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2,392 ft
Distance
10 ft
Climb
-162 ft
Descent
00:02:11
Avg time
-154 ft
Altitude change
1,073 ft
Altitude min
1,227 ft
Altitude max
1,227 ft
Altitude start
1,073 ft
Altitude end
-6.4%
Grade
-33.2%
Grade max
12%
Grade min
151 ft
Distance climb
1,831 ft
Distance down
302 ft
Distance flat
00:02:11
Avg time
Flow Trail 5 Details
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Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Gravel Bike
- Adaptive Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
-
Riding AreaSoquel Demonstration State Forest
Santa Cruz, California -
Difficulty Rating
-
Voted DifficultyBlue (2 votes)
-
Local Popularity95 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 40 in Trail Running
- 50 in Hiking
- 5 in Adaptive Biking
- 90 in Gravel Biking
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Global Ranking#14567 in Mountain Biking [+]
- #144158 in Trail Running
- #101856 in Hiking
- #551 in Adaptive Biking
- #182 in Gravel Biking
-
State Ranking#367 in Mountain Biking · California [+]
- #7,340 in Trail Running
- #5,685 in Hiking
- #37 in Adaptive Biking
- #24 in Gravel Biking
-
Hiking SAC ScaleT3 Demanding Mountain Hiking
-
Trail ExposureNormal
-
Trail TypeSingletrack
-
Bike TypeAM, XC, Adaptive MTB, Gravel
-
DirectionDownhill Only[+]Popular Direction Shown
- Downhill Only for Trail Running
- Downhill Only for Hiking
- Downhill Only for Adaptive Biking
- Downhill Only for Gravel Biking
-
Climb DifficultyBlue
-
Physical RatingModerate
-
Trail VisibilityAlways easy to follow
-
Dogs AllowedYes
-
eBike Allowed
-
Land Owner
Built specifically for mountain bikes, a flow trail emphasizes speed and rhythm, featuring berms, rollers, jumps and other features that are designed in a way that uses the rider’s momentum to minimize pedaling and braking (think downhill pump track). From the young (or not so young) beginner, to the downhill pro, a flow trail delivers smiles for riders of all ages and skill level.
MBoSC has partnered with land manager California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to build a four mile flow trail in Soquel Demonstration State Forest (SDSF). The objectives of this project are to promote mountain biking by creating a progressive trail that can be enjoyed by riders of all ages and ability level, and to increase the diversity of riding opportunities, demonstrate innovative and sustainable trail building design and techniques, and provide a model for other land managers for similar types of projects.
source: Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz
Adaptive Bike Info
aMTB Blue Rating: Intermediate features and steeper terrain.
Trail Supporters
Bell Bike HelmetsSponsor
Specialized Bicycle ComponentsSponsor
Santa Cruz BicyclesSponsor
Local Trail Association
-
-
Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to supportDonate to earn trail karma!
trail development & maintenance.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 9 rides
- 17 miles average
6 Months
- 379 rides
- 18 miles avg distance
All
- 3,186 rides
- Last: Nov 6, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Flow Trail 5 Trail Reports
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3D
Trail Conditions
- 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)
Trailforks scans users activity logs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Used
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
- < 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
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
- Description
- Photos
- Description & Photos
- Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans activity logs 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 activities = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
- most popular
- popular
- less popular
- not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches
US Cell Coverage
Legend
Radar Time
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data.
?
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data.
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Winter Trails
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Missing Trails
Most Popular
Least Popular
Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where users jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
BC Backroad Status
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Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
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Directions to flow-trail-5 trailhead
(37.081240, -121.897610)
Photos
26 more »
Videos
16 more »
mtb
14:13 |
110 |
May 2, 2024 , Santa Cruz
mtb
12:31 |
311 |
Apr 30, 2024 , Santa Cruz
mtb
9:30 |
436 |
Jan 21, 2022 , Santa Cruz
mtb
21:30 |
263 |
Nov 1, 2021 , Santa Cruz
Trail Lists
Routes with this trail
★ 5.0 • 18 miles • 3,222 ft • 14 •
The Flow Trail is one of the best-known trails in Santa Cruz. It's 3.5 miles of fast, flowy downhill fun....
★ 4.3 • 14 miles • 2,098 ft • 13 •
Best route for the flow trail with minimal climbing
4 Reviews & Comments
twowheeledwanderer
The Flow Trail is so fun! It's 3.4 miles of fast, flowy singletrack with machine-built berms and lots of little rollers to catch air. Climbing up to the top is no joke, though... I wrote a post about everything you need to know about the Flow Trail and Demo Forest https://twowheeledwanderer.com/posts/santa-cruz-flow-trail
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Nearby Trails
- Flow Trail 4 400 ft
- Logging Spur 755 ft
- Flow Trail 6 968 ft
- Tractor Trail 1,427 ft
- Logging Spur 1,460 ft
Soquel Demonstration State Forest
- By brenthillier
NSMBA TRAILFORKS & contributors - #29322 - 13,770 views
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