nstone

I'm going to be in San Francisco at the end of the month and I'd like to to a short (3-5 days) tour. I have to start and end in San Francisco, but I'll be riding a folding bike, so multi-modal transportation is an option. Any suggestions?

raybo

If you are going to stay in hotels, then you will have to find places to stay that are a day's ride away. If you are camping, there are a few more options.

I'm going to assume you aren't carrying camping gear.

This time of the year, wind can get to be a problem. It blows from the northwest, mostly, and can get pretty gusty in the afternoon. Since you can't go west and going east for 2 days won't be much fun, you will likely be riding north or south. Whenever you are heading north, the wind will likely be in your face. Thus, an out and back tour has to take this into account.

There is a train/bus combination that get you from Santa Cruz back to SF. So, one option might be to ride down to Santa Cruz (80+ miles) on day 1, down to Monterey on day 2, down to Pfeiffer Big Sur on day 3 (lodging may be an issue here). You can ride back to Santa Cruz and then take the train/bus back to SF. That would be more of a 5 day option. There are several bus links from Big Sur to Monterey and from Monterey to Santa Cruz thate might take the bite out of doing all or some of that distance against the wind.

Another option would be to head north. You could go along the coast and stop on day 1 at Point Reyes Station (lodging may be a problem here and will likely be pricey) then Bodega Bay on Day 2 (lodging will be pricey here, too). You could head inland at Jenner and ride along the Russian River and maybe ride to Petaluma on Day 3 and then head back to SF on day 4.

Be aware that it is vacation time and that some of these places have limited accommodations so reservations would be required (and possibly no longer available). In more heavily populated areas like Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Petaluma, warmshowers or couchsurfing hosts will likely be available.

Let me know if you have other questions.

Ray

Bekologist

On a folding bike, no offense, but why not stay close in? isn't there unimproved camping on Angel Island, ride to the West Point Inn or Mt. Home on Mount Tam, camp in the redwoods or up high at Hawk Camp of the Golden Gate national recreation area, if the weather is nice...... it will take you all day to get to hawk camp on a folding bike, i'd think! ride the next day to Mount Tam, get lodging, then another wild day in the redwoods, then return.

TheHen

BART to the (L)east bay, then ride to Modesto area on day one. Head on up to Yosemite on day 2. Hike around on day 3. Return days 4 and 5. You could skip some of the Central Valley stuff and just take Amtrak in a ways, but then you would miss the joy of riding in 105F.

nstone

Alright, sounds like I need to be going north to south unless I'm riding inland. In that case, the ideal would be to take a bus/train/boat north of SF and ride back or ride south and take find transportation home. Either way, ease of finding transportation is a priority, so what are some good start or end points with a easy link to SF? Also I'll probably be camping if that changes my options.

nstone

Did some research. Looks like I can take a bus/train to Salinas, ride to San Luis Obispo and catch a bus/train back to SF. That would take me through Big Sur, which would be great, although it's tourist season. How will the road/camping be along that route this time of year?

raybo

While this is an OK ride, the best of the Big Sur coastline, in my opinion, is from Carmel to Pfeiffer Big Sur. After that, the road climbs (serious 2 mile uphill) and the coast, while still attractive, is not stunning.

Also, the ride down to Santa Cruz from SF is more interesting than the coast south of Big Sur, IMHO.

I'd still vote for riding down to Big Sur from SF and then riding and/or taking the bus/train back.

There is a hiker/biker site at Pfeiffer/Big Sur. There are also hiker/biker sites at San Simeon State Park (25 miles south of where the Big Sur coast ends) and Morro Bay. It's 70 miles from Pfeiffer/Big Sur to San Simeon State Park. Between the 2 is Kirk Creek with a hiker/biker site but no showers and a lovely view.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Ray

nstone

Thanks for the input, Ray, perhaps I'm better off just heading south to Carmel, return via Salinas or Monterey and save Big Sur for another time. I also liked your suggestion about going north. I spend a few days traveling around Point Reyes on foot a few years ago, really stunning. Only hitch with going North is - if I'm riding south - that I'm having a hard time finding transportation to good starting point. I guess going south along the peninsula is simpler.

zoltani

The ride from SF to point reyes is about 45-50 miles and is quite pleasant. There is a nice hostel in point reyes if you don't feel like camping. Another 60 miles or so north from point reyes will put you in the russian river area (be sure to stop at wild flour bakery in Freestone). The camping there is expensive and crappy, but the area is amazing. Take a canoe down the river.

raybo

The population north of SF is in the Valleys, not on the coast. As a result, the public transport doesn't serve the coast north of SF all that well. Another idea might be to try and find a ride up to, say, Mendicino (Check craigslist.com for ride shares?) and then ride south from there.

