It had been about five years since I had last been on the Santa Margarita River Trail. This trail systems was a victim of the 2007 wildfires in San Diego County but has made a remarkable recovery.
There had been quite a bit of rain in the previous days before I did this ride. This place has quite a bit of sand and the previous rains had the sand nicely packed. The flora had also quickly responded to the moisture and where flush with color.
There were some spots of dramatic change since the fires. After the fires a lot of the retaining vegetation was destroyed . When heavy rains swelled the river the following river mother nature grabbed a sizable chunk of the bank. In the picture above, the trail is now right on the edge of the back when it used to be 10-20 feet away from the waters edge.
I love some of the variety you get out here. The natural rock chicanes here make for some sporty flat land bike handling.
Then there are these flowing smooth single track sections under the trees that just make you grin. It is a great time of year to get out there so I you have not been out here before it is worth checking out if you live here in the county and looking to check out some new turf.
