Touring in California

[rilz]

I just got an old Univega viva touring with full racks and bags and I'd like to do a one or two week trip on it next spring. I was thinking about just doing CA 1/US 101 from LA to San Francisco or maybe something in the Sierra. Anyone have any experience or routes they would like to share?

[hokoman]

Much easier to go from north to south because of the wind. I did ft. Stevens, or to sf.. that was 13 days. San Francisco to LA was 5 days. Both trips were great. I used the touring the Pacific coast book for reference (checking hiker/biker campsites).... good luck. Both trips were awesome vacations.

[tumbler]

That would be a sweet trip. I have a friend that did the Aids/Lifecycle ride (http://www.aidslifecycle.org/) from SF to LA and the pictures were unbelievable. Can't think of many more inspiring places to ride in the US. You may need to deviate from CA1 for certain stretches where traffic or road conditions aren't very good. You might be able to google a little and see what route they use for the Aids/Lifecycle ride and use that as a starting point.

[Ken Robb]

Another reason to ride North to South: The views are on that side. There are many viewing areas where you can pull in and out a lot easier than if you had to cross a traffic lane.

[Don49]

Adventure Cycling has a "Sierra Cascades" route that looks pretty interesting: http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/sierra-cascades/ Probably a late spring or summer trip.

Also San Diego to Cabo San Lucas is a great two week Baja trip that can alternate between camping and hotels. I really enjoyed it. Winter to early spring should work.

[Ken Robb]

early to mid-October would be a nice time to do this.

[cnighbor1]

go to crazyguyonabicycle.com and type in CA go to journal's and read about coast rides
welcome here 1st nite or tow
Charles in walnut creek, Ca

[Scooper]

I've done the AIDS/LifeCycle ride from S.F. to L.A. four times, twice riding and twice as a "roadie" volunteer. The route is usually about 545 miles because there are lots of secondary roads, but the scenery is fantastic.

I second the recommendation to ride southbound for minimizing headwinds.

AIDS/LifeCycle: The Route (http://www.aidslifecycle.org/life-on-the-event/route/)

I have the actual daily route maps. If you're interested, PM me.

[mhespenheide]

I'm almost 100% sure that this blog is written by a Paceline member, but it's a great inspirational blog on bike touring losely based out of the Bay Area:

http://www.boyzonthehoods.com/

Enjoy!

[plattyjo]

Rode from SF to Ventura back in 2010; here's photos (http://www.plattyjo.com/2009-san-francisco-to-ventura/)! Pretty much stayed on the 1 and it was awesome.

[indian-17]

Sounds like a great trip

[Bradford]

Check out the Adventure Cycling maps. I've been using them for 20 years and like to know someone has scouted out the route before me.

I did a trip from Seattle to San Francisco back in the early 90's and loved the route. I like the Oregon Coast more than the Cali coast, but that was still a great part of the ride.

I'd also suggest North to South for the wind and the views.

[modernfuturist]

I'm almost 100% sure that this blog is written by a Paceline member, but it's a great inspirational blog on bike touring losely based out of the Bay Area:

http://www.boyzonthehoods.com/

Yo OP! I'm one of the aforementioned boyzonthehoods.

I've done the various versions of SF to LA route, both north and south. It's a good route if you're just getting started on bike touring. Get a copy of "Bicycling the Pacific Coast" or you can just find most of the information online nowadays. The route has gorgeous views of the coast, but in my opinion, things get less pleasant between Santa Barbara and LA. It took me 7 days to get from LA to SF, with a break day in Big Sur.

Since you have a two week time frame and it looks like you reside in Sacramento, my suggestion would be to take advantage of Amtrak. Take the Coast Starlight to either Eugene ($64 + bike fees) or Portland ($78 + bike fees) and roll down to San Francisco. I did Eugene, OR to San Francisco nearly 4 years ago and it was one of the best experiences of my life! You can PM me if you need any information and I can dig up some diary and notes if you need some tips.

[mhespenheide]

Yo OP! I'm one of the aforementioned boyzonthehoods.

Cool. Glad to see you check in. Having lived in the mountains of SoCal for a while but recently moved to Seattle, your blog almost makes me wish my wife had gotten a job she was up for in Menlo Park... Thanks for the inspiration. I'll have to see about putting together a touring bike. Maybe that old Poprad in the corner...
[/derail]

[rilz]

I'm glad I asked for some advice. I wouldn't have thought about the direction of the winds or the ability to turn off into viewing areas.

I had heard of adventure cycling before but I didn't know how useful their website is. Given that I don't have much experience with touring besides weekend campouts I'll probably stick to SF to LA because of the familiar territory.