Northern California - Your Top Five Favorite Descents of Northern California?

I was screaming down Mosquito Ridge (http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Foresthill-to-French-Meadows) today enjoy the beauty of a 20 mile descent into the North Fork of the American River Canyon. 20 miles!! Can there be a better descent than this? Probably...maybe...I don't know. So on the way home, I worked out a list of my favorites. These are in no particular order, just my own list:
1. Mosquito Ridge
2. Monitor Pass: East side
3. Diablo: Northgate Rd
4. Downieville: 3rd Divide
5. Somewhere in Santa Cruz (I have no idea, but I remember it was fun)

Btw, todays ride was out of ForrestHill, a 9 mile descent to river. Climb up the notorious Corkscrew wall up to Ralston Ridge, over to French Meadows Resevoir. Descend the said 20 miles, then climb back up the last 9.
78 miles w/ about 8k of climbing. Just another great day in our littler piece of heaven.

BR

Since I just hit 56 on Carson today, I'll bite!

Monitor - east side (although the west is pretty darned nice, too) - particularly right after sunrise on the Death Ride, with the road closed to traffic, but only a handful of other cyclists on the road.

Bonny Doon, all the way to Rte. 1

Mt. D. - I get lots of practice on this one. North or South Gate - both have good pavement

Meyers Grade in Sonoma - even if I did get a flat on it.

Kings Mountain - even if Tunitas completely beat me up, I always manage to have fun on this descent

JB

1. West Alpine
2. Kings Mtn
3. Page Mill
4. 84 West

I don't think I know that many descents to come up with 5.

These aren't really long, but I love these

1. Flynn Road (Livermore)
2. Hwy 35, after passing by OLH going northbound
3. Page Mill Road
4. Palomares (northbound)
5. Going through Skylonda and La Honda on Hwy 84

Top 3, others don't really make the cut for the whole of NorCal

Diablo (South or North)

Kings Mtn (only done this once, but it was sweet)

South Park Drive (Tilden Park, Berkeley - short but crazy fast, always >50mph)

1. Bonny Doon
2. Kings Mountain
3. Page Mill
4. Skyline from Bear Gulch to 84
5. Haskins Hill (Pescadero Creek Rd) east-bound

In no order at all:

-Edgewood Rd. (only good when the traffic is light so you can use the roadway, otherwise, it is sketchy with all the rocks and cliff on your side)
-Kings Mountain
-Old Santa Cruz Highway (sentimental. Grew up around there. Would always try to keep up with cars on this descent and I knew the road well)
-Highway 9 west (rarely drop below 35mph
-Page Mill

Why does everyone like Kings? It's not for me.

There's heavy enough traffic that I never trust the blind corners. The roadway is sketch and quite rough in a lot of spots. The sight lines are not that great, and the dappled sunlight messes with my ability to see the road surface clearly..

Anyway, I'm an admitted descent wimp. So I like the easy ones where I can get by without the brakes.

84 either way, Skyline either way (from PM or from Kings to Skylonda), Hwy 9, etc...
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Oh, man. Riding Mosquito Ridge must be incredible. How is it with traffic and such? I know there used to be a lot of organized car club drives and motorcycle rides out there. Is that still the case?

Cardiac, both ways.
Cantelow, east side.
Diablo, both ways.

That's all I can think of right off-hand. Generally I'm a downhill wussy, and much prefer the climbing to the descending.

My favorite, and easily the most scary (for me), is Hwy 49 from Cool to the North Fork. 40 mph, sharp switch backs, lots of traffic and nowhere to go but the hospital if you screw up.

#5 - Stampede Resevoir Dam, Truckee.... Short, straight and steep.... this is THE place to set records !!!

#4 - Nacimento-Fergusson, ~25 miles south of Big Sur.... unbelievable vistas.... I really like the climb more, but whatever goes up.....

#3 - Mt. Shasta Ski Resort - very long, very smooth, very fast !!!

#2 - Marin Headlands - too steep, twisty, and narrow to be fast... but then again, the views are to die for......

#1 - Monitor Pass - both sides, same day of course.....

Oh, man. Riding Mosquito Ridge must be incredible. How is it with traffic and such? I know there used to be a lot of organized car club drives and motorcycle rides out there. Is that still the case?

Yesterday, for most of the ride, there was little or no traffic to contend with. By the time we got to the beginning of the descent, some of the campers were leaving. Very few though. Yes, there was an occasional motor cycle group or two or three. I guess we hit it on the perfect day.

