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RideWolf · Glendale
The quickest canyon escape in LA. Angeles Crest is straight up the 2, Big Tujunga and Angeles Forest open the western San Gabriels, and La Tuna Canyon twists right through the Verdugos. Find the rides, and the people to ride them with.
You’re on the list — we’ll be in touch. Now go ride.
Free to join. The first 500 Glendale riders get a permanent Wolf Pack badge.
If you keep a bike in Glendale, you’re wedged right between the city and the mountains, and that’s the whole advantage. When people search for motorcycle rides in Glendale, what they really mean is the quick escape: up the 2 to Angeles Crest, out to Big Tujunga and Angeles Forest Highway in the western San Gabriels, or a fast lap of La Tuna Canyon through the Verdugos. You can be off the surface streets and into real switchbacks in under half an hour. Not many places in LA let you trade traffic for a mountain road that fast.
Straight with you: I started riding at 50, over in the LA area, and I was one of the lucky few. My buddy Leo and the guys I ride with on weekends, I found them early through family. That’s what turned a hobby into the best part of my week.
Glendale sits closer to the good roads than almost anywhere. Big Tujunga and Angeles Crest are a short ride up, and that’s exactly the trap: the canyons are easy to reach and hard to enjoy solo. So riders head up on a Sunday alone, hoping to get waved into a group at a pullout. It’s a strangely lonely thing for a ride this close, and nobody really talks about it. RideWolf is me handing every rider what I stumbled into, without the club, the cold calls, or the luck.
This is where Glendale riders point the bars. These are the roads we actually run, and the best places to ride a motorcycle near you climb straight out of the foothills above town.
Up the 2. Angeles Crest Highway (CA-2) is the crown jewel, and Glendale sits right at the bottom of it. Run up the 2 freeway through La Cañada and you’re onto one of the best mountain roads in the country: switchbacks, long sweepers, and elevation climbing toward 7,900 feet. Fuel up in La Cañada first, because gas is scarce once you’re up top, and keep your pace honest since the CHP works this road hard.
The western San Gabriels. For something quieter, Big Tujunga Canyon Road winds out of the foothills into the mountains and links to Angeles Forest Highway, which carries you over Mill Creek Summit toward the high desert. It’s curvy, scenic, and a little wild, the kind of ride where you barely see another car.
The Verdugos. Right in town, La Tuna Canyon Road cuts through the Verdugo Mountains for a quick twisty you can run before work. It’s short and low-stakes, a solid warm-up or an easy after-work loop when you don’t have a whole day to give the mountains.
| The ride | What it is | ~Length | Skill | Where to meet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angeles Crest Hwy (CA-2) | Switchbacks and sweepers climbing toward 7,900 ft | ~66 mi | Intermediate+ | La Cañada fuel-up |
| Big Tujunga Canyon Rd | Quiet western San Gabriel canyon | ~24 mi | Intermediate | Off the 210 / Foothill |
| Angeles Forest Hwy (N3) | Over Mill Creek Summit to the high desert | ~25 mi | Intermediate | Links off Big Tujunga |
| La Tuna Canyon Rd | Quick Verdugo Mountains twisty in town | ~5 mi | Beginner–Int | Off the 210 |
| Little Tujunga Canyon Rd | Foothill twisty toward the northwest | ~varies | Intermediate | Off the 210, Lake View Terrace |
One thing to know before you climb: these mountains close. Fire, snow, and rockslides shut Angeles Crest and the San Gabriel canyons down without much warning, and gas is scarce up top, so top off in La Cañada and check LA County road closures before you commit to a route up the 2.
Glendale riding is mostly launch-and-climb. The staging happens down in La Cañada Flintridge at the base of the 2, where everyone fuels up before Angeles Crest since there’s no gas once you’re on the mountain. Up top, the pullouts along Angeles Crest and the Clear Creek junction are where riders regroup and swap stories, and Mill Creek Summit is the natural stop on Angeles Forest Highway. Roll up to the La Cañada fuel stop on a weekend morning and you’ll find people heading the same way. That’s how it’s always worked, and RideWolf just means you don’t have to get lucky to find your group.
Nothing to it, and it’s aimed at the one thing I got lucky on.
Get on the early-access list for Glendale. No club, no cold calls, no luck of the draw at a pullout.
We match you with riders near you who make the same canyon runs at your pace.
Roll out on group rides up the canyon, swap the good routes, and ride with a crew that regroups at the top.
It’s free to join, and the first 500 riders in Glendale get a permanent Wolf Pack badge for being here early. When we launch, this is how you’ll line up your next canyon run, straight from your phone.
I’m not a pro racer or a 30-year vet. I’m a guy who finally started at 50 after wanting it his whole life. The canyons are close; the crew is what made me keep going back. RideWolf is me making sure the next Glendale rider doesn’t have to get lucky to find one. If you’ve got a bike up here, or you’re about to, come ride with us.
— Johnny, founder of RideWolf
Drop your email and we’ll tell you the moment group rides go live near you in Glendale.
Free to join · first 500 Glendale riders get the Wolf Pack badge.
The mountains start right above town. Run up the 2 freeway to Angeles Crest Highway (CA-2) for alpine switchbacks, take Big Tujunga Canyon and Angeles Forest Highway through the quieter western San Gabriels, or lap La Tuna Canyon through the Verdugos when you only have an hour. You can be into real switchbacks in under half an hour.
Yes. The canyon scene above Glendale is one of the busiest in SoCal. Riders stage down in La Cañada Flintridge at the base of the 2 and head up Angeles Crest together, especially on weekend mornings. RideWolf is built to connect you with group rides near you in Glendale without having to join a club or already know someone.
Angeles Crest Highway is the scenic classic, climbing toward 7,900 feet with big alpine views. Big Tujunga Canyon is the quieter, wilder option through the foothills, and Angeles Forest Highway carries you over Mill Creek Summit toward the high desert. La Tuna Canyon is the quick scenic loop right in town.
La Cañada Flintridge, at the base of the 2, is the main staging spot, since it’s the last gas before Angeles Crest. Up the mountain, the pullouts along Angeles Crest and the Clear Creek junction are where riders regroup, and Mill Creek Summit is the natural stop on Angeles Forest Highway.
No. Clubs are great for some riders, but you don’t need one to find people to ride with. That’s exactly the gap RideWolf fills. It connects everyday riders in Glendale into group rides, no membership or commitment required.
