5 weeks this jul-aug to go anywhere (west), where?

[Likes2ridefar]

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[thegunner]

why not get one of those motorcycle bike racks :)

[Likes2ridefar]

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[texbike]

Wow! Nice!

Personally, I'd take a gravel-capable road bike and spend a week in each of the following places and pick rides and hikes from there:

-Denver/Boulder/Golden
-Portland
-Bay Area (Sausalito or Tiburon to be out of the craziness maybe)
-SLO/mid-coast
-Santa Fe

Close 2nds for me would be the Olympic Penninsula with a trip to Victoria, Eurkea/Arcata/Humboldt Co., and Malibu.

Texbike

[Ralph]

I would probably just rent a cabin/condo somewhere for a month. West of the Denver/Boulder area. Maybe around Frisco. Use that for a home base for day trips. Can go about anywhere from there. Lots of folks doing exactly what you are describing that time of year in the Rockies. It can get crowded. I'm actually considering a month in Ft Collins in early fall myself.

[Likes2ridefar]

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[cadence90]

Pick whatever national parks you would love to visit. Ride/hike in there.

[Likes2ridefar]

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[Ken Robb]

One of the most beautiful places I have ever been is Lake Tahoe. Lots of good hiking/mtn. biking in addition to recreation activities on the lake. We like the North Shore best and will be renting a house at Carnelian Bay again this Summer. For a trip like yours I would take a mountain bike so I wouldn't have to pass up any road or non-road riding that looked like fun. The weather is rarely anything but perfect at that time of year and rain would be a BIG surprise.

From Tahoe a drive north on Rte. 89 to Lassen Park is very scenic with lots of camping/hiking possibilities. Of course Yosemite is an easy drive too. The Valley is crowded in Summer but still spectacular and folks who hike away from the valley can still find solitude.

[Likes2ridefar]

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[likebikes]

hike and/or bike some of the colorado trail.

[cadence90]

Ken is correct on all counts. Tahoe is amazing. My brother's best friend lives up by Yosemite and is a passionate cyclist. He loves it there.

If the east side of Sequoia/Yosemite/Tahoe was good enough for Lemond, and the west side good enough for Steve Rex, well....

Lassen is great, too.
Northern California's Lost Coast from Point Reyes up is also great.

Perhaps Arches/Moab/Bryce/Zion on the way from Boulder to the Sierra, and then the Lost Coast up to Seattle/Olympic/Puget Sound islands, like tex recommended. Puget Sound is fantastic.

[Climb01742]

For sheer western majesty, Jackson, Wy, and the Tetons are hard to beat. Pretty much any outdoor activity you might want to do can be done there. The valley floor is 7000 feet and faster than anywhere else I've seen the Tetons rise to 14000. To say it's spectacular is an understatement. And Jackson is a cool town, which not all western outdoor mecca-esque towns are.

[SoCalSteve]

Spend some time in Utah and Arizona. Moab is amazing ( hike to the Fragile Arch), the Grand Canyon, Sedona and any other National or State park in those 2 states.

The rock formations are like nothing you will ever see anywhere else. Truly spectacular and worth experiencing.

Oh, and don't forget that the Grand Canyon is one of the 7 natural wonders on earth.

Enjoy!

PS: if you do decide to bring a bicycle, do the Gunlock Loop just outside of St. George, UT. Spectacular ride. You'll probably see 2 cars in 50 miles of riding.

[Schmed]

Some ideas for Colorado mountain biking. I probably have an equally long road bike list, but here goes:

- Boulder/Golden/Lyons - great biking, restaurants, brew pubs, bike shops. I'd make sure to ride Centennial Cone, Buffalo Creek, Apex, etc. etc. etc. (good intro to Front Range and get some moderate-altitude riding under your belt!).

drive down to Kenosha Pass....

- Kenosha Pass - ride the Colorado Trail to the top of Georgia Pass. My favorite fall trail, but really cool when you pop out above tree line and summit.

then drive to

- Durango - spend 2+ days here. Make sure to ride Engineer Pass. Prettiest summit I've seen in many years of riding this area. Many other rides. Go to King Cage and buy some Ti cages, have a beer at Steamworks and imagine that bike race that goes through the middle of the brewery.

drive 45 minutes to Cortez

- stop in Cortez and ride Phil's World - most fun you can have on two wheels. Have excellent sushi in Stonefish Sushi. Stay over. Ride Sand Creek / Canyon of the ancients the next day. I'm betting you never rode a trail, turned a corner, and said.... "holy moly - those are cliff dwellings right there" Also be sure to tour Mesa Verde.

drive to Moab

- spend 2+ days there riding the mecca of mountain biking. Although July/aug may be too hot for that. Might have to skip Moab for that reason. If so.....

drive to Telluride

- ride some superb high-alpine trails there - not many prettier towns than Telluride. By this time, you'll be slightly acclimated to riding at 10,000' and higher!

drive from there to Gunnison

- fly fish 1/2 day, then ride Hartman Rocks. Might see Dave Weins there - nicest guy in all of cycling. Plus, he'll kick your a$$ on the bike, then compliment you on your riding.

drive to Crested Butte

- Ride trail 401, etc. etc. etc. Two days would be great here. Super cool town. Remember Telluride? It's ugly as garbage dump compared to Crested Butte. Your neck will be sore from looking up at all the great views.

drive to the top of Monarch Pass

- Ride the Monarch Crest Trail (shuttle ride), then stop in Absolute Bikes and check out their historical mountain bikes hanging in the shop. Nice guys, too.