BR

1) HWY 9 East
2) Death Valley Road from ESD was pretty awesome
3) I think it was HWY 46 from the Lighthouse Century
4) Diablo (NG over SG, but both)
5) all sorts of Peninsula stuff... Kings/35/84/W Alpine, etc...

Mosquito Ridge .. fun road. That's where I crashed my first motorcycle *wistful sigh*

1) HWY 9 West.

Is this on the other side of Skyline? I have only ridden up to the ridge and back, am I missing an entirely different experience?

In no order at all:

-Edgewood Rd. (only good when the traffic is light so you can use the roadway, otherwise, it is sketchy with all the rocks and cliff on your side)
-Kings Mountain
-Old Santa Cruz Highway (sentimental. Grew up around there. Would always try to keep up with cars on this descent and I knew the road well)
-Highway 9 east (rarely drop below 35mph
-Page Mill

Opps, HWY 9 corrected. I have never been down the west side. I meant going down towards Saratoga.

1) Mt Diablo - Top to Northgate
2) Soquel -San Jose Road - West Direction
3) Highway 236 down into Big Basin park
4) Felton Empire Road to Boulder Creek
5) Mines Road East (last section to Del Valle Turnoff)

3 of them are parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge :-)

Is this on the other side of Skyline? I have only ridden up to the ridge and back, am I missing an entirely different experience?

Corrected... I meant East!

...
3) Highway 236 down into Big Basin park
...

I think that was #5 on my list.

BR

[QUOTE=LouD-Reno;9104078**
#3 - Mt. Shasta Ski Resort - very long, very smooth, very fast !!!QUOTE]

If this is the 14 mile descent from Old Ski Bowl in Mt. Shasta, I'm thinking of doing that century in August. :thumb:

I did San Jose Soquel road a month ago and that was a pretty fun one although had traffic in front of me so I couldn't get up too much speed. I also did Skyline from its high point near Hwy 9 down south to 17 and that one is a blast. It's less of a constant descent than it is a roller coaster. Try not to brake too much in the downhill hairpin turns and use that energy to get up the next little roller. Repeat many times :)

And now my least favorite descents. I have ridden each of these exactly once:

* Hwy 92 West after it flattens out (heavy car traffic and no shoulder or bike lane)
* Umunhum (too many potholes)
* Hicks Rd to the south (steep but too bumpy to go fast)
* Montevina (hard to read the quality of the chip-seal surface. I kept worrying about gravel)

I did San Jose Soquel road a month ago and that was a pretty fun one although had traffic in front of me so I couldn't get up too much speed. I also did Skyline from its high point near Hwy 9 down south to 17 and that one is a blast. It's less of a constant descent than it is a roller coaster. Try not to brake too much in the downhill hairpin turns and use that energy to get up the next little roller. Repeat many times :)

And now my least favorite descents. I have ridden each of these exactly once:

* Hwy 92 West after it flattens out (heavy car traffic and no shoulder or bike lane)
* Umunhum (too many potholes)
* Hicks Rd to the south (steep but too bumpy to go fast)
* Montevina (hard to read the quality of the chip-seal surface. I kept worrying about gravel)

Least favorites?

Hmmm - Mt. Hamilton to the west (towards San Jose) has to be on the list, at least until you get down to the newly paved part.

Any descent that's part of the Tour of the Unknown Coast. Worst quality roads for descents that I've seen. Still a great ride, though.

Alpine west would have made this list in the past, mostly because the first two times I did it I made mistakes and scared myself silly - but that's my fault, not the road's.

Tunitas Creek. yes, for some reason we went down this. Single lane and bumpy (allegedly repaved) is not a recipe for a great descent.

Morgan Territory heading north - see comments for Tunitas Creek. Heading South, the plunge is a blast, though - can't believe I didn't have room for that on my good list!

JB

Least favorites?



JB

You need to add descending Old La Honda to that list.

You need to add descending Old La Honda to that list.

There are some roads that I've descended zero times and OLH and Tunitas are both on that list :lol:

There are some roads that I've descended zero times and OLH and Tunitas are both on that list :lol:

We're talking bicycles, not unicycles ... :lol:

My favorite, and easily the most scary (for me), is Hwy 49 from Cool to the North Fork. 40 mph, sharp switch backs, lots of traffic and nowhere to go but the hospital if you screw up.

I love that descent. Short but sweet.

I have to try this Mosquito Ridge someday....

