Palomar Mountain, San Diego, Ca S6 and S7. These 2 roads lead to Palomar Observatory. They offer 2 very different rides.
Introduction:
Palomar Mountain is one of the most favored and challenging roads for motorcycles in Southern California. It is located on Highway 76 East of the Interstate 15. There are 2 roads to get to the top of Palomar, the S6 (South Grade) and the S7 (East Grade). With the year-round riding in San Diego, you can usually get up the mountain without the worry of snow, but always check before you plan your trip, because it is a relatively high elevation.
S6 (Tight Side or South Grade):
The S6 is widely known as "The Tight Side", and for very good reason. It features several very tight corners, lots of elevation changes, and a few decreasing radius corners. The S6 is a road you don't take for granted. It requires your full and complete attention for the entire 7 miles.
It also has a lot of traffic going to the Palomar Observatory or the campground. There are also a few sports cars on there. This is a highly traveled road with several residential areas along the way.
S7 (East East):
The S7 is a much more rider-friendly and faster road. On each of the dozens of times I've been up and down it, there was considerably less traffic than on the S6. It's a nice ride in both directions, and the 11 miles goes by fairly quickly.
Items Of Note:
One of the great things about the Palomar ride is the scenery. It's one of the nicer places to ride in San Diego. From certain points along the top portion of the S6 you can see from Mexico to the Catalina Islands.
There have been long, on-going complaints from residents regarding bikers racing up and down the S6. It is rumored that some residents have set traps and obstacles on the roads in the corners to try to get motorcycles to crash.
Before You Leave:
Both roads, the tight S6 and the looser S7 offer completely different rides going the other direction. Be sure to leave enough time to make the trip in both directions, on both roads. You won't be sorry. I might suggest you save going down the S6 for last, because it can be very tiring on your arms and wrists because of the hard braking and tight turns, with hard acceleration after each turn.
Once you've gone up one side and down the other, and visa-versa, you might consider taking a few more hours to head out East on the 76. From the base of Palomar, it's a beautiful ride up through the Laguna Mountains and down into Campo, or into Julian.
