Adobe Trail
(Andy Marinello finds some downhill on the Adobe Trail)
This ride is for climbers…period. If you like big climbs and big views then the 18.5 mile loop Adobe Trail is the one for you. Most of the ride is cleanable, but there are sections that will challenge the best of riders. Look out for Off Road Vehicles at the bottom, bring plenty of water and food, and watch the weather. This is not a ride to be done in the rain or heat. This is a fall or spring ride, and not ride-able in the mud.
Take highway 166 east towards Bakersfield out of Santa Maria. Make sure to zero your car odometer as soon as you get on 166. At the 22 mile mark, you will pass a small gated lot on the left hand side. This is where you will eventually pick up the Adobe Trail after you drop off your car. Continue driving until you reach the Rock Front Ranch at 26 miles. Turn left onto the dirt road and find a place to park. There is a great spot just inside the turn off, but if you drive farther, you will find plenty of places to park.
Park your car and set your bike odometer to zero. You should definitely get a map for this one (Fat Tire Fun has a good one, although a bit outdated) and should check mileage with trail descriptions often as there are many different places to make a wrong turn. A wrong turn on this trail would not be good…unfortunately I know this from a previous ride here.
Hop back on 166 west and ride almost all downhill to the first lot you saw on your way in. You will reach the gate at the 4 mile mark. Enter the gate and begin your long, steep, climb up a cliff hanging single track. Once you gain some elevation, look down and you’ll be able to see the old adobe just off the right hand side of a lot not too far to the east of the gate. Keep climbing.
You will reach your first top at just past the 5 mile mark. A well earned downhill to the creek bottom rewards you for your efforts. The trail is pretty tight here with a soft shoulder, and somewhat overgrown, so ride with care. At 5.5 miles you’ll reach a cattle trough and some much needed shade. This is a good place to break for lunch.
Keep climbing while you parallel the creek. The single track gets steep here, and you may need to walk a bit as you near the top at just past 6 miles. You are now on a long spine that rolls to the left. Take the steep single track upward, and duck under a gate until you reach a single track that drops to the right at the 6.5 mile mark.
Finally, some downhill. Drop down the single track and you’ll soon reach the first of a handful of cattle ponds. Hoof it across the mini damn and proceed upward again just off to the right. At just past the 7 mile mark you will reach a fire road that has a single track that parallels the road.
Turn right at the fire road and enjoy the short lived rolling terrain. You’ll reach a green gate at 7.5 miles. When you hop the gate, you will officially be on Twin Rocks Road. Twin Rocks Road is a shortcut if you’d like to cut some miles of your ride. This road will take you all the way to the tail end of Branch Creek Road, which you will read a lot about soon.
Climb steeply up Twin Rocks Road for a short stint until you arrive at a Y. Left is Shaw Ridge Road, you want to stay right and proceed to the next Y, Logan Ridge ORV Road.
There is a small cattle pond that is hard to see if you aren’t looking. Take this second Y left and begin dropping. If you continue right at the fork, you’ll find that short cut to the end of the ride, but you’ll pay for the shorter distance with some really big climbs.
After turning left at the second Y (Logan Ridge) you’ll drop for miles until you reach a well defined cattle pen at about 11 miles. You have at long last reached Branch Creek Road.
Warning: The ranchers out there have built fences and gates with NO Trespassing signs. So far as I know, the roads are public, but you should contact the Ranger Station before riding. Currently there is a fence with a No Trespassing sign posted by the Tranquillity Ranch. It is nearly at the bottom of Logan Ridge. We had to hop it and ride about a half mile until we cleared the so called private property line. Stay on the main road until you hit that cattle pen. Do not drop of to the left or right. You’ll reach a pipe fence at the bottom of the hill, too. Hop over it and turn right on Branch Creek Road.
Stay on Branch Creek Road for the next 7 miles. Some of the road is the creek, so be prepared to ride on baby heads and in sand. You’ll reach the Big Rocks area (you’ll know it when you do…they’re really big) at the 16 mile mark. The road steepens again, but fortunately on pavement, to the top of your last climb. Enjoy the last 1.5 miles as you can coast to your car, ending at 18.5 miles (Miller Time).
