Touring - Pacific Coast Route - N or S from SanFran?

Hello,

I'm looking for a little guidance on a trip I'm planning for the Spring. I will be in San Francisco the first week of June, and was planning on incorporating a week on the ACA Pacific Coast route. I was wondering if anyone had any opinions/preferences on which direction to head? North I'd be going to Crescent City, and south it would be Santa Barbara. I guess in terms of criteria (off the top of my head), I'd be looking for great scenery, rural roads, good camping, and low traffic, in that order. Terrain is not important, IE, hills are fine if that's the best route. I've spent some time in San Francisco, been to Carmel, but pretty much anywhere I go will be new to me.

Any help you could provide would be appreciated.

Mark

If you go North it will be more forested, more rainy. If you go south you'll have the wind at your back, but more traffic. Great views at Big Sur though.

Check out the CGOAB Pacific coast Journals
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/categories/?o=lt&category_id=10&doctype=journal


You can pick Either South to North journals or vise versa.

I live in San Francisco and have ridden both north and south. Both rides are outstanding.

If you go south, you are on the ocean side of the road and the views are a bit more dramatic. You also get to ride through Big Sur, which will be a life highlight. The only real downside is the area north of Santa Barbara, which is about 25 miles of freeway riding.

If you go north, you get to ride over the Golden Gate Bridge and through Marin County. You are on Highway 1 the whole way, which is a two-lane road with no shoulder. There will be times of terror when the big trucks rumble by (there is no other road to serve the towns going north so the trucks use highway 1).

The views going both ways are fantastic. The towns going south are larger with more services, but still quite nice. My preference is for going south. While there is plenty of traffic going both ways, there are alternative routes to Hwy 1 going south but not going north. On the other hand, there will be RVs going south. I've never found them a problem, but I go earlier in the year to avoid them.

You can't go wrong going either way.

A suggestion might be to do both. Instead of going all the way to Crescent City, you can go north for a couple of days and then turn around and go south. You won't miss much if you stop in San Luis Obispo instead of going all the way down to Santa Barbara and you would save two days. With two days, you could ride from SF to Samual P. Taylor State Park (45 miles north) were you can sleep in the redwoods at a hiker/biker site with showers and then loop back on a different road back to San Francisco. Then, you could head south to SLO.

Have a great ride.

Ray

Thanks for the info. The idea of doing a little of both may work out best since it will put me closer to SF and my return flight. I'm going to order both map segments and see if I can make it work.

Would the first week of June be considered "in-season", or would I get a break during the week since most kids would still be in school?

Thanks

Mark

The predominant wind direction is from the Northwest to the Southeast. Head north if you enjoy strong headwinds! Otherwise head south and you'll jam (mostly). Plus southbound you'll have better views of the cliffs. Just don't ride over the edge!
Beware that the winds coming off the ocean can sometimes be very strong.

The later in the summer you ride, the more people there will be on the coast highways. This is true of bicycles, cars, and RVs. I've ridden in both late April and early May and have had very little traffic both times. I also suspect that the weather plays some part. The sunnier it is, the more traffic.

In any case, it is best not to be on Highway 1 on a week-end if you can help it. Definitely stay clear of Big Sur on the weekend. This should be easy to achieve. You also might consider spending a day or two in the Big Sur campground (they have a hiker/biker site and lots of local color, places to eat and a few, small food stores) as it is California nature at its best.

As for the wind going North, it mostly kicks up in the afternoon (just when you need it!) and it does primarily go north to south. You have to be careful as you go around some of the curves as the wind can just about blow you off your bike (especially with panniers catching the wind).

The ride north I suggested is only one day up and it doesn't have to go north through exposed coast. You can ride the exposed coast back south to SF, if you want.

Hope this helps.

Ray

I think you'll be ok as far as traffic goes. You'll see more than if you went in the spring, but it shouldn't be too bad. Last summer I rode from SF to SB over 4th of July weekend!!!(well, longer than that, but we were riding that weekend). It wasn't that bad, until we got to Pismo Beach.

