Mount Arayat stands alone on the flat Central Luzon plain. This loop goes around the mountain, not up it. It is short and mostly flat, which makes it a good first outing beyond town roads.
The ride
The loop circles the mountain through the towns of Arayat and Magalang. One rider’s GPS record puts it at about 33.8 km with 214 m of climbing, which is very little for a ride of this length. Treat those figures as a guide. Your own distance will depend on where you start and which roads you take.
On that record, 82 percent of the route is paved and 18 percent is not. The unpaved part is the reason we rate the ride moderate and not easy. Wider tires make it more comfortable, so a gravel bike or a mountain bike is the better choice.
The mountain itself is 1,026 m high, according to Wikipedia. You stay on the plain at its foot the whole way, with the summit always to one side.
Good to know
- Ride it in the dry season, from December to May. The rider who recorded the route warns against doing it in the rainy season, when the unpaved sections turn to mud.
- Start early: by mid-morning the plain is hot. Our guide to riding in the heat explains the hours to avoid.
- Carry two bottles of water and some cash, and refill when you pass through a town.
- These are open public roads, so expect to share them with other traffic. Keep to the right and ride in single file where the road is narrow.
- Ask local riders about the state of the unpaved sections before you go, most of all after rain.
Getting there
Arayat and Magalang are in Pampanga, north of Manila. Riders coming from Manila by car, with the bike on board, can leave the North Luzon Expressway at one of its Pampanga exits, which include San Fernando, Mexico, Angeles and Dau. For more on the province, see Pampanga for the visiting rider.