Lake Mathews sits south of Riverside, and the roads around it are the reason DROC keeps going back: open, well surfaced and quiet enough to actually enjoy. Three route plans, all of them half days.

It is the ride for a morning when Ortega will be busy or the mountains are closed. Two of the three plans loop it together with Ortega anyway.

The roads themselves

This is not a mountain ride and that is the point. Cajalco Road runs east to west across the back of Riverside County past the reservoir, with El Sobrante, Gavilan and La Sierra filling in the loops. Open, fast, well sighted and, outside commute hours, close to empty.

It earns its place as the alternative. When Ortega is bumper to bumper, or the mountain roads are closed for snow or storm damage, these roads are almost always rideable and still worth the trip. Two of the three plans hang it off Ortega anyway, so it doubles as the second half of a bigger day.

Nothing here is technical. It rewards a smooth pace and reading a long way ahead, which makes it a good place to bring somebody who is newer to group riding.

Worth knowing

• A genuine half day. Out and back before lunch.
• It also works as the first leg of something longer: the Paradise Valley Cafe route runs through here.
• A genuine half day. Out and back before lunch.
• The reliable option. Low elevation, so it stays open when Palomar, Idyllwild and Big Bear do not.
• Cajalco is a commuter route. Avoid the weekday rush at either end and it is a different road entirely.
• Good for a first group ride. Fast but open, with nothing that punishes an unfamiliar pace.
• It links east. The Paradise Valley Cafe run out on the 74 starts through here.

Every time we have ridden it

• Last ride of 2023 on December 31, December 2023
• Ortega & Lake Mathews – January 2023, January 2023
• DROC-DOC Mountains, Lakes, Lunch Ride February 2022, February 2022

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
Lake Mathews	Half day		Route
Lake Mathews, Ortega	Half day		Route
Lake Mathews, Ortega	Half day		Route

Ride it with us

Ground rules and hand signals are on the rides page.

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Header photo of Lake Mathews by Northwalker, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for the web.