digibud

As I look at some options I have for a vacation, I have family with a vacation house near groveland (near yosemite) so it's under consideration for a bike vacation. From the looks of it 120 is a really lousy road with nearly no shoulder. I'd be there the last week in Feb and first week in March. Perhaps the traffic is minimal. I'd have a rental car that I will get big enough to throw my bike in so I can drive a reasonable distance for some out and back or loop riding. The surrounding area looks nice. I enjoy climbing. I'm used to rural riding. Anyone familiar with the Groveland area or areas within an hours drive (or so) ?

hup

I don't actually live closeby to Groveland, but had done some limited riding in the Don Pedro Lake area and can attest to some nice, rolling, low traffic county roads in the area. That said, "county roads" might be code for crappy pavement, so perhaps bigger tires and lower pressures might be a good idea.
I did searches on both ridewithgps.com and mapmyride.com centered on Groveland and came up with several possibilities that may work for you. Some of them even included stretches of CA 120 up to Yosemite.
Just some ideas to get you started.
Good luck ~
Henry

B. Carfree

I haven't ridden there in enough years that I won't give any specific advice. However, Prathman has posted information on routes that his club rides thereabouts over the past few years, so you might consider sending him a PM for some nice loops to ride.

Traffic or not, if I was hanging out in Groveland, I wouldn't be able to resist doing a mid-week morning loop of riding down the "new" Priest grade (non-steep switchbacks of 4.5 miles) and up the old Priest grade (same elevation change, but in two miles) a few times. It may not be your cup of tea, but if the traffic is light, it's a hoot, IMO. Then again, I have some hilarious memories of things that have happened there that makes it funner for me than it would be for others.