Its steepness will remind mountain bikers of The Wall in Timberland. The view from the top meanwhile will recall the hills of Antipolo, which overlook Metro Manila. If you’re looking for a different kind challenge for the weekend, Antenna Hill in Tayuman, Binangonan, Rizal should be high on your list.
This biking destination also comes with several bonuses as you can head on to the historic Petroglyphs after climbing the hill, visit a first-class resort along the way, and take a tour of the arthouse restaurants in Angono.
I wasn’t really planning on doing a solo ride of Antenna Hill last weekend, but the biking bug bit me. I also couldn’t get any buddies to join me so just decided to go it alone. It’s always preferable to have a buddy on a ride, but it’s always better to just go solo instead of wasting a great day to be outdoors just because no one else wants to join you.
Although I’ve climbed Antenna several times before, the place just never gets old. The climb starts at the Gate 2 of San Carlos Subdivision. It’s a nice paved road, until you get to the middle part where the tarmac disintegrates and it becomes a potholed fire road all the way to the top.
It’s a pretty gnarly climb, but if you’ve completed The Wall before, Antenna Hill shouldn’t get you gassed out. Along the route are stations of the cross which were placed there by devout Catholics from the Sacred Heart Parish. There’s also a shrine near the top.
When you get to the summit, you’ll be glad to know that there’s a sari-sari store there which serves Gatorade and other drinks, and where you can have instant noodles cooked for you in case you’ve depleted your carbohydrate and sodium stores while biking up. There’s also a place where you can park your bikes.
From the summit, you can hit the trails where the Spyder Downhill Cup was held last February. I wouldn’t recommend you attempt the jumps though if you’re unsure of your skill level. Some of the regulars here say that you can do the technical stuff even on a cross country rig, but you risk breaking your bike.
Some of them drop over five feet and can easily send an overeager noob over the handlebar. Most of the guys who do this have downhill specific suspension forks, and wear full-face helmets.
From Antenna Hill it’s just a few hundred pedal strokes away to East Ridge subdivision. Bikers familiar with Timberland will get a sense of deja vu here—at least until they see ThunderBird Resorts, which then reminds you of La Union and that movie where Derek Ramsay gets to bonk both Anne Curtis and Cristine Reyes.
Hungry bikers can try the breakfast buffet in this classy resort. Be prepared to pay hotel rates though for filling your bread basket. If you don’t want to do too much damage to your wallets or you prefer to eat in someplace that’s got more character, skip that and wait until you get down to Angono where you can try Balaw Balaw and the Nemiranda Arts Cafe.
But before you do that, you really need to see the Angono Petroglyphs in Binangonan first.
After soaking up prehistoric art, it was time to head down to Angono for something more contemporary. No bike tour of the Binangonan-Angono hills would be complete without visiting Angono’s artsy restaraunts.
On the way back I met a group of bikers who had also just visited the Petroglyphs. One of them recognized me as the guy from Travel Up. Oh well, I’m pretty sure OutsideSlacker will also be as famous as that blog someday.
I was thinking of doing a short detour to Thunder Trail, but since it was almost 11am, the heat was already starting to become unbearable. Maybe next time. Thunder Trail is an excellent trail that was built specifically for mountain biking. If you’re visiting Antenna or the Petroglyphs, you need to try this out too.
Anyway, San Carlos Subdivision (the entrance to Antenna) in Tayuman Rizal is about an hour to an hour and a half away from the Ortigas Center in Pasig City. Check this map for directions. You can park in the sidestreets, but first ask permission from the owner of the house you’ll be parking near–just in case you may be taking a parking spot. If you want to know more about the folk art and food of Angono, visit Travel Up’s excellent article on the subject.
jm
November 21, 2013 at 7:51 amhi sir! I wanna join you when you hit rizal areas kaso newbie pa lang ako hehe
outsideslacker
November 21, 2013 at 9:26 amsure jm, sige. subukan ko mag organize ng isang ride to antenna petroglyphs at bunot trail sa december 🙂
Janette
January 23, 2014 at 11:07 pmHi, this is nice..I am from Montalban, any way to join, not a newbie but never been but determined to be one…
🙂
Thanks.
Let Lomongo
April 4, 2014 at 3:17 amHello Sir,
If you happen to visit Angono and Binangonan again, do drop by Kinamat Resto-bar for good food at reasonable prices. Our place is convenient for bikers since bikes can be brought inside the resto-bar. We have nipa huts where you can rest and eat. Our place is located at 1342 Col. Guido St. Binangonan Rizal. You’ll pass by our place on your way to Thunderbird resort. Hope to see you there soon 🙂
https://www.google.com.ph/maps?t=m&sll=14.527351,121.159297&sspn=0.0079763,0.0109864&q=Kinamat+RestoBar&output=classic&dg=ntvb
outsideslacker
April 4, 2014 at 8:58 amwow! i’ll make it a point to check you out next time i bike on the col. guido road 🙂 bikers need to know about good eating places along the way. thanks for the info!
