Home Destinations United States CaliforniaSand Canyon Ride

Moderate

Cycling

🇺🇸 United States

Recorded Trail

This track was recorded on the ground by an actual expedition vehicle.

ID: US-CA-45

Sand Canyon Ride

Added on 9 Oct 2026

Logged by @trailxon18 June 2018

12 km dirt loop from Sand Canyon in Santa Clarita, climbing about 330 m to roughly 720 m with two stream crossings.

Trail Map

Initialising Map Engine...

Trail Profile

General Instructions

Carry plenty of water and watch for rattlesnakes on warm days.

Mission Logs94 waypoints

Distance	Direction & Instruction	Gradient
0.0 km	N Start Point	0%
0.4 km	E Terrain Change	7%
0.5 km	SE Terrain Change	0%
0.8 km	NE Terrain Change	-7%
0.9 km	S Terrain Change	0%

Note: Gear suggestions are based on terrain gradient and are for reference only.

Weather check

At Start

613m

Sampling Micro-Climate...

34.3761, -118.4305

Slide to preview conditions across the entire route • Point: 34.3761, -118.4305 @ 613m

Quick Stats

Distance

12.33 km

Type

Cycling Sector

Elevation Range

566m - 722m

Max Elevation

722 m

Max Gradient

29.8%

38%

Highlights

Sand Canyon
Placerita Canyon Natural Area
Angeles National Forest

Field Radio Protocol

VHF-UHF Communication

Signal Verified

Emergency Simplex

146.520MHz

Team Coordination

446.006MHz

Scout Primary

146.400MHz

Propagation Telemetry

Ridge Line

92%

Gorge Floor

18%

Sector Relay: Sector Alpha Relay• 12-18 KM Range

Regulatory Compliance

VHF/UHF frequencies are for monitoring and emergency coordination only. Transmitting on these bands may require an Amateur Radio License or regional government permits. Check local telecommunications laws before operation.

Technical Analysis

Total Ascent

+334 m

Total Descent

-336 m

Ruggedness Index

Terrain Roughness Index

Vertical displacement per km. Typical range: 0 (Smooth) to 100+ (Extreme Mountain).

0 (Smooth)50 (Steep)100+ (Extreme)

54.3

Tortuosity Index

Route Curviness Index

Ratio of actual path to straight line. Typical range: 1.0 (Direct) to 3.0+ (Switchbacks).

1.0 (Direct)2.0 (Winding)3.0+ (Serpentine)

5.88

Gradient Distribution

Flat (0-3%)31%

Moderate (3-8%)31%

Steep (>8%)38%

Surface & Hydrology

Paved14%

Unpaved86%

Surface Spectrum Analysis

Asphalt

14%

Dirt Track

86%

Water Crossings

Includes only technical water fords where the vehicle actively enters a stream or riverbed. Permanent bridges are excluded from this count.

Difficulty Analysis

SCORE: 34

Difficulty is determined by a technical multi-vector analysis of elevation profile, surface quality, and topographic intensity.

Resulting CategoryModerate

Bounding Box (WGS84)

MIN LAT: 34.370139

MAX LAT: 34.379087

MIN LON: -118.441695

MAX LON: -118.422446

Point Spacing: 2.4 m • Engine: TrailX Precision GPX ANALYTICS v1.0.0

Reviews & Discussion0

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Plan this trip

Before you go: Sand Canyon Ride

Best time to go

Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov

Spring and fall suit most of the state; summer brings heat to inland valleys and the desert edge, while high Sierra trails are usually snow-free only from about July into October. Check for wildfire closures in late summer and fall.