Yes, Hwy 17 is not good - it's a major highway, and you will probably want to be west of there as you come down the Peninsula. As Anna mentions, the Santa Cruz mtns have some great small roads through them, and camping at Big Basin or other parks in the redwoods is not to be missed if possible. A lot will depend on how much time you have to spend in the area, and also to be considered in routing is whether you leave SF on a weekend or during the week. On weekends, the scenic routes get more vehicle traffic, especially up on Skyline (Hwy 35) and routes going out to the coast, which can get annoying, especially the sport bikes.
Assuming two days for this part of your trip (SF to Santa Cruz area), you have two basic choices: ride down the coast on Hwy 1, which is rolling terrain through a mostly agricultural region, with views of the water; or go down the Peninsula, roughly following Hwy 35, which runs along the spine of the coast range, with some very scenic views to both sides.
The coast route is relatively level with some rolling hills, views of the water, and great places to camp after an easy first day - either Butano S.P., about 45 miles south of SF, or Costanoa Lodge (with tent cabins or lodge) about 60 miles south of SF. Then you can continue on to Santa Cruz the next day. Most people do this. The drawback to this approach is if you want to see Big Basin Redwoods, you will have some serious backtracking from Hwy 1, probably 20 extra miles going back north over Bonny Doon Road and the Empire Grade, which are also quite steep. This is an overall longer way to go, but fine if you have the time.
A more direct route to Big Basin is to take the route down the Peninsula along Hwy 35, up 92/35, continuing down Hwy 35 along the spine of the coast range to Hwy 9, and descending into Big Basin on Hwy 9 and 236, almost all downhill for the last 10-15 miles. Hwy 9 is a beautiful ride down toward Big Basin - smooth and well banked. Going this way you can make Big Basin in one day if you want, and have some beautiful scenery along the way, especially south of Hwy 92 on Skyline. Have lunch at Alice's Restaurant in Sky Londa, roughly half way. The only disadvantage to this route is that it is a long day - 70 miles and 6500 ft. elev gain, and there is almost no place to camp along the way if you get tired, unless you drop down off the ridge to Memorial Park or Portola Redwoods. I prefer this route because it has more variety, scenic views, and is a straight shot into Big Basin, especially if you can do it in one day.
A lot depends on your timeframes, as well as preference of what to see. I would be happy to assist you further if you want, just PM me. Valygirl will have better knowledge of the area from Big Basin south toward Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur since she rides there a lot.
john
Last edited by mtnroads; 09-01-05 at 02:50 PM.