El Prieto Mountain Bike Trail - Full Pull.

I've only ridden El Prieto once, but it was one of the funnest trails I've ridden. This trail keeps you on your toes as it takes you through constantly varying terrain. With tight and rocky switchbacks, fast flowing sections, sem-steep rock gardens, stream crossings, and more, El Prieto delivers all the good things that a classic canyon trail can offer.
LINKS
TASCO MTB tasco-mtb-2.kckb.st/mtbalan
The Path Bike Shop www.thepathbikeshop.com/
This is a full-pull, so you get to see the full trail from where it splits from Fern Truck Trail to where it drops you at the start of the Brown Mountain climb.
I didn't climb Brown to get to El Prieto as this was the end of a loop that had taken us up Echo Mountain, down Sunset Ridge Trail, and the finally to El Prieto.
I hope you dig this full-pull.
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[@mtb_alan]

If you haven’t ridden the El Prieto mountain bike trail, hopefully this top-to-bottom look at the trail will give you enough reason (and familiarity) to get out there and experience this awesome trail.

[@BEAR-]

MTB Project rates this a black diamond. What do you think? On video it seems fairly tame.

[@mtb_alan]

🤔 What are a couple trails that you would consider black diamonds?

[@BEAR-]

@@mtb_alan The Luge, Hillyer, Golden Eagle.

[@mtb_alan]

@@BEAR- got it. Of those I’ve only ridden The Luge. Based on that, I would say El Prieto may qualify as a black diamond for ya.

[@BEAR-]

@@mtb_alan sooo, I agree after watching the biking Viking hit this trail. You just make it look super easy. Haha. You rock. I’m still wanting to head up there for the gabrielino dam trail though.

[@angelinacarrasco3802]

Alan, exhilirating ride! Thanks for posting! Perfectly beautiful!

[@mtb_alan]

My pleasure. Glad you dug it.

[@sunglassrob7752]

As I was opening up KZbin I was stoked because my brother just bought his first modern mountain bike and that trail goes through the back of his yard and the first thing I saw was this video pop up! Can’t wait to ride it.

[@mtb_alan]

Heck yeah! Such a good trail to have close by. 🤘🏽

[@fernandocastillo6050]

You’re a pro, I just did (sort of) this trail on Saturday for the first time and I’m not afraid to admit it, I literally had to walk some of those turns 😂😂😂

[@mtb_alan]

Ha! No shame. It’s rad that you got out there.

[@hardmtnbiker]

I always ride El P, it’s a great trail and my local favorite Full Pull, no-dab”Tide” clean ride!

[@mtb_alan]

Heck yeah. LOL..."Tide" clean ride. Love it.

[@RCRGIRL]

oooh, this looks fun! I definitely need to experience some SoCal riding, it's time!

[@mtb_alan]

Yeah you do!

[@dank3823]

That looked fun. Cool trail.

[@mtb_alan]

Yew!

[@quintonkrull5086]

Awesome this is super good

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks!

[@TommyHuynh]

Great video Alan, funny thing is I like El P the least out of all the trails on Mt Wilson Frontside but I think it's because all the other ones are so dope. Sometimes I forget how much fun El P is. You went at primo time, it's not that green anymore and that hero dirt is now all dried up and blown out but still an awesome trail

[@mtb_alan]

Ha! I can see that. Sunset Ridge Trail was hella fun too. I still gotta hit that shuttle. 🤘🏽

[@cprstudiocity3239]

@@mtb_alan you do! My friend and I did it for the first time last Saturday morning and it was EPIC! I signed up to do it again this Saturday morning immediately. Some of the best riding in southern California. Tommy is right, EL P is like the last note of a symphony that is Mt Wilson.

[@PrzPnc]

Nice! I must try this!

[@mtb_alan]

🤘🏽

[@lizzypicardi]

El P Is one of my weekly rides I LOVE IT. SOo many places to improve and level up

[@mtb_alan]

💯

[@ralphquintero3350]

@@mtb_alan What street do you take to get there if you're in Pasadena? Thank you.

[@mtb_alan]

@@ralphquintero3350 Sorry man. It’s been a long time and I don’t recall.

[@madgameman1]

Your buddy up front is like a happy sheep going down the trail with that bell, Haha :)

[@mtb_alan]

😆 hikers like happy sheep I guess.

