Taking a look at now I see they have labeled that part a landslide on ridewithgps. That was a tough hike a bike I remember, very steep and it kept going up after the landslide . There's a couple other gents I follow on Strava who had good things to say about that part of Gold Canyon too

One thing I've learned from route exploration: don't wait too long to turn around if things look sketchy. I wasn't sure how long the bad stretch of road would last, and the goal was to find a loop where I could stay clipped in the whole time -- 3N30 was not that. Anyway, thanks for your previous ride post on this, it's what got me interested and it was a solid ride.

What tire size and tire model are you running on these roads/rides?

I'm riding Maxxis Ramblers, 40 mm front and 38 mm rear. The lugs are getting pretty worn -- I have a set of Conti Terra Speeds, 40/35, I'll be putting on pretty soon. I tried 50 mm front and 45 mm rear Ramblers, and while they made descents more comfy, the rolling resistance on streets and weight on climbs was too much for me.

The Terra Speeds are supposed to have pretty low rolling resistance: https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/cx-gravel-reviews. We'll see.

Thanks, I have a set of wtb ventures i think I’m going to switch to. I’m currently running 2.1” mezcal which I like but I’m kinda rethinking these rocky descents on my gravel bike.

Yeah, I'm becoming a little schizophrenic about tire choice. On the one hand I'm running a pretty modest size (40 mm or less); on the other, I avoid the trails around Mt. Lowe and Mt. Lukens because they're too rocky. I'm starting to have a heretical thought: getting an MTB, and settling into a slower pace on climbs but be capable of more gravel roads. I'm wondering whether full suspension with 45-50 mm tires will provide the sweet spot for dirt descents and asphalt cruising. The Canyon Lux has caught my eye.