Mae On to Mae Kampong in November

Two of us out east on the first Sunday in November — a CRF300L and a CRF250L — up through Mae On to Pa Miang and Mae Kampong, and home the long way past Huai Hong Khrai. 127.8 km door to door, just over six hours, and about 3,000 m of climbing to show for it. Cool enough to be pleasant, with thunder going somewhere behind the ridge for most of the middle of the day.

Out of Mae On

The first hour is the easy part. You come out of the valley at about 300 m and the climbing starts almost straight away, up into open teak forest on hard-packed two-track. Early November is a good time to see it: everything is still green from the rains, the dust hasn't arrived yet, and the leaf litter is thick enough to hide what the surface is doing underneath.

The hill climb itself is the bit people ask about, and the honest answer is that it was fine. Both bikes went up clean, first go, no drama and nobody had to walk anything down. It is loose and it is steep in places, but it is not the kind of climb that needs a run-up and a prayer. If you have ridden anything similar you will be fine on it.

Deadfall, and what the rains leave behind

Around 11:00 we started meeting things lying across the trail. The first was a tree down over one of the concrete sections — and that is worth saying slowly, because the photo does not look like concrete. The leaf litter from the rains is deep enough that the surface underneath is invisible until you are on it. Wet concrete under wet leaves is a different proposition to wet dirt, and it is the one place on this route where the gradient and the grip can disagree with each other.

A little further on, the gate of a vipassana centre — Tambon On Nuea, Amphoe Mae On, according to the sign over the road. Then more bamboo down, low enough that it was easier to duck under it on the bike than to get off and move it.

The road to Pa Miang — read this part

The weather turned at about the same point. The red clay was already wet by half eleven, which was the first clue, and the thunder we had been hearing all morning stopped being distant. We caught the edge of the storm going into Pa Miang — not the middle of it, just the part where everything is suddenly soaked and the temperature drops.

That is a leech, on a backpack strap, found while sheltering. It came along for the ride somewhere in the dense woods and nobody noticed until everything was already wet. Worth a look over your kit and your boots if you ride this after rain.

Lunch at Mae Kampong

We stopped at Kao Soi Gloijai in Mae Kampong and did not move again for the best part of an hour. Khao soi gai, some grilled pork, an americano, and a long sit while the rain worked itself out. The tracker shows fifty minutes stationary, which is about right.

Mae Kampong on a wet Sunday afternoon is quieter than Mae Kampong on a dry one, which is not the worst way to see it. The road through the village was still running with water when we left.

Home past Huai Hong Khrai

From Mae Kampong it is downhill for a long time — 1,000 m down to about 350 m across the back of the hills, heading north and then west. By the time we reached the causeway at Huai Hong Khrai Reservoir the sky had gone completely blue again, which felt like a different day entirely. Lanterns were strung the length of the causeway. We were back in the city a little after three.

Practical notes

• ·Signs — there are National Park notices on the road to Pa Miang asking riders not to use it. Know they are there before you plan around this route.
• ·Bike — a CRF250L is plenty. We had a 250 and a 300 and neither was working hard.
• ·Tyres — November still has wet clay in it. Bring proper knobbies rather than something half worn.
• ·Deadfall — we met a tree across a concrete section and bamboo low enough to duck under, both within half an hour. Early cool season is when the rains have finished dropping things on the trail.
• ·Concrete under leaves — the steep concrete sections hide under leaf litter at this time of year. Wet, that is the most slippery surface on the route.
• ·Leeches — after rain, check your kit and your boots.
• ·Fuel — fill up in Mae On. There is nothing useful between there and Mae Kampong.
• ·Time — six hours for us including a long lunch. Four and a half if you push on.

FAQ

How long is the Mae On to Mae Kampong ride?

Our loop was 127.8 km from Chiang Mai and back, with about 3,057 m of climbing, out from 09:11 to 15:16. The off-road section itself is a good deal shorter than that — a fair chunk of the distance is the road transit out of the city and home again.

Are motorcycles allowed on the road to Pa Miang?

There are National Park signs up asking riders to refrain from using that route, showing a struck-through dirt bike and quad, and citing the National Parks Act B.E. 2562 (2019) with penalties of up to five years or ฿500,000 under section 19(2). Treat the signage as current and respect it.

What bike do you need?

Nothing special. A Honda CRF250L handles it comfortably. The hill climb is loose and steep in sections but not technical, and both our bikes went up clean.

When is the best time to ride it?

We rode it in early November, at the start of cool season. Everything is still green from the rains and the dust has not arrived, but you can still catch a storm — we did. Later in the cool season is drier and more predictable.

Where do you stop to eat in Mae Kampong?

We ate at Kao Soi Gloijai in the village. Khao soi gai, grilled pork and coffee, and it is an easy place to lose an hour.