Past Two Weeks
+ 6
McDowell Mountain: Escondido Loop
Mountain Biking Trail
Hard
9.31 mi
664 ft
A beautiful beginner-friendly loop that sees much less traffic than the Pemberton Loop.
The Escondido Loop is easy to reach from one of McDowell Mountain Regional Park's main trailheads, yet it sees a fraction of the traffic that the popular [Pemberton Loop]( receives. This lack of traffic makes for a peaceful ride on delightfully-narrow singletrack, despite being located in this popular park.
The route as mapped begins from the main Pemberton Loop trailhead and begins by following a short section of that trail. After just 1.3 miles on the wide, smooth Pemberton Trail, take a right onto the signed Escondido Trail. You'll immediately notice that the singletrack gets narrower and twistier. You'll begin to drop in and climb out of small washes as you swing around the massive cacti.
Soon, the trail begins to descend along a beautiful benchcut into the bottom of a large wash at the base of the mountains. From here, the ride gets a bit hillier as you climb up and down the sides of dramatically larger washes. Essentially, these are the bottoms of the washes that run through all of McDowell Mountain Park. Here, near the border of the downhill side of the park, many washes come together to form more substantial valleys.
The trail tread through this section is narrow and flowy, with rubbly rocks providing a little bit of technical challenge. Even with a bit of rubbly challenge, this ride still only warrants an "Easy" difficulty rating.
After twisting in and out of washes and valleys for several, you'll round the end of the small mountain ridge and make your way back toward the Pemberton Trailhead on the Lower Shallmo Wash Trail. Here the trail is, again, smoother and easier to pedal.
The Escondido Loop is a delightful beginner-friendly ride, and it's simultaneously perfect for cross-country riders looking to wrack up miles. For an even longer ride, combine Escondido with Pemberton. Written by Greg Heil
The Escondido Loop is easy to reach from one of McDowell Mountain Regional Park's main trailheads, yet it sees a fraction of the traffic that the popular [Pemberton Loop]( receives. This lack of traffic makes for a peaceful ride on delightfully-narrow singletrack, despite being located in this popular park.
The route as mapped begins from the main Pemberton Loop trailhead and begins by following a short section of that trail. After just 1.3 miles on the wide, smooth Pemberton Trail, take a right onto the signed Escondido Trail. You'll immediately notice that the singletrack gets narrower and twistier. You'll begin to drop in and climb out of small washes as you swing around the massive cacti.
Soon, the trail begins to descend along a beautiful benchcut into the bottom of a large wash at the base of the mountains. From here, the ride gets a bit hillier as you climb up and down the sides of dramatically larger washes. Essentially, these are the bottoms of the washes that run through all of McDowell Mountain Park. Here, near the border of the downhill side of the park, many washes come together to form more substantial valleys.
The trail tread through this section is narrow and flowy, with rubbly rocks providing a little bit of technical challenge. Even with a bit of rubbly challenge, this ride still only warrants an "Easy" difficulty rating.
After twisting in and out of washes and valleys for several, you'll round the end of the small mountain ridge and make your way back toward the Pemberton Trailhead on the Lower Shallmo Wash Trail. Here the trail is, again, smoother and easier to pedal.
The Escondido Loop is a delightful beginner-friendly ride, and it's simultaneously perfect for cross-country riders looking to wrack up miles. For an even longer ride, combine Escondido with Pemberton. Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes
Route and Elevation
Segments
| Name | Distance | Elev. Diff. | Avg. Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pemb-Escon-Shallmo loop | 9.22 mi | -262 ft | -0.1% |
| escondido loooop | 9.04 mi | 272 ft | 0.0% |
| staging to escondido end | 6.90 mi | -272 ft | -0.6% |
| Escondido Enduro | 2.13 mi | -240 ft | -2.1% |
| Escondido Trail South | 6.13 mi | -279 ft | -0.6% |
| Escondido CW - Pemby to Big Wash | 1.68 mi | -180 ft | -2.0% |
| Escondido clockwise | 6.09 mi | -276 ft | -0.7% |
| Escondido - Lousley to Cinch | 4.87 mi | -154 ft | -0.4% |
| Down Hill Sprint | 0.29 mi | -39 ft | -2.4% |
| heading south/escon | 4.04 mi | -118 ft | -0.3% |
| Blinded by the Curve downhill | 0.15 mi | -46 ft | -5.8% |
| First Ridge Climb | 0.70 mi | -82 ft | -0.5% |
| Benhaim's Folly | 0.09 mi | -26 ft | -4.8% |
| Second Ridge Climb | 0.58 mi | 66 ft | 1.8% |
| Final Ridge Climb | 0.62 mi | 56 ft | 0.2% |
| Escondito Finish | 0.54 mi | -56 ft | -0.7% |
| Escondito Sprint for the finish | 0.47 mi | 43 ft | 1.5% |
| Sauvage Wat | 1.74 mi | 180 ft | 2.0% |
| Chasing Marty's Tramp Stamp Up Shallmo | 1.69 mi | 174 ft | 2.0% |