Mosquito Ridge (http://www.southbayriders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47855) on southbayriders.com

[QUOTE=LouD-Reno;9104078**
#3 - Mt. Shasta Ski Resort - very long, very smooth, very fast !!!QUOTE]

If this is the 14 mile descent from Old Ski Bowl in Mt. Shasta, I'm thinking of doing that century in August. :thumb:

Yup..... great century.... AdventureCorps runs a "camp" for 4 days prior to the century that makes the trip north well worth it too !!! Last year, including the super century I rode 375 miles and climbed 33,000 feet..... Registration for the camp includes entry into the century.... I'll be returning this year as well....

http://www.adventurecorps.com/corpscamp/shasta.html

Least favorites?

JB

Lomas Cantadas/El Toyonal - nice steep challenging climb up, godawful descent. Too twisty and steep by half. Really makes your hands ache.

...I have to try this Mosquito Ridge someday....

Better hurry up before it gets too warm. Let me know, I'm always up for it.

Better hurry up before it gets too warm. Let me know, I'm always up for it.

Nice, a little nudge always helps. Looks like 6/28 or 6/29 are the only possible openings I have right now. Can't say what the weather will be like but this would be a good test before the DR - I'll be racing the weekend before :lol::eek:

Tartan Trail in Hillsborough was a least favorite for me. Nice climb though.

Nice, a little nudge always helps. Looks like 6/28 or 6/29 are the only possible openings I have right now. Can't say what the weather will be like but this would be a good test before the DR - I'll be racing the weekend before :lol::eek:

Gol-Dern-it.
I'm out on 6.28...Family party trumps all. I have to work on 6.29.

Deer Park Road from the top in Angwin
Oakville Grade in Oakville - hit 68 mph on the tandem on this one :-)
Mt Diablo Northgate
Monticello Road into Napa from top of Mt. George

- monitor pass east. 'nuff said
- the newly repaved upper 1/2 of pantoll to stinson beach on panoramic.
- gold lakes summit to Hwy 49 at Sierra Buttes. perfect tarmac and fast.
- meyers grade, continuing onto the hwy 1 sweepers to russian gulch.
- that huge ass hill i rode down near foresthill a few months ago. maybe the same one that launched this thread?

Wow, this thread makes me realize how limited I am for root selection. Mainly because I almost always refuse to drive to a particular location to start a potentially good ride.

In some particular order:
-Old Santa Cruz Rd.
-Metcalf / San Felipe
-Canada (in Gilroy)
-Hwy 9 East
-Montevina (the climb up from Saratoga is a bit tough but totally worth it, opposite traffic on the descent made it kind of sketchy)

Bonny Doon
Bohemian Hwy (north of Occedental)
Cardiac
Howell Mtn Rd.

- gold lakes summit to Hwy 49 at Sierra Buttes. perfect tarmac and fast.


Huh - I would have picked the other way.... from Gold Lakes Summit (Snag Lake) down to Hwy 89. A lot longer, a lot more fun. Also, the run from Bassett's to Downieville - about 20 miles or so of downhill cruising.

On the east side of the Sierra, Sagehen Summit down to Adobe Flats is amazing, and the ride from the top of the Old Sherwin Grade down to the floor of Round Valley/Rovana is unbelievable.

Locally, I like coming off of Corral Hollow down into Tracy. That is a nice roll-out.

Huh - I would have picked the other way.... from Gold Lakes Summit (Snag Lake) down to Hwy 89. A lot longer, a lot more fun.

they are both fun, but I prefer the down to bassetts. there are some great sweepers and you get the killer views to the buttes. either way, that is a great quick loop up there.

they are both fun, but I prefer the down to bassetts. there are some great sweepers and you get the killer views to the buttes. either way, that is a great quick loop up there.

I rent a cabin for 3 days every summer up at Packer Lake, and do the Gold Lake/49/89 loop once a year. It is fun, it is nice, it is scenic, but it is not quick - at least for me. :)

here's what i'm talkin' about, which you don't see going down the other side :)

http://www.richsteele.org/cycling/misc_host_imgs/02_gray.jpg

My favorite descent in NorCal would be Hwy 70 East of Oroville. From Jarbo Gap down to the bottom of the Feather River Canyon. About 6 miles of excellent scenery.

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SharpT

Pineflat + Bonny Doon, from the Empire intersection, down to Hwy 1. Long, fast, fun descent.
Hwy 9/236 down into Big Basin. After that, the fun kindof ends.
Poleline/Hecker Pass from Mt. Madonna. Fast and swoopy, sometimes too much traffic.
Felton-Empire down into Boulder Creek. Fast and fun, seems to end too soon.
Upper/East Zayante. Switchbacks can require some skill, but pretty surroundings.