Like the above posters recommend, I would make the effort to get through Big Sur, but wouldn't necessarily go much further south than that.

I've road though Cali--- it's a nice ride in my book. But what you're looking for a thu-type ride. Take the great advice you've gotten here from the locals, do a little research at the public library, talk to some more locals and really plan your trip.

You should be able to find a route with a SF start/finish, pick a route that isn't that dangerous, and see some really good, not-so-famous local sights. Good luck.

Have you considered a loop?
I vote south, too - less traffic.

Also, do you absolutely have to start in San Francisco?
If you hopped transit to a better jumping-off point -
You could have mostly sublime riding.

One loop:

South along the coast from Monterey to Cambria -
Over to Paso Robles on back roads -
Then back north thru Fort Hunter-Liggett and Carmel Valley.
Mission San Antonio de Padua is the quietest, most serene.

South would be cool. maybe foggy -
North would be sunny and warmer.

For a hotter return trip consider the county road from San Miguel to Hwy 25
Then stay on Hwy 25 to Hollister. This route is nearly devoid of cars.
Hard to believe in California - but true.
Could cut back to Monterrey from San Juan Bautista.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=lt&page_id=3238&v=0&term=pinnacles&context=all
Here's a tour from Crazyguy - but they did it the wrong way - in my opinion.

Having never rode north on a bike pass SF, I can say riding south is easier because prevailing winds blow seemily constantly from north to south; and having rode from SF to Santa Barbara many times and once the other way...that one time though was a bear. I rode hwy 1 and 101 the whole way except for some surface streets of course.

Catching the 101 frwy for about 25 miles just north of Goleta is not a big deal since the side of the frwy is wide and traffic is not too bad for a frwy. But drivers in that area are accustomed to seeing cyclists so they are aware of their presence more then other places.

I credit carded those rides with only a seat and handlebar bag to carry essentials because I used a racing bike.

But if I were you and had the opportunity to do both-I would do them both! Those rides are spectacular, and ones you will never forget for as long as you live, but will regret if you don't do it the rest of your life.

South is the way to go. Better shoulder and no wind in your face. Good luck.

It's best to go north to south to take advantage of the tail winds. When I did the northern California coast I took the bus from San Francisco to Eureka, and then cycled south back to SF.

I did this 4 1/2 day loop from Monterey, it was fantastic & meets your criteria:

south to Kirk Creek campgound (big sur). left on Nacamiento Road REALLY steep hill. out past fort hunter legget. across the valley through Jolon, King City, King Canyon Road to Hwy 25 north, to Pinnacles National Monument, north to San Juan Bautista, through the backroads to Castroville, and back to Monterey.

Check out the Krebs Map for the area - shows services, grades, best roads for cycling. If you are going to do any day riding in the area, I highly recommend this map.
http://www.krebscycleproducts.com/T2.html

Have fun!

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I'm getting psyched already and it's 5 months away. Looks like I'll be heading south down the coast, then looping back per several posters suggestions.

My first tour last year was all about the miles, but I plan on seeing more and pedaling a little less this year. Looks like this route will provide plenty of alternatives to riding.

Mark

I've cycled north and south on the Big Sur stretch many times on holiday weekends. I have never encountered really bad traffic and only once did I get a really bad headwind because of a storm.
It's a fantastic ride.

You could have it all. Golden Gate Transit bus 80 with their bike racks from San Francisco to Santa Rosa then transfer to one of the little MTA Mendocino Transit Authority buses that leave around 2 - 2:30PM for the trip to Fort Bragg. Ride south with a tail wind for your entire trip. Then bus back to SF.

The coast from oregon to SF is the best of the whole west coast (ridden from Vancouver to LA twice). I would advise pciking a place (anyplace north of Legget on the 101 and going south... this way you will be riding with the prevailing wind, and will be cycling with others (if you want). Stay at the State parks, which have 'Hiker biker' campgrounds which are cheaper, and in which no car campers/RV's are allowed... there you'll meet other tourers/hikers... usually non-American.
South from SF is nice, but not as nice, and much busier, esp from Santa Barbara to LA.