Riding to Idyllwild with DROC
Idyllwild sits in the San Jacinto Mountains, and the way DROC gets there is the point: Ortega Highway east, down through Anza on CA-371, a stop at the Paradise Valley Cafe, then the climb up CA-243 into the pines.
It is roughly a 188-mile loop and one of the best full days available from Orange County. We have run it four times.
How DROC rides it
- CA-243 is tight, technical and often has gravel washed onto it. It is not a road to hurry.
- Paradise Valley Cafe is the traditional stop and it is busy with bikes on weekends.
- Lunch in Idyllwild, then the loop back rather than retracing. Full day, plan for it.
Every time we have ridden it
- Idyllwild Ride September 2026, September 2026
- Watch the 2025 Italian MotoGP at MotoDoffo and ride to Idyllwild, June 2025
- Idyllwild Last Minute Ride October 2022, October 2022
- DROC – Idyllwild Ride October 2021, October 2021
Route plans
These are the actual route plans DROC has used, with the map for each. Ride leaders pick from these rather than inventing a route every time, which is why the same roads come up again: they work. Nothing stops you riding them on your own.
| Route | Length | Hours | Last ridden | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idlywild, Ortega | Full day | October 2022 | Route |
Ride it with us
Every DROC ride runs the same way: a safety briefing before we roll, staggered formation, a lead and a sweep, and regroups at every junction that matters. The full ground rules and the hand-signal guide are on the rides page.
See what is coming up, or join DROC. Bike nights are free and open to non-members, so you can also just turn up to one first.