Mountain High Resort to construct a mountain bike trail

[Wrightwood]

[JDRichlen]

This is fantastic news and I definitely support the development of lift serviced mountain bike trails at Mountain High.  However, I am concerned about what this might mean for the accessibility of the Blue Ridge Road durign the summer months.  This road provides access to much of Wright Mountain including Blue Ridge, Guffy, Lupine, and Cabin Flats Campgrounds as well as the East fork of the San Gabriel River. 

I would reccomend taking this into consideration when developing trails. 

[SkierBob]

I agree and support the development.  I feel it will be very popular and also bring in a few dollars to local businesses. 

I am also curious how they will handle the Blue Ridge road.

[lwt42]

I'd suggest stop signs at the trail intersections, but no one in Wrightwood obeys stop signs.

[SkierBob]

two way stops, or four way stop?

[KathySC]

I'm happy to see this. More year-round fun.

[thehallmarks]

There are several mountain bike trails in the San Bernardino mt. including Big Bear & Snow Summit.
There  is no reason not to have a mt. bike trail in the San Gabriels. It is a prefect fit with Mt. High. The fact that the trails would be more convenient would be a plus both for Mt. High & the Village of Wrightwood.

[Toolman]

It's been a long time coming I think. It would be a win win for MH and year round recreation for the area. I would like to optimistic about the intersections of the trails and BR Rd. Most MTN bikers are, also or come from a dirt bike riding back ground. If Mikey Childress is involved with the planning stages he knows how to put the correct down arrow signage on the trail warning of a road crossing on the trail. I think this will go well and have little to no impact of vehicle passage on Blue Ridge getting to campgrounds.

[JDRichlen]

Has anybody heard anything more about this?  I saw that Blue Ridge Road was open so I went to take a look.  It doesnt look like there has been any progress in cutting trails or anything.  Over the winter some of the MH employees were saying they planned to have the mountain bike park open by July 4th.  I dont see how that would be possible if they haven't even started to get equipment up the hill in order to cut trails.  Any information anybody might have would be great.  I'm excited for there to be some summertime lift service.

[Toolman]

Speaking of Mtn. High. They are taking over concessionaire responsibilities in our local campgrounds except for:   West Gate Rest Stop (near Jackson Lake), Blue Ridge Campground, Guffy Campground, Lupine Campground, Cabin Flat Campground, Big Pines Visitor Center, Grassy Hollow Visitor Center (closed), Blue Ridge Trailhead.

 All other campgrounds in the area will be run and maintained by Mtn. High including Table Mtn., Lake, Mtn Oak, Peavine, Apple Tree, Jackson Lake, Inspiration Point & Vincent Gap Parking lots. All questions or reservations can be contacted via email: campgrounds@mthigh.com

[JDRichlen]

What ever happened to the lift service Mt Bike trails?  I havn't seen or heard anything about this since the original USDA posting.  Does anybody know if they plan to continue with this plan?

[Wrightwood]

It's being worked on. I'll see if I can get an update.

[Bob C]

Update:

https://www.facebook.com/100064930712391/posts/678890434285308/

Downhill mountain biking is coming to Mountain High. We’re excited to offer this new activity and know you are too. Currently, we are in the last stage of Forest Service construction approvals and hope to begin cutting trails before the end of the summer. This means we can open as early as Spring 2024. For those in the know, we had hoped to offer limited mountain biking operations this year, but the shortened construction window no longer makes that possible. Thank you for your patience. Bringing mountain biking to Wrightwood is something we’ve been working on for years and we are thrilled to be in the home stretch. Please keep in touch with us at mthigh.com for construction details throughout the summer and fall. It’s all downhill from here.

Mountain High Resort Management

[Wrightwood]

June 7, 2024

Groundbreaking for Mountain High’s new Mountain Bike Park took place today under sunny skies atop its West Resort. It was an electric day as the Wrightwood resort announced plans to add Mountain Biking to its list of summer activities. Mountain High currently offers camping, hiking, archery, disc golf, water sports at Jackson Lake, weekly entertainment, and more. 

The event was attended by Mountain High’s Management Team, Matthew Bokach, Monument Manager for the Angeles National Forest, other regional dignities, local media, and members of the Pacific Crest Composite Mountain Bike Team.

Today marks the end of a 3-year campaign to bring Mountain Biking to Wrightwood and the beginning of a new era in the region’s summer recreation. Mountain High expects to physically begin building trails next week with hopes to have several trails open by late Summer 2024.

Construction will take place in 3 phases.  Phase I which is expected to be completed this summer and consists of 6 downhill trails and 1 uphill access route totaling approximately 7 miles. Of the 6 downhill trails, 4 are Beginner, 1 is Intermediate, and 1 is Advanced.

The Phase I trail network will be served by the Blue Ridge Express chairlift at Mountain High’s West Resort. See the attached map for details. Color Code

    Green = Beginner
    Blue = Intermediate
    Black = Advanced
    Red = Uphill

In addition to downhill trails, Mountain High is implementing a Skills Park where guests can practice their technique on small, stationary features such as:

    Roller to a small jump
    Wooden banks
    Wooden platforms to small drops

These training mechanisms are designed to help new participants get comfortable with their equipment before hitting the mountain. Mountain High also offers rentals, retail wear, and delicious food & beverage.

Phase 2 will take place during the Spring of 2025 and consist of 5 more trails equating to roughly 6 more miles of terrain at its West Resort, primarily intermediate to advanced.

Phase 3 is scheduled to take place Spring of 2026 and consist of another 2 miles of intermediate to advanced trails, also at its West Resort.

Says Ben Smith, Vice President & General Manager, “This is an incredibly exciting time and I thank the Forest Service along with everyone else who helped get us here. After trail building begins, we will evaluate construction and announce an Opening Date for later in the summer.”

Mountain Biking enthusiasts are encouraged to sign up for Mountain High’s weekly newsletter to receive updates on trail progress and opening dates.

For more information, please contact John McColly, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at (760) 316-7803 or john@mthigh.com. Follow Mountain High Resorts on Instagram @mthighsnow, Twitter, @mthigh, and Facebook.

Mountain High Resorts is Southern California’s closest winter destination located just 90 minutes from Los Angeles and Orange County. The area consists of two separate mountains (East Resort & West Resort) and offers a wide variety of lifts and trails, a world-class terrain park, an outstanding winter sports school and the Yeti’s Snow Play. Night skiing and snowboarding are available Wed-Sun peak season and snowmaking covers more than 80 percent of the slopes. Mountain High traditionally operates from mid-November to mid-April. Visit www.mthigh.com for more information. Mountain High is an equal opportunity service provider operating under an Angeles National Forest special use permit.