18.1 miles
Distance
3,242 ft
Climb
-3,234 ft
Descent
2,579 ft
High Point

The Flow Trail is one of the best-known trails in Santa Cruz. It's 3.5 miles of fast, flowy downhill fun. Add another lap on Braille and get the best that Soquel Demonstration has to offer. It's a big day, though, so be prepared for 19 miles in the saddle and about 3,500 ft of climbing

Detailed Description
Flow/Braille Double Lap is a 18 mile popular intermediate route located near Santa Cruz California. This mountain bike only route. This route includes 14 trails. This route climbs 3,242 ft with a max elevation of 2,579 ft then descends -3,234 ft.
Local Trail Association
Local trail association
Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship (santacruztrails.org)
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Trail Products

42 Reviews & Comments

  • + 0
ottersports (May 27, 2022 at 14:44)
Trail Braille DH
 Epic DH line. Not to advanced, but lots of chunder
[Reply]
  • + 2
jstn4102 (May 9, 2022 at 10:18)
Trail Ridge Trail
 I feel like Ridge should be rated as a Black. I think as another commenter pointed out, the trail is getting more technical over time. There are sections of ridge that have consecutive root drops, and technical steep and chunky rollers. There are also small sections of the uphill sections of ridge that are pretty technical and I see most riders dab.
[Reply]
  • + 2
jstn4102 (May 9, 2022 at 10:18)
Trail Ridge Trail
 I feel like Ridge should be rated as a Black. I think as another commenter pointed out, the trail is getting more technical over time. There are sections of ridge that have consecutive root drops, and technical steep and chunky rollers. There are also small sections of the uphill sections of ridge that are pretty technical and I see most riders dab.
[Reply]
  • + 0
Kidklayko (May 11, 2022 at 10:35)
Trail Ridge Trail
 Agreed it has one little rock garden that can be a little tricky, though I think part of the reasons it's eroded so fast is because of the E-bikes that sneak in.
[Reply]
  • + 0
Kidklayko (May 11, 2022 at 10:35)
Trail Ridge Trail
 Agreed it has one little rock garden that can be a little tricky, though I think part of the reasons it's eroded so fast is because of the E-bikes that sneak in.
[Reply]
  • + 1
spokesmanmtb (May 16, 2022 at 11:37)
Trail Ridge Trail
 Ebikes aren’t allowed, but I don’t think that they are the reason the trail is wearing out.
[Reply]
  • + 1
spokesmanmtb (May 16, 2022 at 11:37)
Trail Ridge Trail
 Ebikes aren’t allowed, but I don’t think that they are the reason the trail is wearing out.
[Reply]
  • + 1
Danial2L1Ihi (Jul 2, 2022 at 13:22)
Trail Ridge Trail
 True but I see them there quite a bit
[Reply]
  • + 1
Danial2L1Ihi (Jul 2, 2022 at 13:22)
Trail Ridge Trail
 True but I see them there quite a bit
[Reply]
  • + 1
Kidklayko (Jul 2, 2022 at 18:00)
Trail Ridge Trail
 Exactly
[Reply]
  • + 1
Kidklayko (Jul 2, 2022 at 18:00)
Trail Ridge Trail
 Exactly
[Reply]
  • + 0
mweitz (May 8, 2022 at 18:32)
Trail Braille DH
 I did Braille then flow. The pedal out sucked but I liked having more emerge for Braille as it is a bit more physically challenging than Flow. Next time I’ll try Flow first.