The more I think about it, the more I liked your idea of train/bus to Salinas, ride to SLO, and then train back. The truth is that the ride from Santa Cruz to Monterey is not so good (away from the coast, dusty farm fields, busy roads). If given a choice, maybe you should put off Santa Cruz to SF for another day and start in Salinas and then go south from there.

Ray

spinnaker

There is a hostel at Monterra and it is not very far from SFO. It is beautiful place to stay.

Bekologist

To get to Montara, might i suggest the old highway 1 route - the planet of the apes bike ride between pacifica and montara that endruns the devils slide on packed dirt (thanks pacifica slim) and there would be adequate wild camping up in the hills there, or to the AYH hostel in montara.

planet of the apes ride

HOWEVER, I do think its better for a camper to be north of San Francisco, hands down. there really is no argument North is better for camping than South of San Francsico.

there's a lot of monkeying around on a bike between Mendocino and San Francisco proper. So much good stuff!

IMO ( and several others!), one of the best bike rides to the coast from the north of San Francisco (and with good public transport access) would be to get to Guerneville via Marin and Sonoma public transit transfers, then ride to Cazadero, Cazadero highway to the unbelivably sublime, five star KING RIDGE/HAUSER BRIDGE/KRUSE RANCH ROADS route to the coast.

Drops a rider right down to the coast at Kruse Rhododendron Preserve/Salt Point State Park. on a beautiful, almost ZERO traffic road. you'll need a good map but its straightforward once you actually turn onto Kings Ridge Road.

SUBLIME riding to the coast on this one. Fairly easy access on public transit from San Francisco. Did i say almost ZERO traffic? Then, from Salt Point, just head south. On the way, on the last day of camping, I would suggest cutting across the GGNRA From Muir Beach. numerous places to choose to camp in this area, and a good place to end up in one day prior to the return to SF proper.

if the weather is good, Hawk Camp, free camping high in the hills, no reservations, just show up and register at a ranger station first with a ranger before riding to hawk camp, ask. But there would be many places to throw down a zero impact site in the hills there if you somehow forgot to register.

Views of the tips of the Golden Gate Bridge and the lights of San Francisco from a 3 tent site spot high in the golden hills of the golden gate national recreational area. its an easy ride up from Muir Beach.


if you want a little more beta on some of this, King Ridge Road is part of Levi Leipheimers' Kings Ridge Gran Fondo route. king ridge gran fondo and watch the slideshow at rapha king ridge

nstone

Bah! Too many good options! North or South?!? I guess weather and traffic are issues as well. Weather seems better (i.e. cooler) going south and sticking the coast, but, of course, traffic seems better going north. Issues with traffic around Big Sur this time of year?

raybo

First off, the California coast is fabulous whether you go north or south, so don't worry too much about picking the "better" one.

Weather on the coast in the summer usually means fog in the morning and evening (if not all day) and wind from the northwest, getting stronger as the day goes on. South of Big Sur, where the coast flattens out, I have been riding at 20+ MPH without any pedaling more than once due to strong tailwinds. YMMV.

As for traffic, be aware that there is a difference between Hwy 1 north of SF and south. North of Bodega Bay, Hwy 1 is the main highway for all kinds of traffic--delivery trucks, lumber haulers, cars, etc. There is little/no shoulder and it can get a bit scary at times. A rear view mirror is highly recommended. I got off the road when I saw a huge truck bearing down on my instead of trying to "white knuckle it" as it went by.

Hwy 1 in Big Sur is not a road used by anyone but tourists. While this means no trucks, it does mean lots of huge RVs. The good news is that the road is so curvy that they aren't going very fast. The bad news is that they are looking at the view and not always the road.

Hwy 1 around Big Sur also has little to no shoulder. This is typical:



I've never ridden in Big Sur in the summer (I usually go in April) and suspect the vehicles will be numerous but come in clumps, as usual. Since it isn't a main route, there is less traffic. If you can be on the road during the week, that will also help. Again, a rearview mirror would make this a much safer ride.