[@TheOutsiderMTB]

Love this trail. Love it so much I peed a little.

[@mtb_alan]

El Peeido.

[@davepeniuk]

El P is known for its urethra-loosening ability. 🤣 Fantastic trail!

[@alex1231235]

Great vid Alan! That's one technical descent! How long was the climb?

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks! I don’t actually know about the climb for El Prieto since we did it at the end of a loop that took us up to Echo Mt. and down Sunset Ridge. Sorry.

[@nvr2old700]

Nice and green. Must have been at the start of the season. Great clip Alan. Any timetable for your return?

[@mtb_alan]

You nailed it. Definitely several months ago. No timetable yet. But I start PT soon so that’s a good sign. 🤘🏽 Thanks for asking!

[@esiquiel]

That’s my backyard 🤘dope

[@mtb_alan]

That’s an awesome backyard! 🤘🏽

[@chrisnelson6991]

What a fantastic use of altitude on that decent. How long is fire road climb? Thanks for sharing that one. Heal well, ride on.

[@mtb_alan]

So good! I love how it has punchy little climbs to give you a little more descending. I don’t actually know about the climb up towards Brown. The ride was the last leg of a loop we did up to Echo Mt. down Sunset Ridge and then over to El Prieto.

[@MichaelRasco]

This was the first actual trail I've ridden. It definitely kicked my ass!

[@mtb_alan]

Great trail!

[@lizzypicardi]

Gonna film this one today. This is one of my FAVORITE Trails. Are you in Los Angeles?

[@mtb_alan]

Nice. Naw. I'm in the IE.

[@chadbeckstrom3627]

Never ridden here, but looks awesome! How's that exposure? Also, what's the trail to get to the top and how is that climb?

[@mtb_alan]

There's definitely exposure. Check the description for the route link. The climb isn't great, but the views are great.

[@sunglassrob7752]

I’m doing this today!

[@mtb_alan]

Yew!

[@losangelistic]

How do you get to the top of this? Did you ride up from JPL then head back down? Can you shuttle it?

[@mtb_alan]

I did this as part of loop through Mt. Lowe. Check that out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/poe5an5ve7utqdU But I believe a lot of people go up Brown.

[@DMMTB]

Hey Alan, how much longer before you get the cast off? I've just had one put on yesterday but I don't think I would have enough footage to keep putting out weekly vids for 6 weeks. I came off big on Saturday & suffered 3 fractures in the wrist. If you want to see how I did it, it's called "Wet Knapsack". Counting down till back on the bike again! Cheers David

[@mtb_alan]

Damn dude. Sorry to hear. I’d gonna be a while yet for me. But I dislocated a major wrist bone and detached a ligament so my recovery is longer. Hope you heal up quick man! 💪🏽

[@DMMTB]

@@mtb_alan Oh yeah yours is much worse! Thanks for the healing vibes & same to you! Keep up the good work with the channel 💪🤘

[@mellissanash7517]

Will you ever do the enduro trails in the Santa Monica mountains? Like Borracho Macho? Did you climb up the same trail or did you use a different trail to get to the top?

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks for the suggestion. This POV is from the day that I climbed up Echo Mountain in this vid: kzbin.info/www/bejne/poe5an5ve7utqdU

[@mellissanash7517]

@@mtb_alan thank you kindly.

[@michaeljin7126]

First! Great video btw

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks!

[@albertsmith6717]

Dude, What bike are you riding? Sounds like it's coming apart on ever bump.

[@mtb_alan]

That was my Intense Recluse.

[@Hibbard1986]

have you clearned the good double right there? thats the last thing i need to figure out on this trail X_X

[@mtb_alan]

I've not been back to El Prieto since this ride. And it's been a while, so I don't really recall it too clearly. What I do remember is that once had I seen the full line, I realized I could have been off the brakes on the descent that leads up to that double. 🤘🏽

[@Hibbard1986]

@@mtb_alan where do you normally ride?

[@alexvillarreal5616]

What's Moore techy? San Juan, Aliso or this.. What's your fav... Digging the channel. Shred it.

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks Alex! I’d say Aliso is the most techy. Aliso is also steeper. I can’t call a favorite because they are all different in how you hit them. Like San Juan is just a big day. Aliso is mis Enduro style, and I feel like El Prieto is what you hit at the bottom of a shuttle...? Somebody correct me if I’ve got it wrong.

