Velo course: The Stagecoach Trail

I don't know, "the Stagecoach Trail" may not be the best name for this route from the Velo course, but the only other thing I could think of was "See Me in Simi." Now you see why I settled for the one I did. Anyway...

there really is a reason to call it the Stagecoach Trail as it does, roughly, follow an old stagecoach route over the Santa Susana Pass between Simi Valley and The Valley (San Fernando Valley), a route that in the 1970s I apparently hiked to earn that cheap (but cool) felt patch shown below. This is a route I used to ride regularly, especially during the cooler winter months, beginning in the late 1980s through the mid-1990s.

The fact that this edition of the Velo course starts from the house I grew up in is telling; it tells you that I have not ridden it in a good twenty years. I thought I had ridden it a few times from my apartment in Burbank, but can find no evidence of doing so. That does not disqualify the route, but it does mean I don't have many photos to accompany it. In fact the two, I am sorry to say, were taken from the seat of an automobile, driven to Corriganville last weekend. Driving over the Pass was enough inspiration for me to get this done, but not quite enough encouragement to ride it again for old times sake.

You could call this a tour of the LA suburbs, passing through classic sprawl, but also some areas that look and feel surprisingly rural. The community of Chatsworth, for instance is still full of little ranchettes and equestrian properties. Ranch fencing along the streets give it a different appearance than the rest of the Valley - either valley. Then there is Santa Susana Pass Road - the main feature of this route; as far as climbs go, the ascent from either side of the pass is far from difficult. Looking back through the log entries total climbing seems to have been about 1650 to 1700 feet (unless I did multiple ascents, which was not uncommon). More than that, twenty-five years ago it was a "big ring" climb; I am not so sure it would be now. If riding through the 'burbs on either end of this route is not your thing, the beauty of Rocky Peak, the pass, and canyon climbs on either side make things all better.

Chatsworth Avenue is probably the only "quiet" street you will find on this route, though West Los Angeles at the east end of the route used to be as well. I am not sure it is anymore. That church on The Valley side of Santa Susana Pass road has only grown larger, drawing far too many Sunday cars for that little road. Maybe other days are better. 

top of the pass, heading down into the SFV

a rural-feeling stretch of Chatsworth Street, Chatsworth

This is a fast route, where you can get some good distance in a relatively short amount of time. End to end, and back again is about forty-eight to fifty-three miles; I guess I did slightly different routes, sometimes adding in Tapo Canyon in Simi Valley, or going slightly further (to Moorpark) probably accounts for the variation in mileage that I see in my records. Finally, other than that I seemed to be trying to outrun storms a lot when I did this ride, it was a pretty uneventful route. The only extraordinary incidents I recall was being honked at by a passing driver on Monday 21 February 1994: I used to have this little Irish flag flying from my saddle, as I started to give the driver "the glare" I noticed the license plate which read "IRSHMUM." That turned the glare into a smile and a laugh. Then there was the older cranky guy who was a little perturbed that I, apparently, passed him too easily on the climb. Hmmm, now I'm the older cranky guy.

Now, I would not expect anyone to start from mom's house, but if someone really wanted to do the exact route they could start from Monroe High School, ride along a residential street or two to Woodley, and go from there. Starting from CSUN at, roughly, Plummer and Zelzah would keep you from reaching fifty miles, but does make for a better start point:

Woodley north to Plummer, turn left
Plummer east to Zelzah, turn right
Zelzah north to Devonshire, turn left
Devonshire east to Mason, turn right
Mason north to Chatsworth, turn left
Chatsworth east to Topanga Canyon, turn right
Topanga Canyon north to Old Santa Susana Pass Road, turn left
Old S.S. Road north to Santa Susana Pass Road, wind around up and over the pass
and then down into the Simi Valley
bend right on Kuehner heading north to East Los Angeles Avenue, turn left
East Los Angeles Avenue east to Madera, turn right
Madera north to Easy Street / West Los Angeles Ave, turn left
West Los Angeles east to Oak Park
turn around and return the way you came.

If you have extra time check out Corriganville on the Simi Valley side, or the Valley Relics Museum in Chatsworth.