Main Divide - Middle Section to Saddleback - 3S04

200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 12/22/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Very fun and a bit more difficult than maple springs. I would rate this a mandatory 3 as there is a large rut section that you need to do to get by. My stock jeep compass trail hawk made it up just fine but the gmc truck with us decided to not risk hurting his floorboards so he turned around. It’s easier to go down it but going up would make it a mandatory 3. You can see the dark spots in the picture are where tires were slipping.

Mark Cohn

100

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 11/08/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

More technical than a 1 rating. Several spots that required some ground clearance and definitely 4wheel drive. Terrific views from the top!!

William Okura

950

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/09/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

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.

George Deyarmond

3500

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 02/06/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Great views of the IE and OC. Windy as hell at the top.

Thomas Madison

100

Temporary Closure

Visited: 12/20/2021

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Been on it before. Awesome trail and I totally recommend it for rookie off-roaders, was a great intro to it. Also a great date spot. It was closed today, and will be "until further notice due to weather conditions" It was perfectly clear and sunny. Guess the guy in the video was right, that they'll close it down for literally anything, even being too sunny

Charles Quarto

700

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/06/2021

Trail was open and in good condition. Dusty but otherwise very enjoyable with amazing views! Took the kid and his neighbor friends up. Easy trail and great for passengers who may not enjoy a rougher ride. The connector through to the south side was closed unfortunately.

John Lazo

1800

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 03/20/2021

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.

Erik

800

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 12/27/2020

Trail was open and crowded. Easy, dirt road all the way up to the towers. There's a small rutted section that drops down to a spot with great views that needed 4WD but it's optional. We got up there early and spent about an hour at the peak before the crowds showed up. My favorite spot in Orange County.

Anthony J

2700

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 12/27/2020

Great and beautiful views from the top. 2wd drive can make easily except for the very top. Great view of the city and surrounding cities on a clear day.

Aaron Houk

1600

Open

Rated 3/5

Visited: 08/13/2020

This trail is open and easy. The road is plenty wide to pass as I encountered about a dozen other vehicles including 3 tow trucks. I'm guessing somebody was practicing for the Baja because there was nothing difficult about this road.
THIS ROUTE IS CURRENTLY OUT-AND-BACK This road is open, but the gate accessing: 3S04 - Main Divide South - Santiago Peak (aka Saddleback Mountain) was locked.

Josh Noesser

Official Crew

106250

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/21/2020

They graded Maple Springs but I think they took all the rocks and put them on this trail. Not serious but boy this trail is rough right now. I went up the mtn to check out the comet Neowise. Really cool experience and if you haven't done it yet, get up there. Only a couple days left.

Robert

Official Crew

34450

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/07/2020

A much more rugged trail then Maple Springs Rd which took us to this trail head. Very rocky in places. Narrow sections but always a wide spot to allow other vehicles to pass. We encountered 3 other pickup trucks on this drive to Santiago Peak and a Suburban with government plates probably servicing one on communications systems at the peak. A couple of tight switchbacks but mostly smooth flowing turns. The most concerning for me were the steep sides approaching 60 degree or more slopes on 1 side of the road and without any fencing. The road was always wide enough to keep a wide margin from the edge. Along the way and especially at the top there are views out to the ocean and at times views of the Inland Empire (east). The road heading further south was indeed gated closed at the antenna farm and this was stated on the Cleveland National Forest Road and Road Closure Notices page at https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/cleveland/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5340229.

Martir Rodriguez

200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/15/2020

Such a fun trial for a new and beginner off road enthusiast. Had a blast, great views and nice to get out without having to drive so far. Took great pics, got dirty, enjoyed the cool breeze up at the top. Also stoped at Silverado Cafe on the way down. Overall a great distraction and fun one-day getaway. Will return !

Josh Noesser

Official Crew

106250

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/11/2020

Love going up there.

Bryon Walters

200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 12/21/2019

Great addition to 5S04 Maple Spring Trail. Take it all the way to the top of Santiago Peak at almost 5,700 feet. You'll have amazing views from San Diego to LA on a clear day. Nothing technical on this leg of the trail either although once at the top of the peak you do have to navigate a small section where high clearance and 4 wheel will be needed. Stock 4x4's will have no problem. Keep your eyes on the trail and watch for hikers and bikers. Once you're at the top you'll be glad you went up.

Taylor Kempkes

Official Crew

14200

Temporary Closure

Rated 5/5

Visited: 11/20/2018

The gate is in fact closed, as posted by the Cleveland National Forrest service, presumably due to recent fires. Check the site before attempting to run the trail: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/cleveland/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5340229

Josh Noesser

Official Crew

106250

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 01/31/2018

What a great trip, there was a bit of Santa Ana winds, but that blew the smog out, making for some great views.

Josh Noesser

Official Crew

106250

Permanently Closed

Visited: 07/14/2017

Another amazing trip on an amazing trail. Enjoyed the sunset with some great people. Can't wait to go back.

Dennis Clark

Official Crew

19300

Open

Visited: 07/09/2017

My geocaching buddy and I hunted for BenchMarks today (surveyor disks), with less than our usual 50% success rate. I'll blame it on the heat and humidity, plus location descriptions written in 1935 with SCALED coordinates (+/- error of 600 feet). Besides this trail, we ran the Indian Truck Trail and Bedford Road for a total of 30 miles and 5 hours. 2wd capable but very rough in spots with a 10mph max speed.

Main Divide - Middle Section to Saddleback - 3S04

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