273 Olde Alpine Challenge. 78 mi, 7303 ft el, 94 ft/mi.


0.0 e Alpine
2.5 L Willows
2.7 R Willows
3.5 L Viejas Grade
5.6 L Viejas Grade
10.2 L California Riding Hiking Trail
11.0 R Viejas Grade
12.6 L Viejas
14.2 R Hwy 79
14.4 L Old Hwy 80
20.9 L Sunrise Hwy
44.7 L Hwy 79
59.2 R Hwy 79
61.9 = Japatul Valley
67.8 L Japatul Spur
68.7 R Japatul
74.8 = Tavern
77.5 R Alpine
77.7 L return to start

Start at Alpine Elementary School, 1803 Alpine Blvd, Alpine CA 91901

Rub a little dirt on it. We ride The Dirty Sunrise and famous Viejas Grade, a nice dirt climb that leads up toward Pine Valley where we'll stop for water/rest and continue up Mt. Laguna via Sunrise Highway. Viejas Grade is an infamous climb in east county and changes based on the season. It can be dry and sandy or packed down with some moisture or a complete mud bog. But regardless of the conditions, this is easily doable on a road bike with 23mm tires by someone with moderate bicycle handling skills. The dirt section is less than 7 miles. We then proceed up Sunrise Highway and stop at the Laguna Store and check in with the grumpy proprietor. (Don't put your bikes on his porch!). We then ride to the junction of Hwy 79 and proceed down the perfect pavement and past the 8 freeway and pass underneath on Japapatul. We then wind our way down Japatul to Tavern Rd and turn toward Alpine and finish up with 77 and 7500 feet of climbing. There are multiple options to both shorten and lengthen the route depending on your schedule and workout needs.

Weather: It's winter, and we might get weather. Stay tuned for an alternate if it's going to rain cats and dogs. Viejas holds up reasonably well to a little moisture and makes the road a bit more packed down thereby easier. Stay tuned to the weather.