You might want to check out some of the journals at crazyguyonabike.com for those that were on the road at this time of year to see what kind of traffic comments they make.

It is hard to make a bad decision between north or south. The real determinant of your experience will be weather, wind, and your attitude.

Ray

Bekologist

ray, I'm going to have to respectfully suggest riders to the North of SF have much greater options for quality camping, better variety of scenery, and a more hospitable coast for just being out on a bike on back roads, tootling around.

Santa Cruz, Carmel to San Simeon, not so much! it is beautiful, don't get me wrong, just less casual of a feel for a bicycle tourist, you know what I mean? from santa cruz south it just feels a lot wealthier, like mendocino does. but most everything south of mendocino to SF just feels more bike friendly.

maybe its me, i like it mellow, and not feeling like i'm an interloper in and amongst an inhospitable coastline and the extremely wealthy.

You just don't get that feel in the GGNRA/Point Reyes/Samuel Taylor area north of SF, and it feels moister/greener/bigger or something. The King Ridge route to the coast is one of the best routes anywhere in the central coast for a 5 day tour out of SF, chosen as a Gran Fondo route... did i say near zero traffic?

sstorkel

Tailwinds are a fickle thing, but when you get them it's great! One of my favorite parts of my 2009 ride down the Pacific Coast was soft-pedaling into San Simeon... at 25mph thanks to a huge tailwind.

Agree completely. I would echo the suggestion to have a rear-view mirror and to try to ride on a week-day rather than a weekend. I did a weekend motorcycle trip through Big Sur a couple of years ago. Spent large amounts of time following a quarter-mile (or longer) line of cars that was backed-up behind a single, slow-moving RV. I always try to ride the section of Highway 1 from Pfeiffer Big Sur to San Simeon on a Wednesday, hoping that's the lightest day of the week for tourist traffic

FYI, if you can wait until after Labor Day, you'll still have the same great weather and scenery but traffic will slow to a trickle especially on week days...

nstone

Hmm, well I'll be back in Ca in the spring, perhaps that's the time for Big Sur. What about a northerly route like this:

https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...1&z=9&lci=bike

Thoughts on a ride of that sort? Start with the Larkspur ferry. Minimal travel time, maximum saddle time. I'd take some time to revisit Point Reyes. Just not sure about camping, any suggestions?

Sorry for the long link

raybo

Is it one day to Bodega Bay and one day back to SF?

I have couchsurfed in Petaluma and camped at Bodega Dunes Campground (hiker biker site), a private campground in Olema and at Samuel P Taylor State Park just over the hill from Olema (hiker-biker site).

I've ridden to Bodega Bay via Fairfax/SP Taylor/Olema in two days but did one long day back to SF. I've ridden to the Russian River in 2 days via Petaluma (couchsurf there) and Occidental. I stayed with a friend there so have no suggestion for accommodation in the Russian River area.

Your route seems fine. The inland route (A to B), once you get past the urban sprawl, is mostly grazing land, can be hot, and, after Fairfax, limited services only in Nicasio and Valley Ford. But, it isn't a bad way to get to the coast.

Ray

fietsbob

Fisherman's Wharf ferry to Vallejo, and a 11 mile ride puts you in Napa,
another few miles up the valley puts you into the heart of the Winery areas.

riding across the north bay southern Sonoma county,
you pick up the Marin Bike trails
paralleling 101 to go back across the GG bridge.

going the other way there is a bus up 101 to Santa Rosa.
you could go west via, the Russian River Valley to the coast,
then ride south down the coast.. and back across the GG bridge..

Bekologist

My bike at vallejo ferry terminal on a two day ride out of SF last summer.

prathmann

I'd opt for the coastal tour south from SF. That way you can ride with the prevailing wind as far as you like and then take transit back. Plenty of options for campgrounds with nice 'Hike&Bike' sites that don't require reservations. New Brighton State Beach south of Santa Cruz is a good first night destination, followed by Monterey and Big Sur (could be one day or break it into two if you want to explore Monterey a bit), then San Simeon, Morro Bay, and San Luis Obispo. From SLO you can take Amtrak back.

Here's a link to the route and some pictures from a similar ride although our destination was the Great Western Bike Rally in Paso Robles. We rode the coast route from SF down to Cambria and then headed inland to Paso Robles.

https://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=220688