Pie runs to Julian and Santa Ysabel
The pie run is a DROC institution: a long ride south through the mountains to Julian or Santa Ysabel, a slice of pie, and the ride home. 17 club rides have ended at one or the other since 2019.
The riding is the reason, not the pie, though nobody says so out loud. Getting there means Ortega, or Palomar Mountain, or the long way round through Warner Springs and Ranchita, and back through Temecula. Expect 200 to 300 miles.
The roads themselves
The pie is the excuse. The ride is Highway 78 and Highway 79 through the back of San Diego County: rolling, open, well surfaced and, once you are past Ramona, genuinely quiet. Most plans come in one and leave by the other so you are not repeating yourself.
Julian Pie Company has two shops and the quiet one is in Santa Ysabel, at 21976 Highway 79, right where the roads meet. Both it and the Main Street shop in Julian open daily 9am to 5pm. Santa Ysabel is the better stop on a bike: easier parking, shorter queue and you are already pointed at the way home.
Julian itself is a tourist town and gets busy on autumn weekends, particularly through apple season. If the plan is a ride rather than a wander, Santa Ysabel and back down the 79 is the better shape of day.
How DROC rides it
- These are full-day rides with multiple fuel stops. Arrive with a full tank and eat breakfast first.
- Winter pie runs are cold at elevation even when the coast is warm. Julian sits above 4,000 feet.
- The group splits naturally on the long stretches and regroups at every stop, so ride your own pace.
- Use the Santa Ysabel shop. Same pie, same hours, a fraction of the crowd and much easier to park a group of bikes.
- Autumn weekends are apple season. Julian fills with cars. Go early or route around the town centre.
- Watch for deer at either end of the day. The 79 through the meadows is open country and they cross without looking.
- It gets cold up there. Julian is above 4,000 feet, so the descent home is colder than the ride out felt.
Every time we have ridden it
- Watch the 2025 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix at MotoDoffo + Pie at Julian, August 2025
- Ride to Ortega + Palomar + Julian March 2025, March 2025
- Long Pie Run February 2024, February 2024
- Long ride: Ortega + Palomar + Borrego Springs + Julian, May 2023
- Long Pie Run February 2023, February 2023
- Pie Run November 26, November 2022
- Pie Run September 22, September 2022
- Pie ride June 2022, June 2022
- DROC-DOC – Pie Ride via Santa Ysabel, November 2021
- DROC – DOC Pie Ride August 22nd., August 2021
Plus 7 more in the full event archive.
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 | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julian, Lake Mathews, Lake Hemet, HWY 79, Julian, HWY 78 | Full day | 6 | 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.