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08-16-04, 12:56 AM
hey guys,
just returned from yosemite and thought i'd let you guys know if you're planning to hit up yosemite valley in the near future about the cycling there.
3 loops...small, med, large...small one i have no clue how long it is, but the med loop is about 10 miles and the large loop is about 14 miles
starting from upper pines entrance, through curry village, to yosemite village, past yosemite lodge. skip the first road going to the right. make a right at the second one, and return to upper pines after going around behind it. this is about 10 miles.
the larger loop is the same as above, but take the third road to the right (right before 120 and 41 split off) and follow it back, same as the 10 mile trail. this is about 14 miles.
anyhow, i started off at 6:30-7am-ish and did 2x large loop every morning. It's pretty flat for the most part on the north side of the valley with a 1/2 to 1 degree (estimate) descent for about 2 miles at the end of the north side. starting out, you don't see much. just the forest and all the campers...then you hit the meadows near curry village and just sheer granite cliffs on both sides of you. it's pretty damn amazing. it's also before the zoo rush comes out and fills up the roads so it's very quiet. also very very cool. you go through the woods again and come out at another meadow and it's basically the same. this pattern repeats on the north side of the valley. some very easy hills and descents with some very very nice views. also, traffic is one way for a good portion of the ride so no surprises around a blind corner :). There's a nice descent at the end of the north side of the valley which gets you up to a good clip followed by a bridge crossing leading to the south side. i would estimate a 1/2 to 1 degree grade....maybe 2 (i'm not good at estimating these things yet) for about a mile or 2 with a few occaisional dips here and there. followed by mostly flat road after that. On the way back, you are able to see half dome which in and of itself is an astonishing sight. meadow/woods/meadow/woods kind of repeats itself. there's a slight climb after passing curry village on the way back towards happy isle followed by a very enjoyable descent. i was hitting 90bpm on the highest gear on the way down (trek 2200 with original gearing) so...take that as you will. at the end of the loop, you end up right back at the upper pines camp site.
crowds start filling the roads around 9am or so, so after that, i'd avoid hitting the roads there. i took a spin at night along the 10 mile route which is pretty much the same as the 14 mile route. i encountered a bear in the middle of the road which was an interesting experience. he(she?) seemed like a deer staring into a pair of headlights and just froze. i braked and stopped (probably not a good idea?) and the bear kinda moseyed/scurried along. if you glanced up at the night sky, you could see the meteor shower which made for some entertainment while riding at night :)
all in all, i did approx. 122 miles in the valley. road biking is pretty addictive :)
melloboy
just returned from yosemite and thought i'd let you guys know if you're planning to hit up yosemite valley in the near future about the cycling there.
3 loops...small, med, large...small one i have no clue how long it is, but the med loop is about 10 miles and the large loop is about 14 miles
starting from upper pines entrance, through curry village, to yosemite village, past yosemite lodge. skip the first road going to the right. make a right at the second one, and return to upper pines after going around behind it. this is about 10 miles.
the larger loop is the same as above, but take the third road to the right (right before 120 and 41 split off) and follow it back, same as the 10 mile trail. this is about 14 miles.
anyhow, i started off at 6:30-7am-ish and did 2x large loop every morning. It's pretty flat for the most part on the north side of the valley with a 1/2 to 1 degree (estimate) descent for about 2 miles at the end of the north side. starting out, you don't see much. just the forest and all the campers...then you hit the meadows near curry village and just sheer granite cliffs on both sides of you. it's pretty damn amazing. it's also before the zoo rush comes out and fills up the roads so it's very quiet. also very very cool. you go through the woods again and come out at another meadow and it's basically the same. this pattern repeats on the north side of the valley. some very easy hills and descents with some very very nice views. also, traffic is one way for a good portion of the ride so no surprises around a blind corner :). There's a nice descent at the end of the north side of the valley which gets you up to a good clip followed by a bridge crossing leading to the south side. i would estimate a 1/2 to 1 degree grade....maybe 2 (i'm not good at estimating these things yet) for about a mile or 2 with a few occaisional dips here and there. followed by mostly flat road after that. On the way back, you are able to see half dome which in and of itself is an astonishing sight. meadow/woods/meadow/woods kind of repeats itself. there's a slight climb after passing curry village on the way back towards happy isle followed by a very enjoyable descent. i was hitting 90bpm on the highest gear on the way down (trek 2200 with original gearing) so...take that as you will. at the end of the loop, you end up right back at the upper pines camp site.
crowds start filling the roads around 9am or so, so after that, i'd avoid hitting the roads there. i took a spin at night along the 10 mile route which is pretty much the same as the 14 mile route. i encountered a bear in the middle of the road which was an interesting experience. he(she?) seemed like a deer staring into a pair of headlights and just froze. i braked and stopped (probably not a good idea?) and the bear kinda moseyed/scurried along. if you glanced up at the night sky, you could see the meteor shower which made for some entertainment while riding at night :)
all in all, i did approx. 122 miles in the valley. road biking is pretty addictive :)
melloboy