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More Stats for Lindquist - Sweet Pea - Observatory Trail mountain bike route

Mountain Bike

12.3 miles

Distance

1,686 ft

Climb

-1,690 ft

Descent

1,004 ft

High Point

This route takes on 3 of the crown jewels of Mendocino Coast riding. Park at 409 EOP, drop down Lindquist, ride up Sweetpea, and take Road 408 around to the top of Observatory Trail (OT). Flow down those graceful turns of Observatory Trail (OT) and then follow Parallel or meander through Jiro’s Playground back to your car at EOP. This +-15-mile, loop takes you on 3 of the area's flagship trails, which also are some of our most popular, with a nice variety of riding.

Detailed Description

Lindquist - Sweet Pea - Observatory Trail is a 12 mile popular intermediate route located near Mendocino California. This mountain bike only route. This route includes 4 trails. This route climbs 1,686 ft with a max elevation of 1,004 ft then descends -1,690 ft.

Mendocino Coast Cyclists (mendocc.org)

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Riding area

Jackson Demonstration State Forest
Primary Activity

Mountain Bike
Difficulty rating

Blue
eBike Allowed

No

Avg time

2 hr 0 min
Altitude change

-2 ft
Altitude min

79 ft
Altitude start

565 ft
Altitude end

564 ft
Grade max

-52.2%
Grade min

41%
Distance climb

6 miles
Distance down

6 miles
Distance flat

4,127 ft

Lindquist Loops

Observatory Trail

Parallel Action

Walk southeast on Caspar Little Lake Road.
Continue for 30 meters.
Make a right U-turn to stay on Caspar Little Lake Road.
Continue for 700 meters.
Turn right onto Lindquist Loops.
Continue for 1.5 kilometers.
Turn right to stay on Lindquist Loops.
Continue for 300 meters.
Walk north on Rd 600.
Continue for 500 meters.
Walk southeast on Rd 640.
Continue for 500 meters.
Walk east on Sweet Pea.
Continue for 7 kilometers.
Turn right onto Little Lake Road.
Continue for 3 kilometers.
Turn left onto Observatory Trail.
Continue for 500 meters.
Bear left onto Little Lake Road (408).
Continue for less than 10 meters.
Bear left onto Observatory Trail.
Continue for 1.5 kilometers.
Turn left to stay on Observatory Trail.
Continue for 900 meters.
Turn right onto Little Lake Road (408).
Continue for 20 meters.
Turn left onto Parallel Action.
Continue for 2 kilometers.
Keep right to stay on Parallel Action.
Continue for 1.5 kilometers.

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Trail Conditions

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1 Week
1 Month
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Unknown
Snow Groomed
Snow Packed
Snow Covered
Snow Cover Partial
Freeze/thaw Cycle
Icy
Prevalent Mud
Wet
Variable
Ideal
Dry
Very Dry

Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)

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The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.

> 96%
> 90%
> 80%
> 70%
> 50%
< 50%
bi-directional trail
no data

Trail Last Ridden

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< 2 days
< 1 week
< 2 weeks
< 1 month
< 6 months
> 6 months

Trail Ridden Direction

The intended direction a trail should be ridden.

Downhill Only
Downhill Primary
Both Directions
Uphill Primary
Uphill Only
One Direction

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Trail Popularity ?

Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months. Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. Think of this as a heatmap, more rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.

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popular
less popular
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ATV/ORV/OHV Filter

ATV - 50 inches
OHV, SxS - 60 inches
Jeep - 72 inches

Max Vehicle Width

inches

Ridelog Year

Radar Time

x Activity Recordings

Trailforks users anonymized public ridelogs from the past 6 months.

mountain biking recent
mountain biking (>6 month)
hiking (1 year)
moto (1 year)

Activity Recordings

Trailforks users anonymized public skilogs from the past 12 months.

Downhill Ski
Backcountry Ski
Nordic Ski
Snowmobile

Winter Trails

Warning A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.

x Missing Trails

trail	date	description
Parallel Action	Jul 7, 2025 @ 4:10pm Jul 7, 2025
Lindquist Loops	Jul 7, 2025 @ 4:10pm Jul 7, 2025	In great shape with more trail and switchbacks added for better flow. Improved and maintained by Mendocino Coast Cyclists in conjunction with Cal-fire.
Sweet Pea	Jul 7, 2025 @ 4:10pm Jul 7, 2025	Really straight and can be fast with effort downhill.
Observatory Trail	Jul 7, 2025 @ 4:10pm Jul 7, 2025