A bikepacking adventure through San Diego County, California. Starting from the mountain town of Julian the BFL, Beach, Mountain & Desert Loops showcase the area’s diverse regions, climate and finest riding.
A bikepacking adventure through San Diego County, California. Starting from the mountain town of Julian the BFL, Beach, Mountain & Desert Loops showcase the area’s diverse regions, climate and finest riding.
The Julian Bikepack Challenge was originally created as a 3 loop bikepacking route to highlight the incredibly diverse terrain and scenery around San Diego County. The Beach, Desert and Mountain loops are all a mix of pavement, two track and singletrack trails with varying technical levels. Total distance for all three loops is around 450 miles with over 45,000 feet of elevation gain. Total time to do the entire route will be 4-9 days. Each loop has unique character and challenges, and can be done individually.
A single loop option, known as the BFL, combines parts of each of the 3 loops into a big single loop. This loop is close to 300 miles and over 25,000 feet of elevation gain. Should be doable in 3-6 days.
Currently, there are 2 sections of the route which need to be avoided:
The CA Department of Fish and Wildlife (I believe?) shut down a short section of the trail between Pamo Rd and SR78 (around mile 32 on the BFL). This means the entire 4.5 mile section has to be bypassed by continuing south on Pamo Rd, to West Haverdford Rd onto SR78 heading west to rejoin the route. This highway can carry a lot of traffic at times, so be cautious.
There have been reports that the old Banner Toll Road heading up into Julian (around mile 120 on BFL) is overgrown and torn up, for now stick to the asphalt up Banner Grade then use Wynola & Farmer Rd into Julian.
All the loops start and end at the Julian Pie Company in the mountain town of Julian, CA. The address is 2225 Main Street, Julian, CA 92036. A perfect place to reward yourself with the famous Julian Apple Pie and ice cream after completing a loop! Try to park off the main street away from the front of businesses if you are going to leave your car in Julian.
If you are doing the Beach Loop or the BFL, it may be more convenient to start closer to San Diego, for example at Lake Hodges in Escondido.
This is a tough challenge with a lot of miles and elevation gain in remote areas at times. Do not underestimate how difficult it is to ride a fully loaded bike on dirt and gravel roads. Be realistic with how much distance you can cover taking the elevation gain into account when planning your resupply stops and lodging.
We highly recomend getting a Spot Tracker if you are frequent bikepacker. One of the devices can save your life when you get into trouble.
We highly recommend using a GPS device to navigate. For each loop we provide GPX route files on the Downloads page. Some loops can easily be done without a GPS if you have good maps and competent skills. Other loops involve difficult route finding and we note when a GPS is highly recommended. Obviously you can ride all of these routes without one, but following the GPS tracks will in most cases save you the time spent messing around trying to figure out the right way to go.
While the standard Garmin Edge devices will work, you are following a line on the screen and battery life is generally poor. A GPS device with an interactive map works better for bikepacking. Hiking devices like the Garmin eTrex models work very well and as a bonus can be run of AA batteries or a USB battery pack. Cell phone coverage is generally poor/non-existent in the remote areas, so do not rely solely on a cell phone for navigation and emergencies.
There is no specific bike recommendation for the challenge. A hardtail with regular tires will work well for the Beach Loop, a plus or fat bike for the Desert loop and full-suspension bike for the Mountain Loop. Having said that, you can use whatever you have, whether it’s rigid or full-suspension.
The same can be said for tire selection. There are some rocky sections on the loops, therefore tires with tough sidewalls are recommended. The Desert Loop will have a lot of cactus, so a tubeless conversion is HIGHLY recommended. You will be very busy changing flats otherwise!
All loops have some form of services, but except for the coastal part of the Beach Loop, it will not be very frequent - so plan accordingly. We added POIs (points of interest) to each GPS route, including the general location of services.
While there may be natural sources of water on the loops, you will generally have to stock up whenever you get to a service location. If you decide to use a natural source be sure to treat or filter the water accordingly.
Availability of lodging varies with the remoteness of each loop. Generally the closer to civilization you are the more formal lodging can be found and fewer camping options. Dispersed camping is possible on most of the Desert Loop, but on the Mountain Loop you may want to use the campsites available in the State Park.
The content of this website is purely for informational purposes and is intended as a reference guide. The authors and everyone involved in the creation of this website make no warranty of correctness or thoroughness and disclaim any and all liability from its use. Mountain biking is inherently dangerous and it’s not wise to do this route alone. USE THIS INFORMATION AT YOUR OWN RISK. A Spot tracker would be a smart device to have with you for emergency extraction.