It really isn’t that hard and you can go over the gnarly sections slowly if you have decent brakes.
[Reply]
  • + 0
steelispossiblyreal (Feb 27, 2022 at 8:20)
Trail Ridge Trail
 This is a great way to get your descending legs after climbing for a while. Solid warmup before you drop Braille or Flow. Some swoop natural flow, rock gardens, side hits.
[Reply]
  • + 0
steelispossiblyreal (Feb 27, 2022 at 8:20)
Trail Ridge Trail
 This is a great way to get your descending legs after climbing for a while. Solid warmup before you drop Braille or Flow. Some swoop natural flow, rock gardens, side hits.
[Reply]
  • + 1
slmuller (Dec 14, 2021 at 10:48)
Trail Flow Trail 1
 Holy brake bumps Batman y'all gotta figure out how to stay off the stoppers
[Reply]
  • + 1
kris142b (Dec 5, 2021 at 19:11)
Trail Buzzard Lagoon Road
 Somehow managed to find myself on this trail today trying to get to Flow trail. 10/10 do not recommend. Got 3 miles downhill before realizing something isnt right. Not a fun walk back up.
[Reply]
  • + 0
mtbflauto (Feb 3, 2021 at 11:37)
Trail Flow Trail 1
 How is the trail right now? Is it still running rough from last season?
[Reply]
  • + 0
Cabothe89 (Jan 3, 2021 at 19:42)
Trail Flow Trail 1
 Flow trail is very wet right now (and will be more wet after rain this week)! Pls don’t ride until it dries out so the trail doesn’t get ruined Smile
[Reply]
  • + 1
Emilianofloressaenz (Oct 26, 2020 at 6:46)
Trail Flow Trail 1
 Rode yesterday and this trail has seen better days suuuuper blown out with huge brake holes kinda sad to see hopefully they fix it by next season
[Reply]
  • + 0
davidtzlu (Oct 14, 2020 at 13:49)
Trail Flow Trail 5
 Tree down around blind corner.
[Reply]
  • + 1
spokesmanmtb (Oct 14, 2020 at 16:37)
Trail Flow Trail 5
 Is this the tree that is down at the very bottom of the trail on the fire road? If so, I wouldn’t necessarily call it a blind corner, but it is a tiny bit of a surprise. I had plenty of time to slow down when I saw it. And it’s not actually on the trail, it’s after the trail.
[Reply]
  • + 0
Roadkilltester (Sep 28, 2020 at 23:03)
Trail Aptos Creek Road
 Great ride but avoid the weekends...crazy busy. Weekdays are so much better with smaller crowds. It’s dry but that what you get until the rain starts.
[Reply]
  • + 2
bowersdaniel9 (Jul 17, 2020 at 13:49)
Trail Ridge Trail
 Ridge is getting more technical as it erodes
[Reply]
  • + 2
bowersdaniel9 (Jul 17, 2020 at 13:49)
Trail Ridge Trail
 Ridge is getting more technical as it erodes
[Reply]
  • + 1
okcorrell (May 25, 2020 at 20:16)
Trail Hihns Mill Road
 The closed section is now open. Happy riding!
[Reply]
  • + 1
okcorrell (May 25, 2020 at 20:16)
Trail Hihns Mill Road
 The closed section is now open. Happy riding!
[Reply]
  • + 0
Goatheadtom (Feb 23, 2020 at 12:40)
Trail Hihns Mill Road
 Kk kkkkoossoon
P op iooopooo
[Reply]
  • + 0
Goatheadtom (Feb 23, 2020 at 12:40)
Trail Hihns Mill Road
 Kk kkkkoossoon
P op iooopooo
[Reply]
  • + 1
Karlvision (Dec 8, 2019 at 20:17)
Trail Braille DH
 Mostly firm but wet today. There were a few puddles that are easily avoided. There are at least two spots that have large downed trees laying across the trail.
[Reply]
  • + 3
twowheeledwanderer (Dec 4, 2019 at 12:14)
Trail Braille DH
 Braille is a great second lap if you're doing a big day in Demo Forest. Do the Flow Trail first then climb back up Sulphur Spring Road and hit Braille for round two. It is VERY different from Flow. Flow is a fast, bermed machine-built track whereas Braille is very much raw, steep old-school DH. I love them both! Read more about both trails here twowheeledwanderer.com/posts/santa-cruz-flow-trail
