Welsh Chad

Hi all,

Second Post but still New member so please be gentle,

I will be in Portland at the beginning of August with the intention of riding south along the coast to San Francisco. I have read loads on this site and several other sites and have a pretty good idea what I want to achieve.

However most of the info out there seems to be a few years old, can anyone recommend some people/places/things to do that I should not miss? I guess if I was asked what I like doing it would be Cycling, drinking good beer and watching sport so anything along those lines would definitely make it.

Im happy to do some big miles so although my goal is to do the coast id be happy to swing inland for the right experience.

I have posted in the NW section also, just in case there is any local knowledge that may not read this forum,

Many thanks

Chad

Harun

No personal experience with anything north of Bodega Bay or Santa Rosa for me, but two areas that come to mind when I do finally ride up around there are Avenue of the Giants and The Lost Coast.

Leinster

I haven't biked around there, but the Ft Bragg/Mendocino area is really very nice. North Coast Brewing Co in Ft Bragg is a must-stop for any beer/bike enthusiast. Well, for any beer enthusiast.

Arcata in Humboldt County is a nice place full of odd folk; we arrived in a cool town square with some cool pubs around etc. Then we saw a local leading his yak through town.

B. Carfree

The Lost Coast and the Avenue overlap a bit, so it's kind of hard to do both on one trip. I suppose everyone should ride the Avenue once, but I generally turn off at Fortuna to Ferndale and do the length of the Lost Coast. (The last 24 miles, Usul Rd, is unpaved but very nice.) Ferndale has the Kinetic Sculpture Museum, which is apparently a hoot; it's never been open when I've ridden through.

For the rider who wants it all, maybe ride the Avenue and then head out towards Shelter Cove. The road to Shelter Cove is a bit narrow (and don't ride it on Friday afternoon when people are racing to their second homes), but it's better than the stretch of hwy 101 through Richardson Grove. There's camp grounds at Shelter Cove or one can short-cut over to Usul Rd on Briceland Thorn Rd to shorten the unpaved section to a mere 24 miles by skipping Chemise Mountain Rd. Usul Rd hits hwy 1 thirty miles north of Ft. Bragg.

Of course the best part of the Lost Coast is in Eureka. That would be the Lost Coast Brewery, maker of Downtown Brown ale.

cccorlew

I'd look at Adventure Cycling's info. They sell maps and also run a tour that sounds like the route you are interested it. Poke about on their site and see if it helps.

Good luck, it sounds great!

SClaraPokeman

Chad,

Have you checked "Bicycling the Pacific Coast" by Kirkendale/Spring? It was written 30 years ago and I don't know about how many revisions there have been, but I doubt it would really go out of date because the roads haven't changed much. The book is geared for people who want to find campsites but virtually every mile of the roads are profiled with topo mapping. You might not want to carry the book on your trip, but it might be a very useful reference to consult before embarking.

Welsh Chad

Thanks all for the advice, B Carfree on both links

I might pick your brans a bit more closer to the time if I may?

VNA

Be prepared for fog heavy at times on highway 1 in California with few if any bike lane or shoulder and narrow.
Possible rain in Oregon which is highway 101 with some bike lanes or shoulders, tunnels that are well made for bikes with warning lights.
Although it could be sunny all along, it is hard to predict at that time of year.
Incessant traffic that will make it impossible to hear yourself thinking with lots of large if not huge RVs.
Gorgeous views, going South of course with winds from the back most likely.
Enjoy!

Cyclist0108

I used this when I did it in 1991. We called it The Textbook.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycl..._Pacific_Coast

I still have mine if you can't find one.

Edit: Amazon has a 2005 edition for $17. It is well worth the weight to bring it with you.

B. Carfree

No problem. And my brain is old enough to have lost a vowel, and then some.

bikingshearer 

+1 on getting this book. A boat load of useful information, especially for planning where to camp. It also has good info on stuff to stop and see along the way. And yes, bring it with you. If you doan't want to carry and extra ounce, tear out the pages for the area you will be riding and just bring those.

One key word of advice - Once you get to Pt. Reyes Station or Olema (this will be in your last couple days before reaching San Francisco), be sure to head inland. The above-described book will tell you how, and so will the Adventure Cycling maps cccorlew mentioned. Highway 1 is simply too dangerous between Stinson Beach and the the top of the last drop into Mill Valley, with significant climbing and too many cars going too fast on too narrow a road, especially on weekends. That is a potentially lethal combination. Heading inland to and through Fairfax and Corte Madera is far safer, albeit less scenic.

gpelpel

Or, if you are up for a last climb, treat yourself to a climb up Mt.Tam and ride the magnificent Ridgecrest Blvd. above Stinson Beach.

Otherwise +1 to all above comments.