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| Holy Jim Trail   | 
| Location: California, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 33.69364°N / 117.51989°W Trail Type: Downhill, Mountain County: Orange Technical Difficulty: Very difficult Aerobic Difficulty: Very difficult Layout: Point to Point Elevation Gain: 4225 ft / 1288 m Length: 8.0 Mi / 12.9 Km
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| Page By: Woodzy Created/Edited: Apr 14, 2009 / Apr 15, 2009 Object ID: 269959 Hits: 2014 Loading... Page Score: 89.08% - 11 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Overview
The Holy Jim Trail is without doubt one of the classic mountain bike trails in all of Southern California. Beginning in the beautiful Trabuco Canyon, the Holy Jim Trail winds it's way up to the summit of Santiago Peak (5,687ft). The whole trail is an amazing single track (most of the time), with the exception of the parts that use the Main Divide Road. It is not only a popular trail for mountain bikers, but also for hikers, runners, and horses, so be sure to share the trail with them. The trail is maintained VERY well by a group called the Warrios Society. This is another reason why the trail is so popular.
The Holy Jim Trail has two parts to it: the Upper Holy Jim Trail and the Lower Holy Jim Trail. The Main Divide Road (a forest service road) is what bisects the two trails. The Lower trail is the easier of the two trails, it is less technical and the elevation gain isn't as dramatic as the Upper trail. Together these two parts form the Holy Jim Trail.
Trail DescriptionAs said before, the trail starts in Trabucco Canyon. Unlike most trails, the Holy Jim Trail does not start right at the parking area; it begins further up. So park at the Holy Jim parking area and follow Trabuco Creek Road further up (there are marked signs telling you where to go. You will then reach the entrance by the stream with houses on the right side. The ride now begins......
Trailhead |
Lower Holy Jim Trail: The trail begins and gains elevation slowly (if you think otherwise, just wait till you get higher up) as it crosses Trabuco Creek frequently. Also, in this section, the trail is fairly wide. You follow the creek for a while and have to do numerous water crossings (made harder when the water levels are up higher). Then, you reach a sign that points towards "Main Divide Road" and to "Holy Jim Falls". You want to follow the trail towards the Main Divide Road. However, many people choose to take the half mile side trip to check out the falls, this is an optional part of the route. This part of the trail can be technical in areas, especially on the creek crossings.
The elevations gain now begins in earnest. The trail switchbacks up the side of the mountain and is a pretty narrow single track. There are probably 15-20 switchbacks here. The trail begins to level out slightly as it follows the the side of a ridge. Although not as steep as before, its a constant elevation gain. Keep heading north. There is nothing technical in this area, just alot of elevation gain.
The trail the then makes a sharp turn in a drainage on Santiago's SE face. The trail turns east here and it traverse a fairly open area and then goes back into chaparral. In this area, there are a few parts that are carved by the drainage, leaving steep exposed rock. These parts are ridable, but just beware of these technical sections. The trail then rounds another ridge and heads north again towards Bear Spring. This area is completely covered by trees. The last part of the trail is an extremely steep and technical part that leads to the Main Divide Road. Be careful on this part.
On Main Divide Road (Part 1): Once at the road, you take a right (east) and follow the signs for the Upper Holy Jim Trail. The Upper Holy Jim Trail is about .40 miles down the road and will be on the left side. There are good signs that tell you the direction to go. An old route used to go up behind the spring before the waterfall, you can still access it, but it is less maintained and is now not officially part of the trail.
Upper Holy Jim Trail: Right at the start, you will notice that this trail is really really really steep. It begins by going fairly straight (yet uphill), but soon, you reach switchbacks, making you wish you didn't have a bike with you. This section is very steep and technical. If you feel uncomfortable with riding down this section, the ride the Main Divide Road down instead. Unlike the Lower Holy Jim, the Upper Part has relatively no shade as it goes up through manzanita and low lying chaparral. The Coldwater Trail comes in around this point. This trail used to come up on Santiago's NE face from around Glenn Ivy Hot Springs. However, due to access issues, this trail has been closed down and is unmaintained. You will see this trail snaking along the side on your way up, DO NOT TAKE THIS TRAIL! It can be easy to start heading down on it thinking that it goes back up, but it doesn't. This part of the Upper Holy Jim doesn't loose any elevation, so just keep heading up and don't take the Coldwater Trail. The actual Holy Jim trail ends when it reaches the Main Divide Road Again.
