So you've been to Baguio more times than you can count. You've been to the Cathedral, had your picture taken with a St. Bernard dog or horse at Mines View Park, picked strawberries at the Strawberry Farm in Benguet and enjoyed the many restaurants in Session Road and the newer ones in SM Baguio.
The biker in you wants to explore the fringes of the city. You want to suck the pine scented air deep into your lungs and you go read the map, plot your course and head out on your bike. Just out the gate, you play with the mist from mouth as it meets the cold chilly air.
And then you pedal, slowly at first, then when you get to a straight road, you pedal hard. Your sides ache and you grab your chest as it spasms as it adjusts to the high altitude when you tried to pump it hard.
This is how I imagine it to be if I brought my bike to Baguio for my family vacation. However, the wife and I had two small kids with us and we rode a bus so bringing a bike was not an option.
MT. BIKE TRAILS IN BAGUIO
I was able to go out on my own though to run (I'm currently training for my first 32-km run). From our base at Hotel 45, I was able to go out and run on South Drive which is perfect because it doesn't have a lot of car traffic and it's fairly woody so the pine scent is strong. I ran all the way to Wright Park to Mines View Park then down to Gibraltar Road then onwards to Leonard Wood road to go back to the hotel. It was a 10 km. route and bikers could also enjoy this woody/hilly route.
Camp John Hay has the Eco-Trail. At almost 2 kms, the route is great for trail running or just to go out for a walk in the woods. This trail is
OFF-LIMITS TO MOUNTAIN BIKERS though and rightly so because small kids are also using the trail.
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| Camp John Hay's Eco Trail is almost 2 kms long, you can't ride your mountain bike here though, that's my son right there :D |
But that's OK since there's an option for us which is the Horse Trail just behind the line of shops near the Le Monet hotel where the Titania Wine store and Shakey's restaurant are. A guard confirmed that
mountain bikers can use the Horse Trail and a horse guide told me this trail was around 2 kms. long but you can go on further to another area to lengthen your ride. I'd love to go back there and explore this trail on my own someday.
Hiking and Running Up Mt. Cabuyao and Mt. Sto. Tomas
The main reason for this entry is my trip up to Mt. Cabuyao and Mt. Sto. Tomas on our last day in Baguio. I took a hint from PinoyMountaineer's entry as I always do and followed the itinerary. I left the hotel around 0515 and found the jeep terminal to Green Valley which is located behind Hotel Veniz which is near Burnham Park.
The jeeps seem to start their trips at 0600 so I had time to eat breakfast at the carinderia (cantina) just in front of the terminal. The jump off point is the police station at Sto. Tomas road and if you see a policeman just say hi and that you'll be going up Sto. Tomas as a courtesy. The road is actually well maintained but there are some sections that are being rebuilt near the 3rd km from the jump off.
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| Farmer watering his field near Mt. Cabuyao |
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| You can run up this mountain because it's well paved |
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| Off limits! But there's a view deck and the entrance is near this gate |
At the fifth kilometer you'll be at the summit of Mt. Cabuyao where the huge discs of the radar installation are. These Mickey Mouse ear radar can be seen when you go back down to Kennon Road going back to Manila. It's off limits though but go close to the gate and there's a sign there that points you to the View Deck.You'll pass by a trail that hugs the chicken wire fence until you get to the View Deck. It was foggy when I got there so I wasn't able to enjoy the view much so I can't say what you'll be able to see there.
Onwards to my hike/run and the antennas that mark the summit of Mt. Sto. Tomas are visible, past the seven kilometer mark, you'll reach the dirt road. Congratulations, your knobby tires are now home in mountain bike territory.
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| M.I.C.K.E.Y. M.O.U.S.E. Mickey! |
The view is amazing, the plains are to your right and the mountains are to your left, you'll go past terraced fields where farmers work the land. Keep pushing forward and you'll get to road portions that are being paved (awww, but that means progress for the locals). There are some junctions but just follow the wider road. 4x4 vehicles that workers use to go to the towers help keep the trail navigable.
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| Pack light! All I had in my pocket was a 330ml bottle of water, two cupcakes, a camera and my phone for GPS tracking. I planned to hike/run this road so I didn't bring much. |
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| Take the right road to go up to Sto. Tomas. I was told the one going left was a wilderness trail that went straight to Kennon Road Camp 6, I should try it next time |
I finally got to the summit of Mt. Sto. Tomas after two and a half hours, it's 10.32 kms away from the jump off point (police station) and 5 kms away from Mt. Cabuyao. It's foggy up there and there's a cross marker for the summit but you'll have to look for it inside where the communication towers are. There's some staff there so it's always good to let them know why you're there.
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| Some mountain bikers going up to Sto. Tomas |
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| Hey! See? You can ride your bike up to Sto. Tomas (pardon my big finger on the lower left) |
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| Mt. Sto. Tomas summit marker, it was put up there to celebrate 400 years of Christianity in the Philippines |
I might not have taken my bike up to Mt. Sto. Tomas but I can confirm that it is indeed navigable by mountain bike. You'll need an extra pair of legs because the hills can be a killer, I bet i'd need to push my bike up there if I bring it up there but I'm sure you guys can do it easily. :)
TIPS AND TRICKS TIME!
Itinerary for hike/run up Mt. Cabuyao (MASL 2025) and Mt. Sto. Tomas (MASL 2256)
0600 - Depart Baguio to Green Valley (station is behind Hotel Veniz near Burnham Park, 15 pesos fare)
0630 - Jumpoff (police station at Sto. Tomas road)
0735 - Mt. Cabuyao summit (Km. 5.35 from jumpoff)
0750 - Gravel section (this is where your mountain bike will be happy)
0850 - Sto. Tomas summit (Km. 10.32 from jumpoff)
1010 - Back at jumpoff (ran most of the way down with stops along the way)
11:00 - Back in Session Road (it takes some time to find a jeep from jump off and I had to run/walk closer to the main road)
Note: Distance data is based on GPS data from Endomondo app, also according to the app, Mt. Cabuyao is at 2047 MASL while Sto. Tomas is at 2298
We stayed at Hotel 45's new building (online reviews recommended the new building and that's what I'll also recommend) It's a just a hop, skip, and a quick car dodge away from SM Baguio, it was reasonably priced too with hot shower, free breakfast and Wi-Fi at 1,100 per night, staff are cool too.
