Can someone tell me how far a person can ride North on PCH? Looking to go to San Francisco. Thanks for any help you all may have.
To much traffic? Can you tell me a way that you would take? I just thought of pch on the top of my head but plan on going that way later this year.
I am not sure, but the general recommendation from bike tourers is go to north to south along the coast.
i know the coast really well from surfing....hypothetically, if you left from newport beach, you could ride hwy 1 all the way to the ranch in gaviota. from there, you will hit jalama and go inland till you hit grover beach. Lompac and Jalama is the start of government land (point sur). Grover beach will take you to morrow, Monterrey, big sur, santa cruz, and then sf. So yes, you could ride it and find some beautiful places to camp. But keep in mind some of the area will force you into a city (long beach, santa Monica, Oxnard, and lompac) , while others will be on tight fast pass hwys (ventura, SB, morrow to big sur). if you can make it, that would be legendary! Once you get to grover beach it will be beautiful all the way to santa cruz.
Thanks for all the replys. May have to start looking at a route more inland and try to take side roads to keep away from the traffic. Thanks again everyone.
There are some great books on cycling the California coast. The winds are a brutal headwind going south to north. It is recommended to ride north to south. The books show alternate routes and tell you about specific hazards. The books also will tell you when and where to buy your groceries because some areas have few stores. I have done the whole California coast four times and have done Frisco to Mexico 3 times. I strongly suggest taking the train up the coast and riding back down. One of my favorite things about the coast ride is the other riders you will meet, many people from Europe come to ride California's coast as a inexpensive vacation. It is nice to meet up and ride with other people and makes it a lot safer! When you get tired of one person or group you can easily find others. You will not find very many if any riders going South to North. Riding solo can get sketchy at times there are many places along the way where it is desolate. On two occasions I have had scary moments when people F*cked with me. Throwing stuff and stalking me. Waiting up ahead to yell shit as you rode by then doing it again over and over. I never had this happen to me when I was with another rider or group of riders. Something to think about if riding solo. It is a great adventure you will never forget . How many days are you going to do your trip in? I also suggest taking your time and not making it a speed contest your first time. There is a lot to see and take in along the way. I always use a hard tail mountain bike with slicks but carry a pair of folding mountain bike tires. Once I made camp I would strip the panniers off my bike and switch out tires and find myself some dirt to ride. Big Sur will without a doubt be the highlight of your trip. Ask the locals there about the trails there are a few good ones. Also the old stage coach rd. is a fire road but very scenic and fun to ride. I need to do the Frisco down to Carlsbad and home to Temecula one more time. I have a two year old boy and a six month old daughter now so solo trips will get progressively harder to do in the future. Be safe and have fun. Take good pictures I will look forward to your ride report!
If you haven't heard by now, a 22 mile section of road near Big Sur is closed due to road slipout: http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi This highway information is the latest reported as of Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 03:57 . SR 1 [IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA] NO TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS ARE REPORTED FOR THIS AREA. [IN THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AREA] IS CLOSED 2.1 MI SOUTH OF GORDA (MONTEREY CO) - DUE TO A MUD SLIDE - MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE IS CLOSED FROM 12 MI NORTH OF BIG SUR STATE PARK /AT THE BIXBY CREEK BRIDGE/ TO 10 MI SOUTH OF THE CARMEL RIVER BRIDGE /AT PALO COLORADO/ (MONTEREY CO) - DUE TO A SLIP-OUT - MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE
Thanks all for the great info. I think I am going to change my plans of going up the coast. Maybe looking at going up north a different route. It's not a big deal to me of riding the coast to me. My brother was going to meet me in San Francisco but lives in Sacramento. But that won't be going to happen now. So, I will be going to Sacramento. And now have to decide which route to take to Sacramento. Would like to run along the 99 freeway if that is even possible. But I would like to stay off the main roads and take more of the side roads, if that can even be done. I have some planning to start doing. Thanks All for your help.
You could head over Cajon Pass, then through Pear Blossom and over highway 58 to Bakersfield. A more scenic, and challenging, route would be to head through Barstow to Baker, then through Death Valley to Lone Pine, and up highway 395 to Tahoe. From there its all downhill to Sacramento. Sounds crazy, but I did it a few years back and it was awesome. Of course you'd have to leave soon to get through DV before it gets too hot, but you'd be able to ski or board at Mammoth along the way.
Does anyone know if it would be possible to go right up 395? I know I have seen people ride on 395 but don't if it's legal to ride all the way up to tahoe on 395. Thanks again everyone for all the info.
PCH north is a huge touring road. I've seen tourists from all over the world cycling north and south on it! They have campgrounds up the coast all the way and it's legal to sleep on the beach. If you can take PCH, the Coast highway, the Redwood highway, Highway 1 all the way up north I doubt very much you would have any regrets at all. Pain Freak on STR has toured there. Contact http://www.adventurecycling.org/ They can help. Don't pass up a coast ride. It's stunningly beautiful!
It's legal. Fairly exposed to traffic so I'd recommend a mirror so you can see who's coming up from behind you. There are also moderate distances between services so you need to carry water and food accordingly. Palmdale through Mojave can have strong crosswinds, which is one reason I chose to ride through Death Valley. Winds become more variable once you get to the Sierras. As bvader mentioned, PCH 'northbound' has cross/headwinds most of the day which cyclists have to fight. Typically, a southbound rider will be sitting up and getting pushed along by the breeze, while northbound riders will be hunched over the bars and fighting to keep it at 10 mph.
33 north is the direct route for a bike, but you would be all alone in cattle country on this route. (I want to do this one so badly) The route is not used by autos because it is not high speed. You will be lucky to get cell phone coverage on part of it. The spyder eating tree is there, painted rock, carrizzo plains, the san andreas rift zone, worlds largest gusher that got away and of course downtown Coalinga. Your bro could meet you half way in the middle of nowhere. The easy way is up the coast following 101 (inland valleys most the way). If you want to go on the central coast on 1 (hard way) there is a dirt road that detours the big sur slide to little sur. But if you follow the missions you would be following the way people used to walk the route back in the day.
I've met a number of folks who have done the north to south route on PCH and most will only do it once as the going is very slow. But still very scenic. Problem here though is you're on the wrong side of the highway. Hwy 33 is a good route north and I've talked to a number of folks who tell me this is the best way north. But there are long stretches of nothing except farmland and nut groves that stretch on for miles. Not as many places to camp or get a shower but I've heard some folks just hit the truck stops and camp behind them or near by. A lot fewer tourers on this route also so you may get a little lonely sometimes. You can get to Sac or SF via this route. 395 is beautiful although the desert portion tends to get boring and then you start the climbing. I've been told and have read some journals on www.crazyguyonabike.com where folks say it's just one long climb day after day. Still most folks who tour don't mind the climbs as much as winds so if you don't mind it, you'll have a great time getting into Bishop and following the Walker River. Some very beautiful country here. I still haven't don't this ride yet but my next solo tour will probably be this ride. Good luck and remember to take time to smell the roses. Be prepared for big trucks too, there will be lots of them, that's why 33 may be your better choice. I plan on trying them both but not sure of my route yet.
Thanks everyone for the great info. Got a lot to decide on. Still have a few months before I hit the road.
Highway 33 is a beautiful road, and if you continued north on 25 you'd have a hundred mile ride from Coalinga to Hollister. Lots of climbing, but it'd be epic.
I think I will be taking a train up to Sacramento and my brother will give me a ride to San Francisco when I'm ready to hit the road. Then coming back down the coast. I think that will be a sweet ride. Thanks for all the help and info everyone.