Liz
April 18, 2014 at 6:06 pmHi! Is it possible to reach Antenna hill on a road bike? I’m not sure if “potholed fire road” is safe for us roadies hehe 🙂 Thanks in advance
outsideslacker
April 19, 2014 at 10:34 pmhi liz, i wouldn’t recommend you climb antenna on a road bike. baka ma-flat gulong nyo or masira ang rim
angeli
July 11, 2014 at 1:32 pmIs there no other path to Antenna hill? Just the dirt path?
outsideslacker
July 11, 2014 at 3:32 pmhi angeli, you mean to the top of antenna hill? yup, yung dirt path lang. although paved naman yung paakyat mula sa san carlos gate 2
Homer Fugen
April 28, 2014 at 11:58 amhi,sir. galing ako kahapon dun sa Antenna Hill, kaya lang pag dating ko sa taas may nakalagay dun sa entrance na “Bikers lang po ang pwedeng pumasok.” Sir,ok lang ba kahit sinong biker ang pumasok dun or kailangan member ka ng isang club?
outsideslacker
April 28, 2014 at 12:20 pmok lang kahit sinong biker dun 🙂
Jaypee
May 15, 2014 at 2:37 pmHello po, ask ko lang po kung kaya bang marating yung Thunderbird resorts and yung museum and art house pag roadbike ang gamit? Or may rough roads po na madadaanan? Thanks po! 🙂
outsideslacker
May 15, 2014 at 4:26 pmyup. kaya if you go by the angono highway instead of antenna. if you’re coming from manila turnleft at teh 711 store. diretso lang yun. good luck lang sa steepness ng road hehe
Jaypee
May 15, 2014 at 4:45 pmHaha. Sige po. Thanks for the info. Pag too steep pwede na akay na lang ng bike. Hahaha thanks.
leandro
July 8, 2014 at 11:04 amI’ve been to Antenna Hill once and I want to try it for the second time around. I also want to see the Angono Petroglyphs because I’ve never been there. Could you give me some idea on how to get there? Thanks in advance.. 😉
outsideslacker
July 8, 2014 at 11:37 amthe petroglyphs are just down the main road. there’s a sign on the dirt road leading to a tunnel. it’s also on google maps 🙂
arturo
October 20, 2014 at 10:37 amHello sir…
It’s been a year since I posted something about the bike I bought and started the life on the saddle and “behind bars”..this blog is really really helpful for a newbie like me…helps me and my newfound friends (bike groupie) map out and plan ahead our bike ride destinations ahead of time…almost all our ride destinations info. are taken out from this blog…thank so much sir…more power and hope to see a lot more ride destinations in this blog..and maybe someday meet you in person that would be very very cool.
outsideslacker
October 20, 2014 at 10:50 amGlad to know you’re enjoying biking 🙂 pag di na masyado maulan I’ll organize a ride for the readers of the blog 🙂
orlando
December 17, 2014 at 8:34 amnewbie here, sama sana ako…..when can i know kung na organize na ang bike ride
outsideslacker
December 17, 2014 at 9:33 amHi Orlando, ipo-post ko sa fb page ang ride sked. Pero busy pa ako ngayon so baka sa January na next ride 🙂
John Augustine Zamora
November 17, 2015 at 11:39 amsan po kaya yung bike trail sa thunderbird resort?
M
November 30, 2015 at 9:24 pmHi. Are there bikes for rent near antenna hill or petroglyphs? We were there last weekend and we saw a sign where they had bikes for rent but I’m not sure if it still going on up to now. Thanks
outsideslacker
December 2, 2015 at 11:26 pmI am not really sure. That’s probably a recent development because people who bike there usually bring their own bikes
carlo
December 13, 2015 at 11:14 amHi,
Can you pls give me directions “bike all the way” from UP to Antenna. Preferably all road since one of my ride mate is on rigid. thanks
outsideslacker
December 16, 2015 at 6:01 pmhi carlo, from UP take katipunan, then marcos hiway, turn right at imelda ave. left to ortigas ave extension, then right sa manila east road. continue until you get past angono hiway. pag nakita nyo na yung san carlos heights second gate, pasok kayo dun. yun na yung paakyat ng antenna. kung naka-mtb kayo lahat, you can cross the fireroad to thunderbird resorts and the angono petroglyphs.
if you’re with roadies, another option is to turn left sa angono hiway sa 711. paakyat yan ng east ridge at thunderbird. warning though, it’s steeper than timberland’s “the wall”
carlo
December 17, 2015 at 10:25 amthanks a lot
Junex
January 22, 2016 at 12:56 pmVery inspiring blog… I will have my new bike next week. Ipon mode now is worth the wait 😀
enduro
April 26, 2016 at 8:21 amhi paano po ba makapunta dun sa trail from valle verde 5 and paano po malaman kung saan yung trail. thanks!
outsideslacker
April 26, 2016 at 12:05 pmhi enduro, gusto sana kita tulungan pero di ko alam kung saan ang valle verde 5 hehe. but from shangrila edsa, just head straight down ortigas ave, turn left to the manila east road, then when youb get to angono, turn left to the diversion road/highway. pag nakita mo na yung 7-eleven, turn left ka dun at dire-diretso lang hanggang dun sa killer climb. pag nasa east ride ka na, may sign naman dun which says thunder trail