[Reply]
  • + 1
twowheeledwanderer (Dec 3, 2019 at 11:21)
Trail Flow Trail 5
 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 twowheeledwanderer.com/posts/santa-cruz-flow-trail
[Reply]
  • + 1
twowheeledwanderer (Dec 3, 2019 at 11:21)
Trail Flow Trail 4
 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 twowheeledwanderer.com/posts/santa-cruz-flow-trail
[Reply]
  • + 1
twowheeledwanderer (Dec 3, 2019 at 11:20)
Trail Flow Trail 3
 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 twowheeledwanderer.com/posts/santa-cruz-flow-trail
[Reply]
  • + 1
twowheeledwanderer (Dec 3, 2019 at 11:20)
Trail Flow Trail 2
 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 twowheeledwanderer.com/posts/santa-cruz-flow-trail
[Reply]
  • + 2
twowheeledwanderer (Dec 3, 2019 at 11:20)
Trail Flow Trail 1
 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 twowheeledwanderer.com/posts/santa-cruz-flow-trail
[Reply]
  • + 1
WillieB (Nov 11, 2019 at 22:08)
Trail Flow Trail 5
 This is the sickest segment
[Reply]
  • + 0
Olemanmtb (Jun 30, 2018 at 3:28)
Trail Flow Trail 6
 Superb and highly recommend. Rode all 6 hats off to persons who maintain these trails at Demo Forest
[Reply]
  • + 0
Olemanmtb (Jun 30, 2018 at 3:24)
Trail Flow Trail 1
 Superb and highly recommend
[Reply]
  • + 1
cosmicheretic (Feb 25, 2018 at 22:59)
Trail Braille DH
 Rode it today and your description is bang on. I prefer it to the flow trails buff rollers. The steep narrow sections with root drops are good fun!
[Reply]
  • + 0
owenb723 (Dec 12, 2017 at 18:09)
Trail Aptos Creek Road
 So Awesome must ride
[Reply]
  • + 0
aguynamedjoe SCMTS Staff (Sep 5, 2017 at 7:11)
Trail Buzzard Lagoon Road
 Buzzard Lagoon is best ridden on a cross bike as a segment of a longer ride, like Up Eureka Canyon, Down Buzzard. It does have a great view of the Monterey Bay halfway down.
[Reply]
  • + 5
aguynamedjoe SCMTS Staff (Aug 13, 2017 at 18:54)
Trail Braille DH
 Braille is a nice opposite of Flow, the next trail down Ridge you can choose to ride. Braille is "Natural". It has hard stuff, jump ramps, steepness, and narrow sectors that follow the natural contour of the hill. There are go-arounds for all the jumps that have been built, but some of the steep sectors are scalloped and have root drops that we all have to deal with. I think those are what gives it a Black Diamond. As I mentioned, it's the opposite of Flow, which is buff, bermed, pumped, and manicured. The Demo, and we riders, are so lucky we have BOTH to choose from.
[Reply]





Trails in Route

Details

More Stats for Flow/Braille Double Lap mountain bike route
  • Altitude change
    9 ft
  • Altitude min
    776 ft
  • Altitude start
    1,634 ft
  • Altitude end
    1,644 ft
  • Grade max
    -77.5%
  • Grade min
    36.3%
  • Distance climb
    10 miles
  • Distance down
    8 miles
  • Distance flat
    3,442 ft
Avg: 5 (1 votes)

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Braille Flow and Braille Trail on a hardtail
Braille Flow and Braille Trail on a hardtail
38:40 | 156 | comments: 0 | favs:
Jan 28, 2021
Demo Dayz
Demo Dayz
trail: Braille DH
16:24 | 40 | comments: 0 | favs:
May 9, 2022

Recent Trail Reports Along Route

statustraildateconditiondescription
Flow Trail 1
Jul 4, 2022 @ 7:58pm
1 day
Sulphur Spring Road
Jul 3, 2022 @ 10:09am
3 days
Ridge Trail
Jul 3, 2022 @ 10:09am
3 days
Braille DH
Jul 3, 2022 @ 10:09am
3 days
Flow Trail 6
Jun 25, 2022 @ 8:05am
Jun 25, 2022
more reports »
  • By twowheeledwanderer & contributors
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