[@alexvillarreal5616]

@@mtb_alan can't wait to try Aliso only one that I haven't tried. Thanks sounds like fun regardless which one you ride huh. Lol

[@wag4x6]

I hope the arm is almost ready for more shredding!!!

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks! I think it’s gonna be a while yet. 😬

[@wag4x6]

@@mtb_alan ☹

[@jindoisland]

I love riding el P but I get poison oak real bad so I’m constantly worried about brushing up against plants.

[@mtb_alan]

Poison oak is my nemesis. I keep Simple Green in the truck when I ride places like El Prieto and after the ride spray down exposed skin and scrub.

[@arturoespinoza1645]

Buen trail !!! Donde queda ?????

[@mtb_alan]

North of Pasadena in Alta Dena. Trailforks and MTB Project should both have pretty good information on it. 👍🏽

[@ericbono]

Wow, this is possibly even more beautiful than the Gabrielino and I LOVE going there even just to cool off in all the creek crossings. I watched another rider do Ken Burton Trail last night and this looks more beautiful with less exposure. I am a beginner but gotten pretty into doing longer XC loops in our local mountains when I can. Pretty sure I can handle all of this technically. There is chunkier stuff but I'm way more comfortable with that than I am feeling like I'm going to fall off the mountain the whole time. Will definitely start doing some of these more advanced trails in that area. Thanks for posting. Is it this crowded because it's a weekend? If I get into that area at the right time, I don't come across this many folks.

[@mtb_alan]

Nice! Definitely better to hit it early to avoid a lot of hikers. Have fun!

[@AlexeiPavlov]

Where is the section with ledges?

[@mtb_alan]

This vid only shows El Prieto. Maybe they've removed those ledges since I rode there?

[@mphmtb]

Nice people out there. We tend to just get abuse locally. 🤣

[@mtb_alan]

Ha! I always to be nice to fellow trail users so hopefully they’ll be nice back. 🙂

[@joylitz2477]

Was the return trail for you more descending or ascending? I would prefer descending hehe

[@mtb_alan]

It really depends on how you get to El P. A lot of people climb Brown and descend El P. Others ride El P as the end of a shuttle that includes the Mt. Wilson descent. I did this after climbing up to Echo mountain which I believe most people don’t do. 😆

[@joylitz2477]

I see cuz i plan to park my car from arroyo grande and Ventura St which I think is the main parking there to go MTB El P trail

[@mtb_alan]

Seems like a good plan. 👍🏽

[@azdirtlife4280]

Can you hit that again soon? Heal up quick I just started riding again 👍👍

[@mtb_alan]

Ha! Great to hear! Might be a bit longer before I’m shredding.

[@azdirtlife4280]

@@mtb_alan sorry to hear man. Hopefully not too long. We need to ride together 👍👍 Stay positive man, you have a lotta good to look forward to.

[@angelfigueroa310]

whats the gps location of the start of this trail ???

[@mtb_alan]

Have a look on Trailforks. 👍🏽

[@eyeofenigma2307]

My first time mountain biking, and I tried this place... I ate shit 7 times. Haha It was harder than it looked, and I didn't ride all of it down. Walked a lot of parts. The way up wasn't as bad. Next time I'll come back down the same way I went up. Easier.

[@javiercruz4738]

That was only half he didn’t show the uphill climb but very cool.

[@mtb_alan]

Indeed. I linked a vid that includes more of the ride from that day: kzbin.info/www/bejne/poe5an5ve7utqdU

[@chrissales7157]

What’s the difficulty level on this trail ?

[@mtb_alan]

It's rated a black on Trailforks: www.trailforks.com/trails/el-prieto-trail/

[@chrissales7157]

MTB ALAN thanks bud when are you hitting snow summit again ?

[@Tedroy]

You rode right past the party bench. How dare you? We were up there way before the internet spoiled all our stash. You're welcome to enjoy it, but don't destroy it.

[@mtb_alan]

Wait. There were old humans before there were new ones?!

[@FROSTY420692002]

Supposedly everything is dry right now

[@mtb_alan]

Thanks for the update on all of SoCal in the summer. 😆

[@chedder9999]

This trails name translates to the Dark/Brown person in Spanish.

[@mtb_alan]

Interesting.

[@borego04]

That's right