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View Full Version : Driving Roads. So Cal.



Benbrg
01-11-2012, 06:20 PM
Post your favorite roads! So Cal only.

I am new to driving in general so I don't have much to contribute. The best roads that I have been on so far are:

CA 41. It is the road to Yosemite National Park. Its most noticeable feature is the smoothness of the roads. It starts as a windy two-lane. Towards the middle, the coarse tightens up, perfect for 3rd to 2nd gear downshifts. It is about a 20 minute drive.

CA 178. The road is between Lake Isabella and Bakersfield. It is an interesting road. Although most left hand turns are tight, most right turns in the road are sweepers, allowing for more speed. The road can be pitted and filled with debris in places, due to its main use as an access road for semis and transport vehicles. It is a dangerous road during the day and dusk due to the semis taking up a lane and a half. Be careful, because towards the end of the road (heading from Bakersfield to Isabella), it becomes disorienting. The rythm is lost. a tight right hander followed immediately by a sharp left switchback have put many vehicles into the rock. This is a 10 minute drive.

Grumpy
01-11-2012, 06:43 PM
Pretty much anything in the Malibu canyons, though these are a couple of my favorites:

http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy213/askut/carstuff/map2.jpg

Also the 33 past Ojai. much less traveled than the Malibu canyons

ahrut7
01-11-2012, 07:10 PM
GMR and Azusa are my play ground :)

Ted7
01-11-2012, 08:24 PM
http://www.pashnit.com/ridemap/ridemap.php

Schain
01-11-2012, 08:43 PM
There is a pretty mild road that I enjoy in South Orange County called Trabuco Canyon Road/Live Oak Canyon Road.

MiataLife
01-11-2012, 09:01 PM
^ i go through that canyon at least once a week...short and fun! ..I live just a few minutes away!

JSanker
01-11-2012, 09:39 PM
I love driving on CA-18 up to and through Big Bear. Up there are some of the funnest roads I've driven on.

Neocataboi
01-11-2012, 09:53 PM
I like the CA-18 too, but i only drive up to arrowhead and back typically. Another quick drive i take is up Lytle creek road, (north on Sierra Ave and the I-15), it is about 5 min away from my place, mainly long high speed sweepers with apexes right in the meat of 3rd. i like it because it is just so close to home.

GMR scares me though; too many bicyclists, and people driving beyond their limits. i just recommend staying away.

thedguy
01-11-2012, 09:56 PM
178 is good, but it's entirely way too busy, though at least the locals are willing to use the turnouts for faster traffic.
Kern county is honestly a fucking gold mine of good driving roads that almost no one has heard of. Shame they are in Kern county.

243 into Idyllwild is good bit of fun, if you take it to 74 toward Palm springs it's kind of a trip. You'll hit just about every time of terrain and climate going up and coming back down.

LOL
01-11-2012, 10:05 PM
Gmr used to be so good. I've been going up to ACH Sunday mornings

ahrut7
01-11-2012, 10:07 PM
I like the CA-18 too, but i only drive up to arrowhead and back typically. Another quick drive i take is up Lytle creek road, (north on Sierra Ave and the I-15), it is about 5 min away from my place, mainly long high speed sweepers with apexes right in the meat of 3rd. i like it because it is just so close to home.

GMR scares me though; too many bicyclists, and people driving beyond their limits. i just recommend staying away.

i dont ever go during the day always at night reason so i can see on coming cars or anything else with lights on it also always go in a group plenty of bad things go wrong up there besides ppl pushing their car beyond their own limits (theft, stabbing, gun point etc.... stupid ppl that messes everything up)

Small White Car
01-11-2012, 10:15 PM
Glendora Ridge Road. One lane, that's right, ONE.

Turnbull Canyon is about a half mile from my door, grew up on that road, have taken to driving it backwards at speed... Blindfolded.

:p

ahrut7
01-11-2012, 10:39 PM
^^ LOL >.< backwards ehhh

Benbrg
01-12-2012, 05:09 AM
Make video, get famous. ^^

emtran
01-12-2012, 06:50 AM
I dont have much experience but I like Carbon Canyon. Fairly easy and a decent length. It used to be a local road for me before moving from Chino Hills.

Mexican_Guy
01-12-2012, 01:08 PM
any road without cops it cool xD

Neocataboi
01-12-2012, 01:54 PM
I dont have much experience but I like Carbon Canyon. Fairly easy and a decent length. It used to be a local road for me before moving from Chino Hills.

