Cycladic

hey guys. so a few buddies and myself are touring from san fran to la this summer. we live in south los angeles. our plans are to take the amtrak up to san francisco and ride down to la. we are planning on taking 8- 9 days. ive been told it can be done sooner but we prefer riding comfortably and not rushed. i also would like to stay in big sur for an extra day. i absolutely love it there. i was just looking for some info on how much the amtrak is going to cost each of us and we would like to arrive just north of the golden gate bridge so we can ride through it. if anybody can help me out with some of this info that would be greatly appreciated. or anymore tips on anything. this will be our first major tour. we've toured for 3 days but no more than 150 miles in total.

Doug64

The Amtrak station is actually in Oakland. There is a Ferry just a couple of blocks from the train station that will run you and your bike across to SF. I believe it is a lot easier than the bus or other land transportation (BART??). You will have to ride north out of SF to ride over the Golden Gate Bridge, but it would only take a couple of hours. Bring some warm clothes.

We were coming from the north, and it was so foggy that we could hardly see the bridge, much less the water. If you can get ahold of the book "Bicycling the Pacific Coast", it will help navigating through the larger cities. Other than that, you just keep the water on the right Have a great trip it is a beautiful section of the Pacific Coast. https://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Paci.../dp/0898869544

Salamandrine 

What Doug64 said. Keep it on your right. The easiest way to get out of SF is just to stay along the water the whole way. Ride from the ferry building west past fisherman's wharf and the marina. Soon after you enter the presidio you'll pass the Golden Gate bridge on your right. Ride across it if you want, but try to do it on a weekend so you can use the west sidewalk, otherwise you'll have trouble with pedestrians, especially with loaded bikes.

Cycladic

Thanks for the replies. I purchased the book last month. And it's great. Just the Amtrak part and getting to the north side of the bridge I was trouble with. Ferry sounds great. Thanks for your help guys really looking forward to it.

fietsbob

California Coast is Nice Amtrak in Emeryville/Oakland is where I got on/off ** and then BART to get to SF, goes under the Bay.

It remains further East than you think it does ..

Amtrak coast starlight https://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Satel...st%20Starlight


** Had Family in Napa And lived in Eugene for years .. Northbound, Its was a 23 hour trip , 5 in the afternoon, to 4 in the next afternoon.

You can add a extra loop, Vallejo, that ferry ride from fisherman's wharf SF, is 12 miles from Napa and the wine country ..

camping in Boothe Cal state park between St Helena and Calistoga. https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=477

I've ridden roads across the North Bay and taken The Bike routes parallel to 101 in Marin county , then came across the GG bridge

There is a Nice Hostel in the Marin Headlands part of the GGNRA NP. https://www.nps.gov/GOGA/index.htm

Used to live in SF, too.. but that was the 80's

spinnaker

IMHO, there is no need to go past Santa Barbara unless perhaps you live in LA and just want to get there.

I would take a day and spend in in Monterrey. The aquarium is well worth the day.

I highly recommend you have a turkey sandwich for lunch at the Arguello Market. It is worth a trip to SFO just for one of these sandwiches. The market is fairly close to the bridge so you can ride the bridge and then come back to eat. Be warned that unless you get there really early, it will be more of a walk across the bridge pushing your bike.

There will be good eats all along your route. Expensive but you won't go away hungry.

The hostel down by the docks is excellent and as well as the one in Monterra. You should at least stop and take a look. The views are incredible from there.

fietsbob

San Pedro Korean Peace Park Hostel was Nice

raybo

I live in SF and have ridden to LA half a dozen times. I wrote A guide for biking from SF to LA that you might find useful.

As for the taking the train, depending on how many of you there are, you might find renting a van one-way and driving up to be cheaper and quicker than taking the train.

Another way to get to the north side of the GG Bridge is to take the ferry to Sausalito and then ride south to the bridge. You do have to ride up a mile long hill to get there but it is a nice ride.

Biketouringhobo

My group on Facebook to join and you can ask for info on the Pacific Coast Route
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Bicy...ficCoastUS101/

Biketouringhobo

stevepusser

You can check out prices and itineraries, as well as buy tickets, online at Amtrak's web site. The fastest and least expensive route would be to take the Amtrak Thruway bus from Union Station to Bakersfield, then take the San Joaquin Line from there to Oakland. You technically don't even need to box your bikes for the bus, though you may want to have some kind of protection for them. They lie flat in the luggage area. The train has vertical bike racks.

Renting a vehicle does sound like an attractive option, though.