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Palomar Mountain is famous in SoCal, especially amongst riders. While not as technically demanding as the South Grade, the East Grade ride certainly does not disappoint. On a quiet day (especially during the week), this can be 14 miles of riding nirvana. The ride begins just past Lake Henshaw off the 76. The first 7 miles climb aggressively in elevation, winding you up the mountain. The beauty of the East Grade is that the turns are just twisty enough to be technical, but not so tight that you can't have fun at any skill level. Towards the middle of the ride the road straightens out a bit. Watch out for the folks on the side of the road nature/bird watching. Once past the middle prairies, you are once again treated with some nice twisty sections taking you up to the Park, connecting to South Grade, or on to the observatory. The views of SD County are just spectacular in this section, with a few graded spots to pull off the road to take a picture (I'd recommend stopping on the way back down as most pull outs are on the west side of the road). The road conditions on Palomar Mountain are pretty nice (only a few small bumps and moderate grooves), although you can tell it is heavily utilized for sport. Watch out for the occasional rock or ice near the top and/or shadows in the winter months. On busy weekends, the whole mountain will be teaming with riders, of many skill levels and maturity. Just remember to be safe, courteous, and aware and always ride your pace...the runoff anywhere on the mountain is pretty unforgiving (trees, cliffs, etc.).
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