Touring - PCH - June 1 ??

What kind of temps and how much rain can i expect on the PCH Route starting June 1 in Seattle to San Fran? From the looks of the mileage 21 days should be plenty of time to do this route. Give me you feedback.

http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/climatedata/climsum/

Bring good rain gear including H2O proof socks and gloves and you will be happy. Who knows global warming my give you 21 days of sun. The days will be very long so you can ride or stop as the weather directs you. Odds are you will see some rain with temps in the mid 50s to 60s most days on the coast.

a number of years ago, as part of a longer tour, i traveled that route starting at the end of June. weather was perfect. little or no rain and good consistent tailwinds all the way. and ya, 21 days should be enough.

Previous years, it's "sort of", the Dry season . also called Junuary .

Previous years, it's "sort of", the Dry season .

Yeah, the rain usually stops sometime in June. Whether that will be closer to the first or the thirtieth this year is anybody's guess.

IME June 1 is still the tail end of the rainy season; perhaps just a week early. If you have good fenders and rain gear it really doesn't matter though.

At this time of year the weather is iffy. It can easily be sunny and warm the entire three weeks. It can just as easily be rainy, cold, and miserable. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

a number of years ago, as part of a longer tour, i traveled that route starting at the end of June. weather was perfect. little or no rain and good consistent tailwinds all the way. and ya, 21 days should be enough.

The old saying in the PNW is "summer begins on July 5th."

The old saying in the PNW is "summer begins on July 5th."

Too true.

To the OP: I toured in that general vicinity around your exact same time frame last year. This is what I remember of the weather:

Out of the nine days of my tour, it didn't rain AT ALL on only two of the days. Every other day had some amount of precipitation at one point, anywhere from drizzle/mist to almost a hard rain. The rain was more on the light side overall.
I saw sun on maybe half of those days, but not usually all day.
Daytime high temps ranged from 50-65F. I don't think it ever topped 70F.
Nighttime lows ranged from 40-60F.



So be prepared for rain and cool but not necessarily cold weather. As other commenters have mentioned, you can luck out and get some sparkly sunny days in the 70s, but don't plan on it.

Thanks for the info from all above posters. Plan at this time is to start June 15 due to work schedule. Any LBS that anyone can recommend in Seattle that will accept a bike shipped in and assembled before my arrival would be appreciated. One more question..........Is there a ferry to ge me across the bay after riding over the Golden Gate Bridge? I will be wanting to get to the Amtrak station in Emeryville at the end of the tour to catch the train back to Colorado.

Thanks again for the replies.

Is there a ferry to ge me across the bay after riding over the Golden Gate Bridge? I will be wanting to get to the Amtrak station in Emeryville at the end of the tour to catch the train back to Colorado.
Can't help on the Seattle LBS, but yes, there is ferry service across the bay and they accept bicycles. But I'd suggest using the BART subway system to go under the bay over to Oakland. Bikes can be wheeled right on except for rush hour periods on weekdays when only folding bikes are allowed. And that restriction may be going away - there was a one-month trial last summer to see if bikes can be allowed during rush hour but I haven't heard of any conclusions.

Moved away in 1990,so not up to the minute..

there is a ferry to Angel Island, from SF, but it is not connecting to Marin County.

Emeryville is in the East bay south of Berkeley. so as above BART, off Peak hours,


Check Cal Trans, maybe there is a bike shuttle across the Carquinez straits Bridge from Vallejo, south to The ContraCosta side,

or across the Richmond - San Rafael bridge.. but that precludes the GG bridge ride.

Is there a ferry to ge me across the bay after riding over the Golden Gate Bridge? I will be wanting to get to the Amtrak station in Emeryville at the end of the tour to catch the train back to Colorado.

There is a ferry from San Francisco (Ferry Terminal) to Oakland (Jack London Square).
http://sanfranciscobayferry.com/

You can ride from Jack London Square to Emeryville Amtrak (about 5 miles), or take a bus. (If only the California Zephyr still originated at Jack London Square than Emeryville...)

Any LBS that anyone can recommend in Seattle that will accept a bike shipped in and assembled before my arrival would be appreciated.

There is a bike shop just south of Sea Tac Airport that does this a lot. Been in business for years and years. Give him a call. http://anglelakecycle.com/ - 206-878-7457

Can't help on the Seattle LBS, but yes, there is ferry service across the bay and they accept bicycles. But I'd suggest using the BART subway system to go under the bay over to Oakland. Bikes can be wheeled right on except for rush hour periods on weekdays when only folding bikes are allowed. And that restriction may be going away - there was a one-month trial last summer to see if bikes can be allowed during rush hour but I haven't heard of any conclusions.

2nd the BART recommendation - easy, fast, cheap, no timing issues.

Just Avoid peak rush hour used by the 8 to 6 workers..