Maple Spring Road - Silverado Canyon - 5S04

So, I live and work in the area and have been a little frustrated about all the closures in the past several years on every accesible trail EXCEPT Maple Springs Rd. So, I’ve been looking at maps and studying possibilities for alternate routes up the mountain, and finally found one on Monday. I came up the mountain on the Corona side and ended up working my way up to Beek’s place. From there I checked the website for trailer closures, and the forest service website said that Maple Springs was open, so I decided to make the long drive around to that gate before heading home. Problem was, when I got there at almost 9pm, the gate was locked up tight. I ended up having to make my way all the way back to my “secret entrance” and didn’t get off the mountain until 12:30am. What a bummer. I can’t lie, it was a lot of fun having the whole mountain to myself all night, but on the other hand, it frustrates me that we continue to be shut out of public land more and more at the whim of Rangers, or whomever it is that makes the decision to close gates…like Skyline, Indian Truck Trail, Elsinore, Black Star Canyon, Weir Canyon, Gypsum canyon. I have a hard time understanding their motivation and/or reasoning.

Gate locked "due to weather"

Gate closed 9/9 at about 8pm. Bummer

Ran the trail today. Ran into several folks doing the same thing. Fun little trail.

Was there today and had a great time. I love the variation in landscape, trees, and greenery. For being IN Orange County it really feels like you’re getting away from the city. Gonna take the wife and kids tomorrow and go all the way to Santiago Peak.

Great place for locals as well as folks from a far. Panoramic views in every direction in many spots. Best views from Santiago Peak. Been through many times from various directions in truck, suv, mtb, etc... Easy enough for most suvs and even honda accords depending on the grading conditions.

What a fun trail! Perfect for a beginner or a getaway from OC for the day.

Had a day out in OC and decided to try this trail. Basically a dirt road, completed all of it in 2H. Great scenery!

Took my Tacoma offroad 4x4 and it handled it no problem with no lift or tires. I did have to use 4x4 once on the trail but other than that it is fine. Takes about one hour each way to finish the trail. I loved it because it’s a great beginner trail!

Easy trail. The water crossing are nice.

Gate was closed tonight. Sign said for severe weather. Likely the incoming snow.

Trail is open and in my rookie opinion EASY but definitely a lot of traffic on a Saturday noon and with the traffic and lack of offroading experience gets a little harder. we saw a bunch of subaru's so if you have a low clearance car can do too.

For some reason maple is close till 19 this month and bedrock people took the liberty to cross cars and block the exit or entrance

Took the kid and his friends up this weekend and had a great time. Super easy trail anyone can do in a stock higher clearance vehicle such as a Subaru. We went through to Main Divide Mid all the way to the radio towers, unfortunately the gate was locked from there so we had to turn around.

The Maple Springs Trail is a pretty easy trail, but the views and easy access for a lot of residents in Orange County makes it a go to spot. There’s also a lot of cool play areas and spots where you can test your rig’s abilities along the way up.

Road is open and in good condition. No ruts or washouts

Easy and fun trail for any AWD and or 4WD vehicles with lots of great views. Also, this is a very busy trail especially on the weekends. Did this trail with my Suzuki AWD and 2 stock Subaru Foresters.

Adventure Rig: 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road Stock Trail Experience: Beginner This is a great trail for beginners and isn't too rough unless your passenger(s) are pregnant or get car sick easily. There are a lot of windy turns, bumps, and awesome views that aren't too difficult. I would personally rate this trail more on the moderate side as their are some tight corners, dips, and during rainy season would require several shallow water crossings. I even saw snow at the very top of the peak! If you want solitude, I would go on weekdays or early weekends because it's a very popular spot. We didn't make it all the way to the top because one of my passengers was pregnant so didn't want to push it too much. But overall it's a fantastic trail. I think a 2WD with high clearance can do it no problem. Highly, highly recommended!

Trail was open and super busy. Made it up early and beat the crowds but saw a ton of traffic going up when we were coming down. Lots of people driving way too fast so keep a look out.

