bikeme

I've climbed and descend GMR/GRR before. How is Mt. Baldy Road to climb and descend? I see it's straighter, steeper and shorter than GMR/GRR. I was thinking of making a loop up GMR/GRR then down MBR vs going back down the same way I came up, good or bad idea? Thanks.

diphthong

mt. baldy rd. is okay to ascend to the village. prefer to descend via grr/gmr once over the short climb (cow saddle) from the village. heading back on grr/gmr has different views and a lengthy first stretch has plenty of shade which comes in handy during summer. bombing down the hill from mt baldy village is super quick. picking up speed in the tunnel is no joke. my biggest issue with the descent there (last visited abo 3.5/4 years ago) was that the first few miles downhill from the village suffered from oodles of rockfall divots in the asphalt on the far right part of the lane. the divots were magnified when you realize that the average bear will be descending that at 25+ mph and that’s riding the brakes extremely hard. many of them were substantial enuff to cause a pinch flat or a crash. let’s just say the lane got taken much of the way until the
i-section that loops down to upland. add in the obvious traffic and descending grr/gmr is the choice on this end. even if the road is freshly paved (and it was when last hit on the descent), it was still sketchy for all too long.
oh yeah…there were plenty of decently-sized rocks where roadies would normally be descending. if you wanna do it,
don’t be surprised at the quality and safety of the descent.

oris

Echoing ooga-booga, be prepared for a fast descent. Be on the lookout for pot holes and traffic (both pedestrian and cars). The tunnels are especially treacherous since cars may not see you and potholes tend to be concealed by the shade at times.

Climbing Mt. Baldy road is much more strenuous than GMR/GRR in my opinion. It's a 12 mile ascent from the Claremont Wilderness Park (Mills Ave) and has several pops over 10%+ gradient.

Eric F 

GMR is such a fabulous descent, I would have a hard time not making that the primary feature of a ride in that area. The loop I usually use is 39 - East Fork - GMR. The car traffic on 39 can be a bit thick, but the shoulder is generally wide enough that it isn't a big deal.

skidder

Any indication the authorities are going to close the lower portion of the road out of Glendora this summer due to the fire danger? They did it a few years ago but still allowed bicyclists to use it. That made for a great uphill ride if you got there before the air temperature got too hot.

CAT7RDR

Nothing planned according to LA County or the USFS:

https://pw.lacounty.gov/roadclosures/

https://twitter.com/Angeles_N

bikeme

Hi all, thanks for the info on Mt. Baldy Road. I ended up climbing and descending via GMR/GRR (which I had done on my one and only ride to baldy 2 years ago) and it was fabulous. Traffic was surprisingly low and what traffic there was, was very courteous. It was much warmer than forecasted. This was also my first trip to the lifts--brutal, but I did it.

diphthong

awesome and well-done!

last time i was up there a few months back, gmr gate (and grr gate) was closed because of some roadway that had collapsed on the eastbound/uphill side of gmr approx 3.5 miles up from the bottommost gate. dunno if that got repaired yet and/or the gate is still closed.

jonathanf2

GMR is on my list of roads to climb, but none of my friends are up for it. I know a young lady who made a century ride out of GMR! My issue is finding the time without my wife and kids needing me for something! If I get 2 hours riding time to myself, that's already a good day for me! Finding 4-6 hours to ride is something that would need to be planned a month or months in advance! Lol

diphthong

deal the fammy out and set your date. early november on a weekday (non-holiday) is usually a good time. you will be upset with yourself for having taken that long to do the ride.

CAT7RDR

My understanding is full moon fever night rides are a thing on GMR.
You can sneak out and be back before anyone knows the difference.

jonathanf2

Yeah one of the guys from my weekly group rides has been wanting to do a night ride at GMR. I might have to give it a thought!

bikeme

Thanks! All gates were open when we went. I could tell some work had been done at several points along the route but didn't think much of it.