I can take carbon canyon at speeds that are way too unsafe, there is way too much traffic, and way too many locals to really have fun, the whole thing is at the top of 4th into 5th gear. I only like the two hair pins at the chino side.

ahrut7
01-12-2012, 05:15 PM
I can take carbon canyon at speeds that are way too unsafe, there is way too much traffic, and way too many locals to really have fun, the whole thing is at the top of 4th into 5th gear. I only like the two hair pins at the chino side.

yup way!!!!!!!!!!!! too much traffic carbon canyon isnt that fun unless u get completely no traffic which is very hard bc there is always traffic

emtran
01-12-2012, 05:44 PM
Yeah there is uaually a lot of traffic in the day time but at night you can usually run no problem

EMMI
01-12-2012, 08:01 PM
carbon canyon feels fun in a bimmer... not a miata

JSanker
01-12-2012, 11:18 PM
I like the CA-18 too, but i only drive up to arrowhead and back typically. Another quick drive i take is up Lytle creek road, (north on Sierra Ave and the I-15), it is about 5 min away from my place, mainly long high speed sweepers with apexes right in the meat of 3rd. i like it because it is just so close to home.

GMR scares me though; too many bicyclists, and people driving beyond their limits. i just recommend staying away.

Please don't stop at Arrowhead lol. Let me show you what you're missing:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6687967213_0e34893de2_b.jpg

That's over 100 miles of straight up curves. One thing I love about the roads are that they are always paved well. This route is from the MR2OC forum 'Rim of the World' annual cruise.


carbon canyon feels fun in a bimmer... not a miata

What!? Every canyon feels good in a miata! :)

itzzspencer
01-12-2012, 11:37 PM
I can't help but notice that it seems like I am the only one who feels this way. How exactly is canyon running? How do you push your car to the limit? I feel like I'd be too scared seeing a side of a mountain, as well as having the possibility of spinning out and falling off. Am I the only paranoid parrot? :(

CeeJaayDM
01-12-2012, 11:39 PM
GMR and Azusa are my play ground :)

i'm always at GMR and been thru ridge and mt baldy but I always hear people saying that they're gonna go through azusa.... is azusa connected to gmr or something ?
just curious.

azntaiji
01-12-2012, 11:42 PM
This = fun! You can't tell much from the map, but all corners are highly banked. :D

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6688061389_b812b07d02_b.jpg

Pretty dangerous, lots of people have died on this road. Thank god there are guard rails.

CeeJaayDM
01-12-2012, 11:48 PM
I can't help but notice that it seems like I am the only one who feels this way. How exactly is canyon running? How do you push your car to the limit? I feel like I'd be too scared seeing a side of a mountain, as well as having the possibility of spinning out and falling off. Am I the only paranoid parrot? :(

don't even worry about canyon running. back when i was 16 that's all i cared about and wanted to be faster than everyone else.

then you grow up and realize you're doing it for the fun and excitement. not for bragging rights.

don't be scared and try going up one of those mountain or canyon roads during a sunrise or sunset and have a nice cruise with the top down going at your own pace.

as you do it more and more you'll naturally get a little faster and be braver thru some turns and that's where some people will mistake you for 'canyon running' cus' you can make your way up and down the road decently fast.

Enjoy the roads !

The Driver
01-12-2012, 11:55 PM
Pretty much anything in the Malibu canyons, though these are a couple of my favorites:

http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy213/askut/carstuff/map2.jpg

Also the 33 past Ojai. much less traveled than the Malibu canyons

Read my sig...


:encouragement:

thedguy
01-13-2012, 12:37 AM
I can't help but notice that it seems like I am the only one who feels this way. How exactly is canyon running? How do you push your car to the limit? I feel like I'd be too scared seeing a side of a mountain, as well as having the possibility of spinning out and falling off. Am I the only paranoid parrot? :(

I can't vouch for some of the others, but I don't "run the canyons." I never get to a speed I don't feel I can make a sudden, significant adjustment in case something is in the road or some ass hat is coming at me cause he's driving both lanes.

kung fu jesus
01-13-2012, 12:50 AM
almost straight as an arrow and smooth like buttah!

1432

JTninja
01-13-2012, 01:47 AM
I like how you stopped it before San Juan Capo, thats not buttah there :D

Ortega is good when there's no traffic...

kung fu jesus
01-13-2012, 01:51 AM
This is the typical SoCal reaction to people driving the 5 in and out of SJC:

OMG!! A CURVE! *brake*

You can substitute 'curve' with 'raindrop', 'flashing light', or 'pidgeon having sex with a guardrail' to the same effect.

JTninja
01-13-2012, 02:42 AM
So freakin true. They have no problem running 15+ over the limit on the streets or freeways, yet as soon as a single drop falls, suddenly everyones doing 35 on the streets and maybe 60 on the I-5....My other car is a 8 cylinder AWD wagon, lots of fun when it rains ;)

Benbrg
01-13-2012, 02:51 AM
I can't help but notice that it seems like I am the only one who feels this way. How exactly is canyon running? How do you push your car to the limit? I feel like I'd be too scared seeing a side of a mountain, as well as having the possibility of spinning out and falling off. Am I the only paranoid parrot? :(

On a road that I don't know, I have the most fun by finding a car ahead so that I can gauge cornering speed on. Usually it's a slow SUV so it never gets too fast, and I try to keep a reasonable distance behind them while using them as a guide. For a tip, to run fast and clean, look into the apex (or the tightest, usually middle) point of the corner. On left hand turns, the center divider. On right handers, the reflective poles on the side of the road.

