LA to Chico - route suggestions?
 

Hello forum people!

On Monday l begin a tour from LA to Chico and I am looking for route ideas.
-I have about a week
-stay in hotels-I am prepared to ride 100+ mile days-I'm willing to take the Amtrak
Originally I was interested in riding the 49 up the east side of the valley but after a little research it sounds high traffic/small shoulder.

The coast looks like high headwinds and low temps.

The ACA route through the Sierras sounds nice but looks too roundabout for my timeframe.

Which leaves the central valley. I've toured it twice before and in the spring and fall I find it very nice and easy to tour (flat, easy to navigate, plenty of towns for resupply, etc.) This time of year though it's getting a little bleak.

I'm not trying to poo poo any of these routes. I will have a great time which ever way I go and there will always be challenges. I'm just looking for the nicest time.

Suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

The only other feasible route I can think of is to head up the Owens Valley on 395, then your choice north up through Tahoe or Reno to Sierra Valley on 89, then west on 70 to the Central Valley. Much more scenic than up through the Central Valley, plus lots of public campgrounds.

Thanks for the reply!

The 395 is beautiful and the temperature should be a little nicer. I'll take a look at the weather and decide. Tomorrow l get into LA and I'll ride up to Mojave. Then I can either cut over to Bakersfield or over to the East side (395).

Planning to ride Bouquet Canyon or possibly Soledad Canyon to get over the mountains. Sound reasonable? There seem to be a few options.

The Salinas Valley - which AMTRAK's Coast Starlight rolls through - may be another option. Very nice and mellow. If you're going northbound into the Salinas Valley through SLO/Paso Robles, leaving SLO County and reaching the valley floor in Monterey County can take a detour or two. When you are cycling northwest in the Salinas Valley toward Monterey Bay, afternoons can sometimes bring ferocious headwinds.