Ortega Highway (AKA "The Awesome 74 to Lake Elsinor")

Motorcycle Roads & Rides > Routes > United States > California

Average Rating - This road has been rated by 7 visitors

State: California
Date Submitted: July 1, 2005
Submitted by: Bill Belei
Motorcycle Road Length: 32 Miles Miles

Written Directions

The directions to this route are incredibly simple. Just get your self to San Juan Capistrano, CA and head east on route 74 or get your self to Lake Elsinore, CA and head west on 74.

Scenery

This road takes you through the Cleveland National Forest between San Juan Capistrano, CA and to Lake Elsinore, CA. You'll pass through some great mountain/valley scenery as you descend and climb through the national forest. In addition to mountains you'll see some lush plant nurseries and pass through some alpine forest areas. When you finally reach the end (near Lake Elsinore) you will truly be amazed at the breathtaking view of Mt. Elsinore as route 74 sits thousands of feet above the lake and its valley. 74 then quickly descends down to the lake and town.

Road Quality

The roads have a great combination of sweeping turns and twisties. It has a nice section that puts together a series of 180 degree turns as you quickly climb up a mountain. The part of the road near the end and dumps you down into the Lake Elsinoreis full of great turns as well. When I was out there, there were more bikes than cars as this truly is a favorite ride in southern California for bikes.

Roadside Amenities

There is not too much to do in the way off "Roadside Amenities" however there are two bar/diner places along the route that cater specifically to the bike crowd. One of them is called Hell's kitchen and it caters to the cruiser/Harley crowd and the other is the "Lookout Roadhouse" which seems to attract more of the sport bike guys/girls. Other than that the town of Lake Elsinore has plenty of places to grab a bite and get your tank filled up.

Additional Info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather .

Nickname (optional) Bill Belei

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Reviewed by mooseariss on July 26, 2011 (1 out of 1 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Moose
motorcycle_year: 2004
motorcycle_make: HD
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: This is a hell of a ride to do during the summer months. If you are lucky and get ahead of traffic going on this road, it can be clear all the way to your destination. Very very well conditioned roads, on the Orange County side. It appears that some major road work was done in the last few years, making this a very desirable ride. Sadly, the road condition tends to become varied once entering Riverside County. None the less, this is still a very nice ride and a very beautiful run. would suggest any one who has not ridden it, to give it a try. A word of caution, a lot of woodland creatures tend to jump across the road. so don't freak out if a squirrel happens to jump out and try to mess you up.
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Reviewed by Guest on March 7, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Josh
motorcycle_year: 2011
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Nice twisties. Agreed, route is pretty short. Make sure you keep going after "The Lookout" and have lunch at "Hells Kitchen". Afterwards, you can keep going in to Orange County and do some beach crusing if you want to make it an all day ride.
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Reviewed by Guest on June 22, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Jeff
motorcycle_year: 2010
motorcycle_make: Triumph
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Beautiful ride in Southern California. Great scenery and tight turns. One huge problem is the amount of traffic. It is known as a very dangerous road as a result. Just too many cars.
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Reviewed by Guest on March 6, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Believa
motorcycle_year: 2003
motorcycle_make: Suzuki
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Ridden this road a couple times and it�s a very nice jaunt between the 15 and the 5 on your way to San Diego. A lot of fun to ride, good curves, and if you catch it in the middle of the week, car traffic will be light. A little on the Short side though. Don�t get me wrong, the road is a lot of fun and the Lookout caf� overlooking Lake Elsinore is not be missed. It just seems that once you really get into it, it ends. Good for an afternoon but not a day trip.
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Reviewed by Guest on January 14, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Michael C.
motorcycle_year: 2007
motorcycle_make: BMW
motorcycle_type: Sport-Touring
Comment: I have ridden this section of road about 5 times. It seems as though every time I try, there is a lot of 4-wheel traffic. So, it's a little difficult to open up and let loose. But.... If I could ever get a clean run, it would be a blast. The pavement from the county line (Riverside to Orange Counties) into O.C. was redone in 2007.
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Reviewed by Guest on December 28, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: NY James
motorcycle_year: 06
motorcycle_make: Yamaha
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Made for a great day. Thanks for the heads up
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Reviewed by Guest on January 2, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Scott
motorcycle_year: 2002
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: Although I didn't read it from stem to stern and didn't see the alternate name, it's also known to locals and more as, the "Ortega Highway". Just thought I'd throw it out there. Nice road though.
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