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NorCal highway 1 info wanted...

Old 02-26-06, 03:13 PM
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NorCal highway 1 info wanted...

I am thinking about doing a ride (north to south) on highway 1 in california. Was thinking maybe Fort Bragg to just north of SanFran, but possibly starting further north to make it longer. I am looking for any information on the quality of the pavement. Actually, I am looking for ANY information on Highway 1 I can get because I am a rookie of sorts. Thanks for any info/suggestions you can throw my way!!!
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Old 02-26-06, 04:24 PM
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Not sure how much time you have but short or long, it is beautiful on the north coast. The section from Ft Bragg to Mill Valley/SF is gorgeous and the pavement is pretty good. It is of course fairly narrow, tight and twisty for much of that length and I would recommend pannier covers or something else bright yellow for visibility. It can be foggy in the summer, espec in the morning. That would be a nice 3 day ride.

Between Ft Bragg and Leggett to the north, there is a very steep and twisty roller-coaster section for about 40 miles where hwy 1 turns inland and joins up with 101 at Leggett. From there north to Eureka it is a mixture of 4 lane and two lane, although a good part of it is paralleled by the old redwood highway, which is very pretty and low traffic. Beautiful state parks along the river in the redwoods. It flattens out near Eureka/Arcata, then gets very hilly and twisty two lane again going north to Crescent City near the border. I explained it in the opposite direction that you would actually be going, but you can get a pretty good idea if you look at a map. In general, the entire coast from Crescent City down to SF is beautiful, with lots of small towns and places to camp, with some unavoidable 4-lane ito either side of Eureka. Proabably 5-7 days to do it right, espec if you stop a lot.

If it were me, I would probably start up near Eureka/Fortuna and work my way down through the redwoods and state parks like Richardson Grove along 101, spending a night or two, and then heading down hwy 1 from Leggett and taking it the rest of the way south. If you have all terrain tires and don't mind dirt, you can also ride west from Redway out to the Lost Coast and take a dirt road called the Usal Road south from Shelter Cove to Sinkyone Wilderness, eventually coming out near the town of Rockport, north of Fort Bragg. It is gorgeous back in there, but pretty rough, and then you miss the nice state parks along 101. If you do choose that route, make sure you are prepared with supplies.

Just some thoughts, take a look at a map, espec the Calif State Parks - North Coast section - lots of good info.

Last edited by mtnroads; 02-26-06 at 04:45 PM.
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Old 02-26-06, 06:10 PM
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I've ridden most of the way from Ft. Bragg to San Francisco going both north to south and south to north. It is, indeed, beautiful coastline. The main problem with Highway 1 is that it is a route taken by trucks--both lumber and delivery--and has no, none, zippo, zero shoulder. Much of the time, the white line will be on the end of the road (if it hasn't broken off the road entirely). You will constantly be passed by very large vehicles going very fast just inches away from your bike. You will never get used to it but you will become more vigilant. I would highly recommend wearing a mirror so that you can see the trucks coming and either pull off the road or get as far over as possible. Getting forced off the road would result in a long but very quick ride down to the water.

There are many state and national parks on the route that offer cheap sleeping and the towns are often enough so that you are always near a place to eat and get water/supplies.

In addition, the weather is unpredictable and the exposure to the ocean is immediate. Be sure to take rain gear and some warm clothes, especially in the summer when fog is prevalent. In some areas, there isn't any good place to seek cover. On my ride (south) from Gualala to Bodega Bay, I got caught in a hail storm (!) and there wasn't one tree that I could take refuge under. After pedalling a mile or so and wondering how I could consider riding a loaded touring bike in the hail a good time, I managed to crowd under the eave of a bathroom, where I stood shivering for about an hour, watching as the storm blew in over the ocean and trying not to breathe too deeply.

The only big climb between Fort Bragg and San Francisco is just north of Jenner. The rest is mostly just the usual up and down of a coastal road. That said, there is a great deal of up and down and it is something you need to train for, if you can. Also, there are virtually no services in Jenner. The only store is a 7-11 type place that makes sandwiches and sells the usual convenience fare. Don't rely on it if don't have to.

One place I can recommend for camping is Bodega Dunes State Beach, just north of the town of Bodega Bay. The facilities were nice and the campsites secluded from the road. There are several very nice campgrounds near Fort Bragg and Mendocino.

Have a great time!

Ray
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Old 02-26-06, 10:37 PM
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Hi,
I rode from Florence, Oregon to San Francisco last spring. Good ride, web report is at:
https://bikerlee.home.comcast.net/sfo/index.html
A good book is "Bicycling the Pacific Coast" for reference.
Hope this helps,
Lee
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Old 02-26-06, 11:06 PM
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You will miss the best of the coast if you don't begin your ride in Cresent City. You'll see most of the best giant redwood groves.
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Old 02-27-06, 12:27 AM
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Just as a thought, the Oregon coast ride is also wonderful, and has a bicycle friendly road which either has a bike lane or at least a decent shoulder. There is this one skinny tunnel where you set off a flashing warning light to tell autos there is a bike in the tunnel and then do your best sprint! And the high arched steel bridges are a bit scary.

California's Highway 1 coast is also stunningly beautiful. I camped through it, and was happy with that experience. Either it was a really gorgeous site with many other tourists, or it was sort of a primitive situation which offered peace and seclusion. You will run into other bike tourists on this ride too.

The road. Cycling Hwy 1 is an accomplishment not unlike climbing some peak. On straight flat stretches there is usually a shoulder, but on the twisty, hilly parts there isn't much. When its right on the cliffs over looking the ocean, there usually isn't any. As a south bound traveler, you will sometimes be getting a very unobstructed view of the surf down below. Way down below. Don't look, just concentrate on staying straight and steady.

I suggest traveling during the week days rather then the weekend to avoid tourist traffic. There will be trucks. But they are on a road that is demanding their attention. They are also noisey, at least the log trucks are, so my policy was to keep an ear out for them and then hump it to the nearest siding where I could get out of their way. Then I'd just dawdle and let them go by. Sometimes they could see I did this and wave. I started waving as they went by too. I think promoting peaceful relations with truckers is a good cycling policy. Use a mirror. When you approach sections where the road curves to the right check for anything behind you before hitting the arc. Trucks, cars and Winnebagos climbing hills cut curves pretty tight.

But there are just some spots that are tense. Mostly it's OK, and well worth doing.

When I rode it there was a slide near Ft Ross. Slides are a common occurance at a couple of spots on Hwy 1. The detour was some horrid grade that had signs saying cars with trailers were not advised. I had been hearing about the terrible grade since Mendocino. Fortunately, I asked a nice ranger about the slide and while she assured me the road was closed to all traffic, she also indicated a bike could probably get though. So I stayed on the Hwy which was mostly downhill, instead of the steep detour into the mountains. I had this long stretch of the hwy all to myself. Except for occasional cows, which oddly enough were on the road. Contruction was in progress at the slide spot, so I could easily get through.

I found this book (an earlier version) helpful:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/089...lance&n=283155

I sure have enjoyed remembering that excellent trip!
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Old 02-27-06, 11:11 PM
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Originally Posted by bikerlee
Hi,
I rode from Florence, Oregon to San Francisco last spring. Good ride, web report is at:
https://bikerlee.home.comcast.net/sfo/index.html
A good book is "Bicycling the Pacific Coast" for reference.
Hope this helps,
Lee
Nice pics, bikerlee! (I liked your cross-country write-up, too)
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