Drove this in conjunction with Bedford and Main Divide. It was as crowded as you'd expect on a Sunday afternoon.

Gates close on both side of the mountain 9/25/20

Took Maple Springs to Bedford Road in Corona. Such an easy and smooth ride. Definitely need ground clearance in a few areas but 4wd wasnt needed. Saw two cars in the beginning of trail and a crew camping. That's it for almost 2hrs. Would definitely do it again and maybe camp with rooftop tent. The recent grading sure makes a difference. Best conditions I've ever seen this trail.

The graded the road and except for the huge jumps this bad boy is super smooth. Went up the mtn to take some photos of Neowise. Cool adventure that was close to home.

it was my birthday today 7-6-20 I wanted to go to the top of saddleback, i have not been back since the late 70's when 2 cousin's were racing each other down from the top, both were driving vw baja bug's and at the hair-pin turn the first vw baja went thru it and some IDIOT was coming up hill and took the inside of the hair-pin and the second vw baja had to take the outside of the hair-pin turn and ran out of road and went over the side it had just happened right in front of us we were in my friends early ford courer p/u, the first cousin had turned around because he seen the IDIOT driver and his cousin was not behind him anylonger , we stoped and climbed down the side of the cliff?? to the 2nd guy with his cousin in the 1st baja and helped him back up to the road, thank GOD he was ok, but he did get a broken finger and a concussion,, he said what i wrote and going over he said that the door would not open from the inside DARN VW'S and as he went over the side head on, the vw baja bug hit huge rock with the front nose and went down the side END OVER END that's when he had to jumpout and that's what he did he was ok as i said and we climbed back over and stripped out the vw baja bug and roped up all the part's wheels - motor-shocks- everything we could it was like PICK A PART, after we all drank a beer and smoked a joint , other then the time warp the road was 90% better than the late 70's because i rember deep rut's, and there was a lot more built all over the O.C. now, ,me and my lady stopped at the silverado cafe and grabbed some burger's and fries, and drink's before the trip up to the top, it was her first time up we both grew up in so, oc. and she allway's looked at it so she was amazed with the view's and my 3rd time up, so that's my story i hope you liked it, CAMP CRICKET ( where it brake time all the time ) HERE IS THE VEIW LOOKING TOWARD MY HOUSE IN LAKE MISSION VIEJO, catalina is in the upper right corner of pic's

We took Maple Springs Rd in both directions as a path to and from the North Main Divide. Id put this trail at a difficulty level 1. The first few miles are paved with some holes and the dirt section was obviously recently scraped so that made it much more accessible but it was still very dusty and with some small rocks strewn about. I saw a compact 2wd car going on the dirt section going up the hill with a trailer towing a motorcycle and also several pickups several pickups. There are not many sections that would not allow 2 vehicles to pass each other. Also watch for hikers and bicyclists. We encountered 4 hikers and a mountain biker going up the trail When I saw them ahead I stopped to allow the dust cloud to move on avoiding them. There are mountain lion warnings posted at the trailhead and on a prior trip we did spook a lion who ran across the road ahead of us.

North main divide and long canyon gates were locked! I’ll have to check it in the future!

One of my favorites.

Trail is great for beginners. Nothing too extreme or technical. First quarter of trail was paved road. Rest was combo of dirt and loose rocks. About half way up the dirt portion, you come to an area with several different trails. The trail that leads to TV/Cell towers was open and was the path most were taking. It was narrow in places, but very manageable for two way traffic. The View from very top by the TV/Cell towers was phenomenal. Go to the end where the American flag is to get best panoramic view of Orange County and Catalina. Took a 9 year old and and and 18 year old, as well as my wife, and all had fun!

*5/25/20 can't add today's date for some reason. It is a great trail for beginners and smaller SUVs that don't have those big old tires. It connects to a lot of other cool trails. Unfortunately some people were blocking one of those trails with their pick ups and wouldn't let me pass. I didn't want any trouble so I just turned back. Did the trail and back in a few hours with my tracker. Saw a lot of butterflies and even a snake! Also, on my way down, I stoped at a local diner, accidentally left the lights on while having breakfast and my battery died, luckily, there is a mechanic right across the street and we were able to jump start it.

