Santa Clarita Spin

Placerita Loop Bike Ride

Santa Clarita is the bike-friendly host city for stage 5 of this year's Tour of California. The pros will cross the finish line here, but you'll get to see more on a 22.5-mile loop that includes scenic roads used in past tours, along with nicely paved bike trails that the pros don't get to enjoy. The Placerita Loop is a city-to-country ride that begins with 9.5 miles on paved bike paths. Even during the urban portion of this ride, you'll catch sight of the mountains that frame the Santa Clarita Valley. The scenery becomes more country style as you turn up Sand Canyon Road, pedaling past horse ranches in the foothills of the San Gabriels. The green ridges of the mountains rise straight ahead. You might expect the ascent to be over as you swing onto Placerita Canyon Road, but the ride throws one final climb in your path before you can basically cruise back down to Santa Clarita. But don't whiz by too fast! You'll miss your chance to see the Marshall Homestead Ruins in Golden Valley Ranch Open Space as well as Placerita Canyon. Great Santa Clarita!

TIP: Follow a map of the Placerita Loop provided by Bike Santa Clarita, but switch the starting point to Newhall Park (near mile marker 21), which is just before the start of the bike path and has easy parking and plenty of grass to stretch out on after your ride.

From Newhall Park (24923 Newhall Ave. in Santa Clarita), bike north past the end of Newhall Ave. and turn right onto South Fork River Trail. Pass below Magic Mountain Pkwy. and turn onto Chuck Pontius Commuter Trail, which makes its way east, crossing the river to Santa Clara River Trail. Ten miles in, when the bike path ends, turn left below CA-14, and make a right turn on Soledad Canyon Rd. Right turns on Sand Canyon Rd. and Placerita Canyon Rd. take you into the mountains and back to Santa Clarita. Go through an odd pedestrian gate at the bottom of Placerita Canyon Rd. and make your way back to Newhall Park.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Napa's Art of the Matter

    Downtown Napa uncorks more than just excellent wine. Art has firmly established itself along the walkways and parkways in the area, punctuated by an annual ArtWalk (year-round) and a temporary Lighted Art Festival.

    View
  2. Animal Encounters

    Located where Redding’s famous Sundial Bridge overlooks the Sacramento River, Turtle Bay Exploration Park is 300 acres of gardens, a museum and playground, aquarium, and unforgettable up-close animal encounters!

    View
  3. Tamtastic Sunset

    Sure, the East Peak of Mount Tam is absolutely spectacular at sunset, but some magic-hour enthusiasts are onto a fresh perspective in getting a little more personal space for their panoramic viewings.

    View
  4. Hike Artdoors

    Add a little color to your new year. This 3-mile loop through the Montalvo Arts Center mixes the beauty of the natural world with local artists’ creations.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Locals' Feature: Max Smith of Moment Skis

    Meet Max Smith, VP of Moment Skis in Reno, Nevada. Moment is the largest ski manufacturer in the US and you can see how their innovative and artistic skis are made by visiting Moment Skis headquarters in Reno. The Factory is where the magic happens, so drop in for a visit and say hi to the team, including employee dogs who are on quality control.

    View
  2. Sundialed

    Redding is home to one of the world’s most famous pedestrian-only bridges—the Sundial Bridge was created by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava (its sister bridges are in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Seville, Spain). The glass-deck bridge across the Sacramento River is a true sundial....

    View
  3. Mural Roll

    Redding’s bikeshare program encourages biking in and around the city, including downtown. It’s a fun way to see some of the city’s mural art while also stopping for lunch at one of the newest restaurants, Pipeline Craft Taps and Kitchen.

    View
  4. View from Keys View Joshua Tree

    Trio of Trails

    Get into Joshua Tree National Park Park early and hit the classic circuit of short trails before the crowds arrive. We also have some food and overnight recos.

    View