Skeggs point venture.

Well this past weekend, Shawn and I decided we would ride Mt. Diablo to get in some climbing miles. It was a perfect morning, fairly chilly, and still foggy as we left town. As we created the summit of the Altamont Pass, Shawn started to toy with the idea of going somewhere new and different. I turned to the iPhone and pointed us in the direction of a new place he said was surely to swell our legs, El Corte de Madera, AKA Skeggs Point.

Shawn had been there only once previously and his ride was cut short by mechanical problems, so he didn't get to really experience it to its full potential. I started reading different things online of suggested routes, area tips, do's and don'ts, etc.

The first thing you can't help but notice as you approach Skeggs is the sudden and awesome change of scenery. It's like you are driving through the normal Bay Area metro area, then all of the sudden, BOOM! Redwoods, ferns, cliffs, everything a mountain bike rider loves! So we parked and geared up, and headed towards the trailhead, which was just just about a quarter mile from the parking area. Our choices were single at the trailhead: right and flat, straight and flat, or left and down.... Oh ya we went left!

The first trail we took was called Fir trail. What started off as a rolling fire road quickly turned into a really nice, high speed, technical downhill. You would have a nice pace coming through a corner and then next thing you would know, here lies a 40' downhill rock garden, infused with rain ruts, and tree roots. Talk about an awesome trail. We were only a mile in, and were riding one of the top trails we had touched all season!
Fir trail kept dropping and dropping and eventually dumped out into a intersection. We shot completely from the hip on the next few trails. The map review we did before we left let us know that we really couldn't get lost, and that it was a fairly nice layout for a trail system.
Once we climbed to what felt about like 3/4 the elevation we dropped we came to a fork in the road. Shawn asked " which way ya wana go?" I responded, " whatever looks more fun" so down we went. I believe the name of this segment was the Connector trail. It was single track, off camber, downhill, littered with tree stumps, switch backs, berms, ruts,... Ya it was amazing! The trail itself was fairly short. Just long enough for you to want to immediately turn around and climb back up it to smash down again, which we did! The climb back up was actually a really fun one compared to the fire roads we had been climbing most of the day.
After we reached the bottom we continued into another fire road climb. By the time we reached the top, we had about enough day light left to hit a couple of the random trails that lie between the bottom parking lot and the upper, where we had parked.
3,100' of climbing in only about 12 miles was satisfying for our first time there. Given the layout of the trails, it would of been difficult to get any more mileage without dropping back down into a canyon, which required more time to climb out than we had daylight left. But all in all, I rate the place as a 8/10. I would love to go back with a local, and get an earlier, more direct start so we could kill a whole day up there. But if you are looming for awesome scenery, brutal climbs, and a mix of downhill trails, definitely give Skeggs a shot. Just make sure you dress appropriately!

-Cole