Trail was open Sunday 5/17/20, moderately busy. Was able to take the trail very easy to the end of the trail where it meets with "Main Divide - Middle Section to Saddleback - 3S04" & "3S04 - Main Divide Middle Northern Section" at what the directions call the Play Area. The Play Area around 2pm had many jeeps and 4x4 vehicles stopped for lunch and hanging out. Coming from this trail and into the play area I decided to take the second left turn gate that leads you up to the Lookout Point where the huge cell towers are for the highest point in OC. Not many shady areas once you get out of the large pine trees coming up this trail. If you're looking to stop for lunch in a nice shaded area then the Play Area is not for you. Stop early on in the section where you go through lots of trees and pines.

The trail definitely has some nice views and it's pretty easy. Right before you get to the North Main Divide there is a small play area. Some trails are still closed so I took the North Main Divide to the Bedford trail which took me right to the 15 Freeway.

Super easy trail. This trail is a great little afternoon or early evening trip. Nothing technical at all. It's good for the first timers or if you just installed something new and you want to see how it changed your rig. The trail itself has a few areas that you can play on but as mentioned before nothing that is technical or requiring lockers. Watch for traffic as the weekends tend to be busier and it's easy to get distracted with the views. Watch for Hikers and Mountain Bikers. Sunsets are awesome from a few different spots on the trail.

Trail is open. It was pretty crowed yesterday, with lots of traffic. The trail is in good shape. We made it all the way to the top of Santiago Peak. There are some narrow spots and my 2019 Raptor definitely got some pin stripes.

Closed due to last week rain.😔 Ranger(gate keeper) said it was muddy.

This the closest open trail for OC folks. Nice and easy, so you can take the whole family, with a couple fun spots at the top and several miles past the left gate to play with your rig. Today we took it to Bedford Trail, which drops you into Corona. We stopped at Tom's Farm there for lunch and a train ride with the kids. It can get very busy with rigs, dirt bikes, mountain bikers, and hikers. Stay alert.

Awesome beginner trail, it's got great spots to get used to tire placement and inclines while still being easily manageable. Mistakes can happen here but mistakes won't completely wreck your rig. Also has several other trails that meet at the peak.

super fun trail, first time going up there and had a blast. some steep areas but still do able with 2wd i believe. really cool views. pretty narrow trail so just be on the look out for on coming vehicles. highly recommend. [url=https://postimg.cc/NKSFZbnK][img]https://i.postimg.cc/NKSFZbnK/mapletrail.jpg[/img][/url]

Gate was finally open after trying a few times. Drove up with the family just for a day drive and the trail made the drive that much better. The kids enjoy being out on the trails so when we were finally able to hit this one, we were all excited to check it out. Especially with this being in our backyard, I’d say we’ll be up here a lot more if the gates remain open. As mentioned above, the trail is very easy and mellow for a leisure drive. Even saw a minivan coming down on our way up so that should tell you something haha overall I think this is a great “beginners” trail for this wanting to get their boots in the dirt. Highly recommended.

Trail is open. 2 Weeks after getting regraded, it is already starting to deteriorate! Saw a few low-clearance passenger cars on the route but the drivers and passengers looked pretty unhappy. N. Main is open to Bedford. Really enjoyed the magnificent views.

Maple Springs was recently graded to the point that a camry can easily make it up the mountain. Wont stay like this very long!

Open today. Freshly graded dirt roads all the way to the top gate. Fun drive great views.

Went out this morning, but it was closed. Seems like the trail actually being open is very hit or miss. Hopefully it was just because it had rained the day before, even though it was a light rain.

As stated below, it is open, but they are doing a lot of work up there. Reason it was closed so long is because they were fixing potholes and grading the road as well as clearing it from the last series of storms. There are a lot of pallets and things up on Main Divide so be aware, and many of the fences have been put back after being ripped out from the fire. Stay on the trail, don't tear down any of the new fences, otherwise the FS may decide it's not worth it and close it again. Don't be that guy that ruins it for everyone!

