A lush, sometimes swampy-humid canopy follows a creek for the first few miles, leading to a string of challenging switchbacks, and finally a stretch of broken shale and otherwise technical singletrack. It's only five miles up to Main Divide, but will seem longer. It's singletrack all the way with some extreme exposure. But if you have the skills, this trail is a blast. It's probably tougher to clean all the switchbacks up and back than those of the legendary San Juan Trail, because a few are steeper.
Summer days can be especially tough because lots of direct sun follows the humidity of the canopy.
So take plenty of water, and watch out for poison oak. If you really want to feel the burn, take a left at Main Divide and summit Santiago Peak. It's about another three miles but will feel like at least twice that thanks to the grade and often loose surface. Naturally, once on Main Divide, you can also go right to West Horsethief or the Trabuco Trail. OCnow staff E-mail this story to a friend.