Main Divide Road (Part 2): This intersection is very easy to notice due to the fact that there is a HUGE white scar on the eastern ridge of Santiago. This was remnant of old mining days and has now undergone erosion. Follow the road upwards and the communication clad summit of Santiago Peak will come into view. The road then goes into a thickly wooded area and then makes a hairpin left turn and continues towards the summit. This part is technically easy, but the elevation gain still comes in.
Although this trail is broken down into different parts, it is all considered the Holy Jim Trail.
Click to see route information |
Santiago Summit |
Clouds Rolling In |
Trees |
When to Bike  Weather Approaching the Santiago
You can ride this trail year round, however, in the summer months, temperatures can reach scorching temperatures around or above 100 degrees.
In spring, access to the trailhead may be tricky due to Trabuco Creek, which crosses Trabuco Creek Road many times. Also, the Holy Jim Trail crosses the creek a handful of times to. Higher water levels (found most often in Spring and Winter) will make it a little more difficult, but it is still doable.
In the winter, Santiago Peak generally receives snow in an average storm. The top may be icy with snow. Generally, the snow fall amount isn't great, however, storms have dropped 2 plus feet of snow in the past atop this peak. Know the weather conditions before you go.CampingCamping can be done at O'Neil Regional Park, which is maintained by Orange County.
O'Neill Regional Park
30892 Trabuco Canyon Road
Trabuco Canyon, CA 92678
(949)923-2260 or (949)923-2256
Overnight camping is not allowed in the Cleveland National Forest.Red Tape
An Adventure Pass is necessary in order to park at the trailhead. You can purchase a $5 day pass or purchase a $30 year pass at local shops or at sporting good stores.
Also, the amount of water in Trabuco Creek may prove to be an issue when trying to access the trailhead. You have to cross the creek at least ten times and it can get really high during spring and periods of rain. A high clearance vehicles is recommended for that portion and for the road, which is anything but flat.
Also, watch out for poison oak. It grows in much of the shaded area along this trail. Try to avoid contact with plants as much as possible.Getting There(Directions taken from the SummitPost Holy Jim Trail Page by Scott M..)
If you are approaching from points north you should either exit the 55 freeway at Chapman and head east or Interstate 5 at Jamboree heading north. Where Jamboree and Chapman intersect in east Orange (gas and market) you will either go straight if coming from the 55 on Chapman or turn right if coming up Jamboree on to Santiago Canyon Road. Follow Santiago Canyon Road for just less than 13 miles to Live Oak Canyon Road. You will be turning left here. There is a popular road house for the "Harley crowd" here at this intersection known as Cook's Corner.
If approaching from the south exit off Interstate 5 at El Toro Road and go north for about 7.5 miles to this same intersection. You will be turning right here.
From Cook's Corner head east for about 4.4 miles to a fairly obvious wash. You will pass a small store on your left and O'Neill Park on your right. The store is your last chance for supplies. Adventure Passes may be available at the store.
Turn left up on the dirt road (Trabuco Creek Road) immediately after the wash and follow this rough road for 4.7 miles to the trailhead parking area. No services or piped water. The parking area is immediately after the Holy Jim Fire Station (unmanned). Be sure to display your Adventure Pass. Note: After heavy rains this road may be tough to negotiate since it crosses Trabuco Creek several times (no bridges). Other than these times 4WD is not normally required but high ground clearance is recommended. Passenger cars can make the trip with caution.
Trabuco Creek Road continues on to a different trailhead, past some private residences for a couple of miles, at a dead end. Use the fire station as your indicator to stop.
The 241 toll road makes a nice short cut over to Santiago Canyon Road if you are approaching from the Inland Empire on the 91 freeway. From the 91 head south on the 241 to Santiago Canyon Road. Head east for about 11 miles to Live Oak Canyon road. See directions given from there in previous paragraphs.External Links
Cleveland National Forest- Trabuco Ranger District
Keith Fletcher, District Ranger
1147 East Sixth Street
Corona, CA 92879
(951) 736-1811
Cleveland National Forest
Forest Service Website
Mountain Biking Guide
The Cleveland National Forest's Mountain Biking Guide
Warriors Society
A group of mostly mountain bikers who maintain trails in the Santa Ana Mountains, mainly the Holy Jim Trail. Check their message board for updates on current trail conditions.
Holy Jim Trail
SummitPost page for the Holy Jim Trail
Santiago Peak
SummitPost page for Santiago Peak
Santa Ana Mountains
SummitPost page for the Santa Ana Mountains
Trabuco Canyon Weather
The weather forecast by NOAA for the Trabuco Canyon area.
Santiago Peak Weather
The weather forecast by NOAA for Santiago Peak
MiscIf you have any more additional information or photos, please contact me or add it to the page. Thank You!
Coming Through The Fog |
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