TRAIL IS OPEN!! Went up Maple Springs today to North Main with a couple others. Found that North Main is open over to Bedford Rd, so we were able to go up and over. Finally, trails open in Cleveland NF! They are working on putting back many of the guard rails to the closed areas that were ripped out by the dozers and other fire rigs during the fires, so beware of the work areas along North Main Divide. Lots of stacked rails and pallets of concrete.

Drove out today based upon the review from yesterday saying the Ranger had reported it was open but the gate was still locked.

Spoke with a Ranger today out at Trabuco Canyon. The trail is “officially” open but the gate has been closed due to the amount of rain. It should be open as of now but I haven’t been up there to see if the gate has been physically opened... he was not aware if another ranger has gotten to it yet.

Maple Springs Road (5S04) Trabuco/Orange County Closed Subject to closure based on wet weather or fire danger. Come on Mr. Ranger, please reopen the trail. It has been over a week since the last rain. I so want to enjoy the green trail.

trail was closed yesterday when i went.

Still closed. Anyone know why?

Still closed. It’s so green!

Still closed on the 02/25/2019 nice walk though

Rangers had the gate closed as of today. Tried to go through because of a previous review from yesterday, but the gate was definitely closed.

OPEN OPEN OPEN! As of today the trail is indeed open. The govt is up and running so it could become closed but ill be going up again on the 8th and ill give an update. The trail was busy and in decent condition despite the rain.

Maple Springs was indeed open today (despite it raining for 5 days straight, but you know, govt shutdown= no money to shut the gate.) Road is extremely torn up, creek was ripping, it was flooded across the crossings on the paved portion, but we made it through. Lots of long, deep, off camber ruts, some large boulders that have fallen recently, and many areas that the hills are 'sketchy' looking at best. I think this next major rainstorm forecasted for tomorrow might do it in until the FS can clear the road. Lots of mud puddles up on Main Divide too. Overall it was fun, nice to see it a little more torn up than just the smoothly graded road it has been lately. Top end of Main Divide is closed at Santiago Peak gate, west MD is open to Bedford and beyond.

So awesome... amazing views and the drive was super fun... still a couple of play areas open just have to keep your eyes out.... took this up then headed across main divide to corona... will be back for sure

My wife and I drove Maple Springs this evening just before sunset. It's a great drive, as always, with views of the OC and IE as well as Catalina Island off in the distance. The trail must have been graded recently because it was WAY smoother than it was just a month or two ago making for a quicker than usual trip to the summit.

The south entrance to Main Divide at the top of Maple Springs was still closed. Several dual sport bikes on the trail. Very very dusty.

The Forest Service reported Maple Springs would be open on the 15th after being closed due to the Holy Fire. It was indeed open today. Our goal was to view the damage from the Holy Fire when reaching Main Divide road. Very dusty and with its share of users including mountain bikes, dual sport motorcycles, bow hunters and an occasional Jeep.

With the heat and fires I was wondering it they would close Maple Springs but the Forestry notice showed it was open. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/cleveland/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5340229. And indeed it was open. Not a sole on the trail which made it especially nice.

Open obviously and started at the end of Silverado. The lower section follows the creek and was heavily oak tree'd, for a nice cool morning ride starting at 9am on a beautiful day. A thursday so hoping for light traffic. Pulled over for a couple mountain bikes going in both directions. Very dry and rocky so glad I aired down. At Play Spot 3 saw a couple apparitions in my dusty cloud and pulled over for a couple dual sport bikes who blew by in a scary race up the mountain.

Went up for a day run. I was a bit worried the gate could be closed because of the nearby santa ana winds. But the gate was open and the views were off the hook.

Gated closed as of 1/13/18. Found out the hard way. Indian Truck Trail gate closed as well from 1/13/18.

Trip was fun roads were clear!

Trail was open with light traffic going up and coming down.

Trail was closed with gate secured like Fort Knox.