EMMI
01-13-2012, 03:25 AM
i still like gmr after all these years

Small White Car
01-13-2012, 10:57 PM
Spencer pay attention man, every now and again I'll get six or two other cars to go run ACH or Little T or you can try and chase MidniteMiata (Mike) anywhere in the middle of the night and you wont have to worry about falling off the mountainside or slamming the hill side...

You'll never see it.

:p

SISKO
01-14-2012, 05:25 AM
i went for a cruise to gmr during the day once and they were having this bike event lol it was the lamest cruise ever lol!!! there were so many cops making sure they didnt get run over by cars! never been there during the night cus of all the bad things i hear but ill probably go check it out atleast once!

itzzspencer
01-14-2012, 07:55 AM
Spencer pay attention man, every now and again I'll get six or two other cars to go run ACH or Little T or you can try and chase MidniteMiata (Mike) anywhere in the middle of the night and you wont have to worry about falling off the mountainside or slamming the hill side...

You'll never see it.

:p

..... ill never see it cause id be flying off a mountain lol

Schain
01-14-2012, 02:22 PM
Are there any other good roads besides Trabuco Canyon Road/Live Oak Canyon Road where the only threats are trees... not cliffs lol

Bob Loblaw
01-15-2012, 12:39 AM
^lol

I enjoy Little Tujunga, Redbox Canyon, Big T, Aliso Canyon, Bouquet, Pine Canyon, and ORR on top of the others listed.

74 from Palm Desert to Idyllwild and 243 down to Banning are what I cut my teeth on.

Neocataboi
01-15-2012, 12:53 AM
Please don't stop at Arrowhead lol. Let me show you what you're missing:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6687967213_0e34893de2_b.jpg

That's over 100 miles of straight up curves. One thing I love about the roads are that they are always paved well. This route is from the MR2OC forum 'Rim of the World' annual cruise.



What!? Every canyon feels good in a miata! :)

the reason i dont do the whole thing is typically because of time constraints. I've done the whole route a few times, in a huge chevy panel van (not fun) back when i used to do home theater installs.

ahrut7
01-15-2012, 10:44 PM
i'm always at GMR and been thru ridge and mt baldy but I always hear people saying that they're gonna go through azusa.... is azusa connected to gmr or something ?
just curious.
yes it is connected

Small White Car
01-15-2012, 10:53 PM
Azusa (39) to East Fork and turn right, you come to the bottom of Glendora Mountain Road backside, run this to the fork and turn left and take Glendora Ridge Road to Mt Baldy.


Then turn around and run it back.

Small White Car
01-15-2012, 10:59 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN9HBtuTbf8


Skip ahead to about 1:25 and you can (barely) see me leading JonB and the guy with the camera down Tuna Canyon in Malibu.

Fun run, down hill, one lane.

Thankfully it's one way and the bicyclists tend to shy away from it as most of it is as wide as a South Central alley.


:slayer:

kung fu jesus
01-15-2012, 11:18 PM
Are there any other good roads besides Trabuco Canyon Road/Live Oak Canyon Road where the only threats are trees... not cliffs lol

Some of the backroads in the orchards between Lake Elsinore and Escondido are pretty cool. Have to be careful because the fallen oranges and stuff can make some of the corners a little slick.

Bob Loblaw
01-16-2012, 01:04 AM
This was something I mapped out last summer I would like to do this spring.

I call it the Iron Bottom 500 (http://g.co/maps/pgbqm)

thedguy
01-16-2012, 10:48 PM
This was something I mapped out last summer I would like to do this spring.

I call it the Iron Bottom 500 (http://g.co/maps/pgbqm)

Holy fuck! I kind of want to try it. I've done nearly all of it, just never considered 1 go.

Benbrg
01-16-2012, 11:15 PM
Kern River Canyon. No traffic, no people. Then out of nowhere, there's two cows in the middle of the road. They wouldn't move.

But miata was hungry. :domo:

AARP
01-16-2012, 11:37 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN9HBtuTbf8


Skip ahead to about 1:25 and you can (barely) see me leading JonB and the guy with the camera down Tuna Canyon in Malibu.

Fun run, down hill, one lane.

Thankfully it's one way and the bicyclists tend to shy away from it as most of it is as wide as a South Central alley.


:slayer:

I was about 3-5 minutes behind you guys on that run. Still can't believe I never saw anyone else the whole day :D

Though fading brakes and bald 912's aren't a lotta fun on Tuna. :teehee:

Epileptic
01-17-2012, 12:05 AM
Cooks Corner and Modjeska(sp?) are the two local roads i like to cruise through.

kung fu jesus
01-17-2012, 12:57 AM
Too many cops and bicyclists.

Paul
01-20-2012, 01:34 PM
Highway 33 from Ojai to 166 was awesome. There's another loop back down on Cerro Noroeste Rd / Forrest Highway 95 to the 5. I've heard that is great but I haven't made it out there. Plenty of open road without bicyclists or cops. Just some motorcycles.