Mountain biking around Los Angeles starts with one question: are bikes allowed on this trail? On most of the Backbone Trail, yes. On Griffith Park’s dirt, no. The clubs below post mountain bike rides around LA, with the date and distance of each one’s next ride.
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Where to mountain bike in Los Angeles
Check access first, because the rules change from one park agency to the next. The Backbone Trail runs 67 miles along the Santa Monica Mountains, and bikes are allowed on about 43 of them; they’re banned in the Boney Mountain Wilderness and on sections too steep, narrow or winding for shared use. In the Angeles National Forest, bikes are allowed on every trail outside designated Wilderness and the Pacific Crest Trail.
In the western Santa Monica Mountains, Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyon near Agoura Hills is a National Park Service site open to mountain biking. In the Verdugos, La Tuna Canyon Trail is bike-legal singletrack, climbing about 975 feet in roughly 2.25 miles from La Tuna Canyon Road to the Verdugo Motorway, the main ridge fire road. On the Burbank side, the smaller trails are hiking only.
In the San Gabriels, the Mt. Lukens Truck Trail climbs about 2,800 feet in 7.5 miles from the Angeles Crest Fire Station to the summit, the highest point in the City of Los Angeles at just over 5,000 feet. Above the Arroyo Seco next to JPL, the classic loop climbs the Fern Truck Trail, drops down the Brown Mountain fire road and finishes on El Prieto, a technical singletrack with tight switchbacks and stream crossings. Call it 8.3 miles and 1,260 feet of climbing. Above Arcadia, the Chantry Flat trails, including Upper Winter Creek, reopened in April 2025; expect lots of hikers.
East of downtown, Turnbull Canyon above Whittier is part of the Puente Hills Preserve, which the Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority calls extremely popular with cyclists. Bikes are allowed unless a trail is posted against them, the speed limit is 15 mph, e-bikes must be Class 1, and trailheads are open 9 am to 5 pm (6 pm June through September).
The 2025 fires closed some of LA’s best-known trails. Above Altadena, the Eaton Fire closure order keeps Sam Merrill, Echo Mountain, Mount Lowe, Castle Canyon and Idlehour closed through December 31, 2027. Sunset Ridge, Dawn Mine, Tom Sloane and Bear Canyon reopened in January 2026, and Brown Mountain and El Prieto aren’t on the closure list. LA County Trails (trails.lacounty.gov) lists current alerts.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I mountain bike near Los Angeles?
Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyon near Agoura Hills, the bike-legal sections of the Backbone Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains, La Tuna Canyon Trail in the Verdugo Mountains, the Mt. Lukens Truck Trail and the El Prieto loop in the San Gabriel Mountains, and Turnbull Canyon in the Puente Hills above Whittier.
Are mountain bikes allowed on the Backbone Trail?
On most of it. The National Park Service allows bikes on about 43 of the Backbone Trail’s 67 miles. They’re banned in the Boney Mountain Wilderness and on sections too steep, narrow or winding for shared use. Check the National Park Service Backbone Trail map before you ride.
Which Altadena trails are closed after the Eaton Fire?
Sam Merrill, Echo Mountain, Mount Lowe, Castle Canyon, Idlehour and the lower Mt. Wilson Toll Road. The Angeles National Forest’s Eaton Fire closure order, extended in January 2026, keeps them shut through December 31, 2027. Sunset Ridge, Dawn Mine, Tom Sloane and Bear Canyon reopened in January 2026.
Is El Prieto open to mountain bikes after the Eaton Fire?
Yes. El Prieto and the Brown Mountain fire road, above the Arroyo Seco next to JPL in Altadena, aren’t on the 2026 Eaton Fire closure list, and the Forest Service allows bikes on Angeles National Forest trails outside designated Wilderness and the Pacific Crest Trail. The common loop climbs the Fern Truck Trail and descends Brown Mountain to the El Prieto singletrack: about 8.3 miles and 1,260 feet of climbing. Check Angeles National Forest alerts before you go.
How do you ride up Mt. Lukens?
Take the Mt. Lukens Truck Trail, a dirt road that climbs about 2,800 feet in 7.5 miles from the Angeles Crest Fire Station. At just over 5,000 feet, Mt. Lukens is the highest point in the City of Los Angeles. Check Angeles National Forest alerts before riding.
Can I mountain bike in Griffith Park?
No. Griffith Park’s dirt trails are officially closed to bikes, so head to the Verdugos or the Santa Monica Mountains instead. The park’s paved roads are open to bikes, including Griffith Park Drive between Travel Town and Mt. Hollywood Drive, closed to cars since 2022.
How do clubs end up on this page?
A club shows up here when it has posted a mountain bike ride on RiderFinder or Strava in the last 90 days, or has one coming up in the next 30. We never add a club because of its name or description, so the list reflects rides clubs actually post.