Hans Rey’s Favorite Trail: Chantry Flat
Hans has traveled the world with his mountain bike to explore the Pyramids of Egypt, the sacred Inca Trail in Peru, the Himalayas, and much more. However, sometimes a favorite trail has more to do with nostalgia and memories than anything else. Chantry Flat is located in the Angeles National Forest, roughly three miles into Big Santa Anita Canyon, near the towns of Arcadia and Sierra Madre, CA just north of LA’s bustling downtown. After being devastated by fire, landslides, and overgrowth, this trail network out of Chantry Flat is now open again for riding. These trails are challenging to ride with countless creek crossings, technical features, and massive exposure. Hans has been riding this trail network in the San Gabriel Mountain Range above Los Angeles for over 30 years. Keep reading to find out why.
Hans Rey with Sturtevant Falls
Why we (and Hans) Love Chantry Flat
As Hans puts it, “It feels like Yosemite.” It’s hard to describe the surreal feeling we get when we’re alone in nature, but Chantry Flat gives us just that, and it’s only half an hour from LA’s urban sprawl. Beyond the scenic beauty, Chantry Flat is flat-out fun to ride. The Chantry Flat Trail leads riders through a diverse landscape of forests, streams, and rocky terrain, with the option to combine the route with the Upper Winter Creek Trail for a challenging, steep climb and descent. Chantry Flat offers an elevation gain of just over 4,000 feet, meaning tough climbs and flowy descents. The trail also boasts a myriad of technical challenges, from navigating narrow stretches of trail to gnarly roots, creek crossings, and steep descents.
Hans and Chantry Flat
Hans has been riding the trails in Chantry Flat for decades. Classic footage from the nineties shows Hans attempting a technical descent down a cascade in the middle of the creek. While Hans has been a long-time dedicated rider at Chantry Flat, he and many others have missed out on riding there in the last four years due to trail damage from fires and floods. Now that Chantry Flat has reopened, you can expect to find Hans tracing the narrow creekside trails and embracing the exposure.
Tools by Fix Manufacturing used during this adventure
Hans and the Fix Team Take on Chantry Flat
Hans recently took Tony from Fix and Dan Freeman (Laguna Rads) out to Chantry Flat, claiming it was “like visiting an old friend.” He showed the crew the old backpacker cabins and helped the team navigate some of the more treacherous terrain in the area, including a hairpin turn on a ledge above an 80-foot drop. Rather than take the long and cruisy way down to the waterfall, the team opted for a steeper, more technical shortcut that could have easily been part of the classic nineties footage of Hans taking on the Chantry Flat chutes.
If you’re curious about the Fix Chantry Flat ride, what tools we carried, or want our Strava data from the day, don’t hesitate to reach out. In the meantime, stay tuned to the Fix Garage for more trail stories, gear breakdowns, and riding news.
