. Lowe)

Mountain Biking Trail

Hard
9.64 mi
682 ft
The LA Area's premiere shuttle run!

Mount Lowe is hands-down the Los Angeles-area's premiere legal shuttle run. Along with nearby Mount Wilson, a plethora of singletrack trails and dirt roads descend from the crest of the mountain range all the way down to the outskirts of the megalopolis far, far below. To get to the top, either cajole a friend or family member into driving you up, or book a commercial shuttle from one of several local shuttle companies.

Mount Lowe in particular offers a variety of descent options. Want to enjoy an easy, scenic cruise from mountaintop to city limits on an abandoned railroad grade? You can do that, as the now-defunct railway (complete with a tunnel through the mountainside) is the anchor of all the routes in this region.

Want to drop down narrow, technical singletrack with breathtaking views and death-defying exposure? Mount Lowe offers that type of mountain bike ride as well. The route mapped here follows the most popular mostly-singletrack descent from the top of the mountain down to Loma Alto Park. That said, there are even more singletrack options to finish the descent, including the Lower Sam Merrill trail, Firebreak, and more.

The singletrack itself is rocky and ledgy in places, and buff and flowy in others. Mountain bikers have crafted ledge drops, jumps, and other alternate features into the trail for more fun and challenge. While everything here is very achievable on an enduro or trail bike, it's not uncommon to see riders unloading dual crown downhill bikes off of shuttle vehicles and donning full face helmets at the top of the mountain.

While Mount Lowe does boast a well-used and relatively easy-to-follow route, it's more informative to think of this zone as a massive web of shuttleable singletrack trails that can be mixed and matched to your heart's content, creating as gnarly or as chill of a downhill rip as you want! Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes

Route and Elevation

Segments

NameDistanceElev. Diff.Avg. Grade
Echo Mountain (Mount Lowe Railroad Trail) Climb0.41 mi358 ft16.2%
CLIMB TO TRAIL HEAD0.52 mi194 ft5.9%
MINI SPRINT CLIMB1.26 mi289 ft4.3%
East Gate to Tunnel0.26 mi128 ft9.1%
Frontside - Shuttle Stop > Chutes > SM > SR > HT > School9.32 mi-4,137 ft-7.8%
Frontside Van to Horsey, no Monkey business8.59 mi-3,645 ft-7.4%
Mt. Lowe trail - full1.61 mi-850 ft-8.7%
mt lowe upper saddle southbound (climb)0.71 mi131 ft2.5%
Mt Lowe Sign to bottom of Shoots0.95 mi-869 ft-17.2%
Front side top to bottom, no Monkey Business7.11 mi-3,507 ft-9.3%
Mt Lowe Sign to Middle Sam3.63 mi-2,146 ft-11.2%
Echo Mt Shoot0.91 mi-846 ft-17.5%
Front Side to bottom DH7.52 mi-3,911 ft-9.8%
upper Merrill Descent 0.22 mi-174 ft-15.1%
Upper Merrill0.74 mi-659 ft-16.8%
Merrill to Sunset Ridge7.00 mi-3,753 ft-10.2%
Sam Merrill DH2.57 mi-1,696 ft-12.5%
Middle Sam Merrill descent2.44 mi-1,198 ft-9.3%
Awkward Merrill Singletrack 0.70 mi-92 ft-2.3%
Middle Sam Full2.55 mi-1,243 ft-9.2%
Railroad to railroad via middle Sam3.12 mi-1,263 ft-6.1%
Mt. Lowe (Middle Sam Merrill) Single Track DH1.74 mi-1,122 ft-12.1%
El Descenso de San Merrill1.98 mi-1,214 ft-11.5%
Merrill ST1.61 mi-1,148 ft-13.5%
Middle Sam Merrill 1.56 mi-1,122 ft-13.5%
mid merrill down1.38 mi-984 ft-13.5%
cross over, without the waiting0.64 mi236 ft6.9%
cross over to sunset0.73 mi243 ft6.0%
Cross over to Sunset to Horsey3.65 mi-1,703 ft-7.4%
Sunset Ridge Single track2.22 mi-1,266 ft-10.5%
Sunset - Tree to Sierra Saddle0.79 mi-423 ft-10.0%
Sunset to end of Horse Trail DH3.45 mi-2,093 ft-11.4%
Sunset DH2.36 mi-1,188 ft-9.5%
Sunset Ridge ST1.73 mi-1,191 ft-13.0%
Sunset singletrack DH1.69 mi-1,214 ft-13.6%
upper sunset DH0.83 mi-610 ft-14.0%
Sunset Ridge Descent 1.09 mi-925 ft-15.9%
Mid Sunset DH0.38 mi-312 ft-15.3%
Sunset table to final switch back1.01 mi-741 ft-13.7%
Sierra Saddle to Mt Lowe bailout0.33 mi-305 ft-16.4%
SCE Sunset Ridge, Stage 21.47 mi-807 ft-10.1%
Sunset DH Segment 30.67 mi-466 ft-13.1%
lower sunset DH0.61 mi-325 ft-10.0%
Cheney Trail0.43 mi-328 ft-14.5%
Horse Trail (the full segment)1.38 mi-801 ft-10.5%
SCE Sunset Ridge, Stage 30.40 mi-292 ft-13.7%
Chaney Extension1.01 mi-413 ft-7.5%
Lower Chaney0.42 mi-285 ft-12.5%
chaney trail extension short0.86 mi-308 ft-6.1%
Lower Horse Trail DH0.42 mi-171 ft-7.5%