A little taste of San Diego County
The BFL combines parts of the Beach, Desert and Mountain Loops into a single big loop, resulting in the BFL (Big F*****g Loop) acronymn. This is the perfect option to experience the diversity that San Diego County offers if you do not have time to do the 3 loops individually.
The route starts and ends at the Julian Pie Company in Julian. The address is 2225 Main Street, Julian, CA 92036. The route takes you into the Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve following the Coast to Crest trail along scenic back roads over to the San Pasqual Valley where you will be treated to some great singletrack as you work your way over to Lake Hodges in Escondido through the San Dieguito River Park to the beach at Del Mar. You then travel inland again through Penasquitos Canyon to the Trans County Trail into Poway. Then onto Ramona via the back roads. From Ramona you head up into the mountains towards Lake Cuyamaca along some significant climbs.
The route takes us into Cuyamaca Rancho State Park for some great singletrack. The singletrack will have you working your way over to Mount Laguna, which is sure to test your climbing ability. Then the incredible singletrack playground of Mount Laguna awaits you before you are sent down to the desert.
Get ready to put your sand riding skills to the test! The route connects to the Mason Valley Truck Trail which descends down a rocky & technical descent, Oriflamme Canyon, into the amazing Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The first campsite is at Blair Valley and shortly after the first resupply at the Stagecoach Trails RV Resort. We then head into some serious sand along the North Pinyon Mountain Road to the Mine Wash. Follow the washes along SR78 to the Old Borrego Valley Road into Borrego Springs, the only major resupply stop and the Borrego Palm Canyon campground. Out of Borrego Springs a significant asphalt climb up Yaqui Pass Road which takes us to the Yaqui Pass, Tamarisk Grove and Yaqui Well campgrounds. Next some more climbing up the Grapevine Canyon Road lollipop section then back to the Stagecoach Trails RV Resort. Follow the Rodriguez Spur Truck Trail back to SR78 then head up the final tough climb up the Old Banner Road Trail into Julian.
Access to the trails at Lake Poway closes at sunset, at which point you have the option to use Highland Valley Rd to get to Ramona. Look for the bypass route GPX on the downloads page
This loop is long and has some serious elevation gain. The variety of terrain makes bike selection challenging.
Note that there are no resupply options for the first 50 miles until you get to Escondido, so plan accordingly. From this point on there are many resupply options until you get to Poway, which is the last resupply until you get to the Lake Cuyamaca Store. Next resupply is at the Laguna Mountain Store, before the Stagecoach RV Resort in the desert, which is accessible twice a short distance off route. Borrego Springs is the only major resupply point with markets and restaurants. Los Jilberto’s Taco Shop is a favorite bikepacker’s stop.
There is open camping in the Cleveland National Forest between Santa Ysabel and Escondido. There are two campsites along the coast, both tp the north off route, at San Elijo State Beach and South Carlsbad State Beach. If no campsites are available, ask for the Hike or Bike campsite available between 4PM-9AM the next morning. There are also many hotels between Escondido and the coast and in Ramona.
Camping in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park at Green Valley, Granite Springs Primitive, Laguna and Burnt Rancheria campgrounds. The only hotel options is at the Laguna Mountain Lodge. Abundant primitive camping options everywhere in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. There are formal campsites at Blair Valley, Borrego Palm Canyon, Yaqui Pass, Tamarisk Grove and Yaqui Well. Except for Borrego Palm Canyon and Tamarisk Grove, these campgrounds do not have water and only have pit toilets. Tamarisk Grove has a Hike and Bike campsite. A map of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is available HERE.
Ideal time to do this loop is in the fall or spring. In the winter the higher elevations may have snow. In the summer it can get hot at the lower elevations.
Mountains to the beach and back again
The beach loop starts and ends at the Julian Pie Company in Julian. The address is 2225 Main Street, Julian, CA 92036. The route takes you into the Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve following the Coast to Crest trail along scenic back roads over to the San Pasqual Valley where you will be treated to some great singletrack as you work your way over to Lake Hodges in Escondido through the San Dieguito River Park to the beach at Del Mar. You then travel inland again through Penasquitos Canyon to the Trans County Trail into Poway. Then onto Ramona via the back roads. From Ramona you head into the San Diego Country Estates before beginning a singletrack descent to Cedar Creek, and then a demanding uphill dirt finish back to Julian.
Access to the trails at Lake Poway closes at sunset, at which point you have the option to use Highland Valley Rd to get to Ramona. Look for the bypass route GPX on the downloads page
This loop is the least technical of the three loops and can be done on a hardtail with normal tires.
