Northern California - Planning a coastal bike trip from Carmel to Cambria

Hello All,

We could use some suggestions on planning our first bike trip. What are the best months to travel to avoid windy conditions and to take advantage of the beautiful scenery? If you rode this coastal stretch, is there anything to look out for? We plan to ride about 30-35 miles per day and stay at motels as we hit our goals, so we’ll be lodging from Big Sur down to Cambria and somewhere in between. Any lodging recommendations will be appreciated? Since this is our first trip, I am not even sure which questions to ask, so feel free to shine in with your comments and ideas. Of course, we’ll be packing all the essential necessities, clothes, food, tools, gear, tubes, etc.

Thanks for any comments.

I ride down that way most years on my way to the Great Western Bike Rally in Paso Robles over Memorial Day weekend. I've found late May to be a pretty good time of year - before the added traffic of summer but late enough to avoid winter storms. September and early October would also be a good time of year. Wind is usually a good thing there since it's almost always a tailwind except when there are storms (and checking the weather before you leave should let you avoid those). There are several lodging possibilities in Gorda which is about half-way between Big Sur and Cambria. I always camp on my ride so don't have specific recommendations on which motel would be best. There's also lodging at Ragged Point farther down the coast.

Check the CalTrans website for possible road closures, esp. if riding in the spring. Last year Hwy. 1 was closed just south of Gorda due to a landslide for most of the spring (Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd. provided a way around it but it's a long hard climb).

Here's our route and pictures from the '09 trip from SF down the coast to Paso Robles when there were no detours:
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=220688

I ride down that way most years on my way to the Great Western Bike Rally in Paso Robles over Memorial Day weekend. I've found late May to be a pretty good time of year - before the added traffic of summer but late enough to avoid winter storms. September and early October would also be a good time of year. Wind is usually a good thing there since it's almost always a tailwind except when there are storms (and checking the weather before you leave should let you avoid those). There are several lodging possibilities in Gorda which is about half-way between Big Sur and Cambria. I always camp on my ride so don't have specific recommendations on which motel would be best. There's also lodging at Ragged Point farther down the coast.

Check the CalTrans website for possible road closures, esp. if riding in the spring. Last year Hwy. 1 was closed just south of Gorda due to a landslide for most of the spring (Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd. provided a way around it but it's a long hard climb).

Here's our route and pictures from the '09 trip from SF down the coast to Paso Robles when there were no detours:
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=220688


Thanks for the ideas about Gorda. Will def check with CalTran before we start. Do you normally ride back? Tailwinds in both directions? BTW great pics.

Do you normally ride back? Tailwinds in both directions?
No, I make it a one-way trip. There are usually other club members driving down to the rally so sometimes I hitch a ride back with them. A few times I've taken Amtrak or Greyhound back and there's also the option of renting a car if a few of us are coming back and dropping it off at one of the Bay Area airports (but best to continue riding down to San Luis Obispo for a car rental without drop-off charge).

Taco Temple in Morro Bay

We rode our tandem from San Francisco to Santa Barbara, B&B/motel camping along the way. We went in early October -- best weather, tailwinds all the way, little tourist traffic. We spent one night at the Big Sur River Inn, where the deal was a room (cabin, actually) and a huge breakfast the next morning. Sitting in the Big Sur River in Adirondack chairs, cooling our feet and ankles in the water, sunlight filtering down through the redwoods, was a real slice of heaven.