Some people ride to live, others live to ride. So far I've met two of the latter type of individuals, the first was my good buddy Dick West, and the second would appear to be Neil Wyenn. Not surprisingly, Neil and Dick were friends before Dick and I were.

At any rate, Neil has managed to ride nearly every Saturday since he purchased his new XR-250, about 6 months ago. Now some of that has to do with the fact that his wife works every Saturday, but most of it is his insatiable thirst to see as much of Southern California from the seat of a motorcycle as he can.

Part of that dream happened this Saturday when Neil and I got together at one of the closest riding areas in the Angeles National Forest, Rowher Flats, which used to be called Texas Canyon when I first rode there. This area is about 10 miles from Newhall on the Sierra Highway as you head toward Palmdale. Much like Gorman, it was originally discovered by dirt riders who happened on a great riding area and came back again and again to enjoy what the area had to offer. Eventually, the people responsible for the area realized that they had a winner and organized and developed the area. Of course, some of the area was closed off to protect the wildflowers and preserve the "resources", but enough of original area remains to make for a full day's riding.

Map of the Rowher Flats Area; Trail That We Rode In Yellow Highlight

To compensate for closing some of the area, the Forest Service has cut some new trails. Altogether, the area offers 33 miles of designated and maintained trails. Now, 33 miles of trails doesn't sound like a lot, but considering the type of terrain that these trails run through, I'd wager that most riders would not be able to do all the trails in a single day of riding. For those that can, the area has a trail that drops down into Bouquet Canyon and ties the area to the north called Drinkwater Flats. From there, a network of dirt roads and trails allow one to traverse the northern arm of the Angeles Forest, nearly to Hungry Valley and the Los Padres National Forest.

To show you how much Neil likes to ride, I should point out that when we met at the staging area around 11 AM, he had already spent much of the morning playing a game of ice hockey. He noted that every time he seems to be having a good game, he has to leave early, and this day was no exception. As it turned out, I think it was worth the sacrifice because the conditions on this particular day were excellent. We had a series of 3 storms sweep through the area, with the last being two days before the ride. Needless to say, the air was crisp and clean, there was no dust and awesome traction, and the snow on the surrounding mountains yielded some incredible vistas.

Staging Area with Ride-On Loading Ramp

Typical Vista on the Day We Rode

Because of the closeness to the San Fernando Valley, Neil rides this area quite a bit, whereas I had not been here for at least five years because it is a long drive through the heart of Los Angeles. As a result, there were quite a few new trails that I hadn't seen or ridden before. The Forest Service had been busy cutting new trails in the South and East parts of the area, and I found the trails to be well laid out and to offer some challenging and enjoyable routes.

Typical Trails Near the Staging Areas

Time for a Picture Break

The area offers two types of riding, tight twisty trails down in the valley area, and some challenging hill climbs up on the face of the mountain. Neil and I decided to warm up down in the valley and took some of the newer trails in the South East section of the area. I particularly liked a loop that we put together that joined the Texas Trail with the Mine Trail. These two twisty trails paralleled and then crossed the old Texas Canyon Road, showing off some excellent fall colors is the trees down near the stream in the process.

Good Form is Required to Avoid the puddle

Some Fall Color in Trees Near the Stream

After running these two trails, Neil and I felt sufficiently warmed up to try our luck at the highland trails. As luck would have it, we probably chose the one trial that the conditions would not allow us to complete. The Falls Trail is fairly steep but reasonable straight ascent to the areas mountain crest. Unfortunately for us, the recent rains turned a short, shady, rocky section of the trail into an impassable challenge for us. The shortness of the stretch precluded get much of a run at the mud-slickened rock section, and after several tries we decided to turn around and find a different route to the top. You will notice that the yellow highlight on the Falls Trail is not completed. Maybe next time!

Falls Trail from the Suzy's Cockpit

Close-Up View of Muddy Rock Section

We retreated back to the staging area, and after a brief lunch, remounted and headed in different direction in search of a more rider-friendly trail. This time we found a trail that was just as steep but had seen some sunlight. We started out on Stage Trail and then transitioned onto Knob Trail, which had a few narrow, washed out challenging sections. Eventually we connected with Rowher Trail that took us to the top of the peak. The rains had caused some significant erosion on the Rowher trail and one had to carefully pick their line in order to make the top. I had one false start that left me across two rain ruts and gave me a chance to practice the K-turn and kick-stand pivot turns (follow link for more info) that I had learned in a previous motorcycle safety class conducted by the SBNFA OHV Volunteers. These techniques were especially handy because Neil had taken a different route and made the hill the first time. I'm not sure I could have handled the situation alone without the information that I picked up taking that class.

View from the Bottom of the Trail

Less-Intimidating When Seen from the Top

From the top of the Rowher Trail, we connected with Pelona Road and followed it across the mountain. The Pelona Fire Outlook tower had long since been dismantled and all that remained was the concrete footings that supported it. As we continued along the ridge, Bouquet Reservoir came into view, and then we came to the head of the trail that leads down into Bouquet Canyon and on to Drinkwater Flats. Some of the areas around the Flats were closed to allow the land to recover from the recent fires, but if one is dual sported, they can still access the Discovery Trail that leads across the northern portion of the Angeles and all the way to Hungry Valley SVRA.

[Try the following route: Drop down to Bouquet Canyon Road on the trail. On the Eastern edge of Bouquet reservoir is the intersection of Spunky Canyon Road and Bouquet Canyon Road. Take Spunky West to San Francisquito Canyon Road. Go North on S. F. Canyon road to Elizabeth Lake Road. Go West on E. L. Road about 5 miles to Lake Hughes Road. Then go left on L. H. Road for about 200 yards. On the right is the entrance/staging area for 7N08 that eventually leads you to the "old ridge route" - about 25 miles of scenic mountain top vistas (one way) with NO facilities - so make sure you have enough Gas, Food and water for the return trip.]

Bouquet Reservoir with Snow in Foreground

Trail Head Leading to Drinkwater Flat

At any rate the light was beginning to fade, so we decided to stick with the road down the face of the mountain. Fall Canyon Road (6N07) is a well maintained forest access road that traverses the face of the mountain and ties into 6N14 (Texas Canyon Road) which took us back to the staging area in time for both of us to make pre-existing dinner dates.

The ride, which short and sweet, gave us both the workout and the riding experience that we sought without a long tiring ride up the hill to Gorman or the mountain top riding areas of the San Bernardino National Forest. We both made a mental note to soon return to the area and try our luck on the Discovery Trail.