Note that there are no resupply options for the first 50 miles until you get to Escondido, so plan accordingly. From this point on there are many resupply options until you get to Ramona, which is the last resupply until Julian.
There is open camping in the Cleveland National Forest between Santa Ysabel and Escondido. There are two campsites along the coast at San Elijo State Beach and South Carlsbad State Beach. If no campsites are available, ask for the Hike or Bike campsite available between 4PM-9AM the next morning. There are also many hotels between Escondido and the coast and in Ramona.
This loop can be done year round. In the winter the higher elevations may have snow. In the summer it can get hot at the lower elevations before you get to the coast.
Mountains to the desert and back again
The desert loop will put your sand riding skills to the test! The desert loop starts and ends at the Julian Pie Company in Julian. The address is 2225 Main Street, Julian, CA 92036. The route follows SR79 out of Julian to the Mason Valley Truck Trail which descends down the only technical section on this loop, Oriflamme Canyon, into the amazing Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The first campsite is at Blair Valley and shortly after the first resupply at the Stagecoach Trails RV Resort. We then head into some serious sand along the North Pinyon Mountain Road to the Mine Wash. Follow the washes along SR78 to the Old Borrego Valley Road into Borrego Springs, the only major resupply stop and the Borrego Palm Canyon campground. Out of Borrego Springs a tough asphalt climb up Yaqui Pass Road which takes us to the Yaqui Pass, Tamarisk Grove and Yaqui Well campgrounds. Next some more climbing up the Grapevine Canyon Road lollipop section then back to the Stagecoach Trails RV Resort. Follow the Rodriguez Spur Truck Trail back to SR78 then head up the final tough climb up the Old Banner Road Trail into Julian.
Except for an abundance of sand, this loop is largely non-technical. However there is one long, very rocky and steep descent down Oriflamme Canyon. A 27.5+, 29+ or even fat bike will work great on this loop, as the wider tires float over the sand.
Be prepared to carry a little more supplies with you, as you will have fewer resupply points. The Stagecoach RV Resort is accessible twice a short distance off route. Borrego Springs is the only major resupply point with markets and restaurants. Los Jilberto’s Taco Shop is the standard bikepacker’s stop.
Abundant primitive camping options everywhere in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. There are formal campsites at Blair Valley, Borrego Palm Canyon, Yaqui Pass, Tamarisk Grove and Yaqui Well. Except for Borrego Palm Canyon and Tamarisk Grove, these campgrounds do not have water and only have pit toilets. Tamarisk Grove has a Hike and Bike campsite. A map of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is available HERE.
This loop can be done in the fall, winter and spring. In the summer it can get dangerously hot in the desert.
All GPX download files have been reduced to 10,000 points maximum to work on Garmin eTrex devices.
GPX Cue Sheet PDF GPX Lake Poway Bypass
GPX Cue Sheet PDF GPX Lake Poway Bypass
As the Mountain Loop’s twists and turns can be very confusing in the Mount Laguna area, the GPX is split into three sections to make navigation easier.
| Rider(s) | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Kristopher Wehage | 11/10/2019 | 2 days, 14 hours, 56 minutes |
| Miles Arbour & McCullen Drake-Murphy | 10/22/2018 | 3 days, 10 hours, 33 minutes |
| Joe & Kristen Tonsager | 4/4/2019 | 4 days, 4 hours, 26 minutes |
| Rider(s) | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Shane Wesley | 09/04/2016 | 22 hours, 2 min |
| Rich Wolf | 04/20/2016 | 1 day, 1 hours, 52 minutes |
| Sam Johnstone | 10/24/2015 | 1 day, 3 hours |
| Rick Rhetoret & Johan Cronje | 10/24/2015 | 1 day, 4 hours, 39 minutes |
| Rich Wolf & Shirley DuErmit (TANDEM) | 10/24/2015 | 1 day, 19 hours, 30 minutes |
| Rider(s) | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Rich Wolf | 04/16/2016 | 1 day, 11 hours, 41 minutes |
| Johan Cronje | 04/17/2016 | 1 day, 18 hours, 57 minutes |
| Rich Wolf & Sharon Sell | 10/27/2015 | 2 days, 5 hours, 30 minutes |
| Steve Boland (With a bike change!) | 10/25/2015 | 2 days, 9 hours |
| Rider(s) | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Shane Wesley | 09/17/2016 | 16 hours, 43 minutes |
| Rich Wolf | 04/18/2016 | 1 day, 2 hours, 53 minutes |
| Rich Wolf & Johan Cronje | 11/14/2015 | 1 day, 6 hours, 8 minutes |
Send me a GPX file or your start-to-finish (not Strava, i.e. moving time) if you want to be added.
