| Description: | The most technical part of the motorcycle trail system in south-central San Rafael Swell. Five Miles of Hell form a part of about 17 mile loop as pictured, in which Hell is actually about 7 miles long, but, those two miles might be the more mellow sections. The trail is not for faint heart, it will redefine the word technical to most people. Be prepared to walk, and descend and ascend very often. Only people with exceptional skills or those who like hiking should attempt the whole loop.
Being warned, here's the lowdown. I camped near the western end of the loop, rode down a well tracked road to trail registry between Twin Knolls. Red Trail, nicknamed 5 miles of Hell, starts here. First mile or so is pretty mellow, but after the intersection turning left (straight is an easy version of Red Trail going to Iron Wash) things get gnarly very quickly. Many people will probably want to take the first bailout point, only about 2/3 mile air distance (1.8 mile of trail) from the start. Looks like three bikers whose tracks I saw before me did the same, though they seem to have cleared more stuff than I did. By the way, normal pedals (non-clipless) and as much suspension as possible would probably be quite helpful. I felt like the first part was the worst (most often stopping and pushing). The trail continues sort of south-east, with two other bailout possibilities.It's still quite hard, but, there are some longer sections of uninterrupted riding. It's another 2 miles or so of tough riding after the last bailout, the rest is a relatively mellow downhill. The first third of the ride back is not as easy as it may look, the trail is pretty rocky and bumpy, the rest is quite pleasant. Still anything is better than Five Miles of Hell. |
