If your image of Poway is suburban lawns and red tile roofs, this ride will show you what old Poway was. The Goodan Ranch / Sycamore Canyon Open Space Preserve is situated in Southeastern Poway, north of Santee and bordered on the east by Highway 67. This location allows it to be accessed from Highway 67 just south of the Scripps Poway Parkway, or from the northern end of Santee Lakes, or, as described here, from Poway.
The landscape and vegetation are a lot like the eastern end of Mission Trails Park with chaparral, oaks, and sycamores. In fact, if you were a crafty coyote with wanderlust you could run trails from Tierrasanta through Mission Trails; go over Mt. Fortuna; go under Hwy. 52, around the Santee dump, past the old GDE Systems testing facility and drop down into the canyon for this ride. That would be a long run for a coyote, and some significant trespassing if you were a mountain biker.
The ride, as described here, is a clockwise loop. I tried it the other way once and walked more than a mile of the heavily cobbled uphills! During the warmer months, it bakes here, so ride very early in the morning. The whole ride will take less than two hours and rates as advanced intermediate in technical difficulty. This ride is clearly marked; it follows the most often used trails, and you'll find at least four maps posted along the way--route finding is very easy. Beginners and families would have a lot of fun staying on the access roads and along the canyon bottom where there are few hills and minimal technical challenges.
Begin at the steel gate at the end of Sycamore Canyon Road. On the left is your trail, a map, and the usual warnings about ticks and snakes. Follow this single-track around and down the hill to Martha's Grove. This is the most technical portion of the ride. The steeper portions are quite eroded by skidding tires. If you can't clean it without skidding, walk! Martha's grove would be a great place for a rest or birdwatching, but you aren't even warmed up yet. Stay on the trail; all of that pretty green foliage under the oaks? That would be poison oak. Enjoy the twisting gentle downhill to the road. At 1.9 miles turn left on the road, stay left and climb 1.1 miles to the Hwy. 67 staging area. Go South through the staging area and pick up the single track.
This very cobbled single-track roller coasters along for 1.3 miles before you get to the next marker. Before plunging down to the canyon bottom, have a look around as this is the highest point of the ride. To the north is antennaed Mt. Woodson and Iron Mountain. Slightly east is Mt. Cuyamaca. Southwest is Mt. Fortuna and directly across the canyon are the white buildings of the old GDE Systems testing facility. Now, turn downhill on the very cobbled, rather steep, single-track.
At the bottom of the hill turn left and go 0.2 miles on the dirt road, then take a very sharp right turn, almost a U-turn onto a single track. This will climb gently 0.6 miles to a gate. Go through the gate and continue straight (north) to an intersection of your trail and two access roads. Go straight (North) up the hill 0.8 miles and you're back to your car.
Directions to Start:
Take I-15 North to the Rancho Penasquitos Blvd./Poway Rd exit.
Turn right on Poway Road and go five miles.
Turn right on Garden Road and go one mile.
Turn right on Sycamore Canyon Rd. and travel 2.2 miles to the road's end and the trail head.
On the bike:
0.0 From trail-head, turn left at gate and follow wooden fence
1.9 Turn Left on dirt road towards Hwy. 67 staging area
3.0 Hwy. 67 staging area. ride South to single track
4.3 Top of the Hill. Turn Right down single track
4.9 Turn Left on dirt road
5.1 Turn right (almost a U-turn) on single track
6.2 Multi-intersection. Head North (straight) up wide dirt road
7.1 Return to trail-head