From there, you can go through Leadville (might race Leadville 100, if you are so inclined) or head back to Denver or wherever.

How fun to have that much time to kill.

[cadence90]

This thread reminds me that for anyone considering a trip such as this one required reading is John McPhee's ''Annals of the Former World'', especially ''Rising From the Plains'' and ''Assembling California'', although all five books are great.

[Benneke]

I firmly believe that the South Bay/ Peninsula/ Santa Cruz Mountains region has the best variety of riding in the country. There are so many options for both road and MTB riding its crazy. Its a great place to set as a home base, and you can take day trips to Marin and the massive climbs in the Sierras are only 4 hours away.

The only place area that rivals the Santa Cruz Mountains in providing road and MTB opportunities is the Ashland, Oregon area (and the Shasta region to the south), but the great riding isn't quite as concentrated.

[F150]

Take sunscreen. No alarm clock, no commute..you will be fine wherever you go.

[Benneke]

Yosemite is one on my list but no idea if riding there is good.

The riding in Yosemite is great! They only allow road riding, but Tioga Pass is legendary. However, there is quite a bit of traffic in July/ August, so beware. Traffic is an issue with riding at pretty much all of the national parks during the peak summer months. However, there isn't a shortage of incredible non-National Park riding in the Yosemite region, but its mostly road and gravel. Other than Mammoth, Sequoia, and the Tahoe/Reno region, there isn't much MTB singletrack in the Sierras compared to the Rockies and the coastal mountains.

[Drmojo]

Wow! Nice!

Personally, I'd take a gravel-capable road bike and spend a week in each of the following places and pick rides and hikes from there:

-Denver/Boulder/Golden
-Portland
-Bay Area (Sausalito or Tiburon to be out of the craziness maybe)
-SLO/mid-coast
-Santa Fe

Close 2nds for me would be the Olympic Penninsula with a trip to Victoria, Eurkea/Arcata/Humboldt Co., and Malibu.

Texbike

I have a cycling bud in Arcata
let me know if you go
Big Sur Monterey also great

[biker72]

On your way to Colorado/California I'd make a detour to Minneapolis. Excellent cycle town. I'm going there in early June.

I've never cycled in California but have visited many times. Arcata/Humboldt Co./Eureka looked very interesting.

I have cycled in the Denver metro area. A great area to bike in. Ft. Collins too.

[pbarry]

Stay North of SF--hostel at PR seashore and one at Marin Headlands. Camping allowed at PRNS. West Marin and north as far as you care to go near the coast are lovely places.

I'd avoid Arches and it's brethren during peak season. If this is a once in a lifetime trip, then go on a mid-weekday, and get there when the parks open in the a.m.

[JamesEsq]

Glacier National Park in Montana is my fave.

[choke]

The Black Hills/Badlands

Big Horn Mtns (plenty of lightly travelled FS roads and great hiking)

Moab

[cachagua]

Another vote for "Annals of the Former World". You don't even have to *go* to any place the book talks about -- it'll enrich your experience of any place.

[Mr. Pink]

Whatever you do, stay away from low desert places, which pretty much kills the four corners and Grand Canyon area. It's really hot in the middle of summer. Stay high in elevation.

[cadence90]

Another vote for "Annals of the Former World". You don't even have to *go* to any place the book talks about -- it'll enrich your experience of any place.

Absolutely. Brilliant books by a brilliant author.

[bking]

I got this for you:
drive straight and fast for Colorado. Spend a week from Boulder to Crested Butte to Durango. I'd skip Moab etc, just too hot and there's so much that's right that time of year. I would stop at the south rim of the Canyon, take your photos then move on. Head to the coast, maybe San Luis Obispo. Then spend maybe 8 to 10 days working your way up the coast. This is the greatest road we have in this country and it offers so much to see. Head on in from the coast when you hit the Columbia River to Portland, a few days in the big city, then up to the Seattle area. Wander through the Olympic Rain forest, San Juan Islands, amazing places to ride. Then across the Cascades and ride the "Going to the Sun" road in Glacier. Back down through Yellowstone and home. If you still have time, the Black Hills are on your way home.
it's a lot of driving, but 5 weeks is a lot of time. And if it were me, I think I'd spend at most a couple big days per week driving, stopping and spending a few days in areas that drew me in. And on all these trips, the wandering is half the fun.
Whatever you decide, spend a week on Highway 1.

[Louis]

If you have a few extra bucks burning a hole in your pocket see if you can rent one of these. Then you can really go places:

http://earthcruiser.com/

http://expeditionmotorhome.com/wp-content/uploads/ec2.jpg

[EDS]

Aspen.

[doomridesout]

Glad to see so much Humboldt County love here-- I lived there for about 8 months. Fantastic riding, great hiking. Go do the Tour of the Unknown Coast route if you want a challenge. I second the fat tire road bike idea.
Plus, the whole area is fairly remote and you won't contend with the masses of people in more popular areas. Go check in at Adventure's Edge in Arcata, they'll tell you what's good to ride.