Renne Stone

Hi everyone, I'm planning next summer make my first trip along the pacific ocean route running the San Francisco, CA to Santa Barbara, CA. I've heard that this is one of the most outstanding routes to discover marine wildlife, big trees, big waves and beautiful beaches.

We had made some other trips but none like this one, so I'm asking for some advises if someone of have taken this route before. We are from Tucson, Az,. so a friend told me to first took a shuttle to lax to get our bikes with us, and then get to Santa Barbara to start our adventure.

This is what we are planing to roll, we have almost a year to make it real, but first we want to collect all the information we can about safety and places to stay on our way, Also, if somebody know a easy and cheapper way to get get we will appreciate your advice.



Thanks a lot, I hope coincide with any of you in any way

molten

It's good that you don't have San Diego on there.
San Diego (whole county, not just a city) be an area of BIGGOTRY.
Pre-Judgment.
Via your body profile, etc.
The excessive potholes that the county politcos wont fix via the taxpayers payments already paid.
Car-drivers having an attitude of sideswiping.
Even More than that: CUTTING-OFF.
Expensive bike shops.

That just be an intro.

prathmann

First suggestion is to start your adventure in San Francisco and go south. That'll put the prevailing wind at your back and also give you much better views of the ocean along the way. (Yes, you're only about 20' closer to the coast but it makes the difference between looking down at the surf crashing into the rocks below you at the base of a cliff vs. just seeing the distant ocean horizon from the other side of the road.)

Are you going to be camping or have motel stays? The former is much less expensive and easier to arrange since there are lots of Hike&Bike sites that don't require any reservation and are about $5/person-night. When I do this ride I stay at New Brighton State Beach (Capitola), Veteran's Park (Monterey), Big Sur State Park, San Simeon Beach, Oceano, and Refugio.

Renne Stone

Definitely, this didn't motivate me at all, but thank you so much, we will have everything that you told us in mind

Renne Stone

This kind of post are the ones that makes me change the plans for better, didn't think on the wind direction, and it is such a important fact!!!! definitely, we want to spend the less we can. Maybe we can start backwards, starting from north, and I'm going to start looking for some Hike&Bike places to stay the nite. Thank you for this explanatory answer

PeregrineA1 

Another vote for north to south for the stated reasons.


WRT San Diego. Fear not, San Diegans are humans just like the rest of us and a certain percentage have issues......the others, not so much and you will likely have a great time seeing that part of the coast.


Orange County is a bit sparse for camping spots. Crystal Cove State Park, Doheney, and San Onofre-Christianitos are the ones. I don't believe Huntington Beach State Beach allows tent camping but it is worth checking. I would try to get through Laguna Beach early in the morning as the traffic and lane width conspire to make it unpleasant for cyclists later in the day-that would mean staying at Crystal Cove, which is a fantastic location.


Getting out of Orange County and into San Diego County requires either crossing Marine Corp Base Camp Pendleton or riding on the shoulder of I-5 (if it is passable, there has been construction lately). Camp P requires pre-registration and valid government ID. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Videos | New Base Access Procedures for Camp Pendleton .


Getting from north of Palos Verdes to the Orange County border is a bit tricky. Do a search on this site, there have been some good posts from Calamaris Chris about the route. In fact his posts are very informative for the southern portion of your route.

Garfield Cat

Not a camping site but the homeless camp out at the Santa Ana River Trail, Los Angeles River Trail in Long Beach.

McBTC

Here's a recent plan that was carried out by of a single rider (she camped with her boyfriend in Big Sur) from SF and ending in San Diego on the 11th of April 2014:


Day 1 - April 3rd - SF to Santa Cruz (81 miles, 8am-5:30pm)
Day 2 - April 4th - 2nd day poach camping near Plaskett Creek, Big Sur　
Day 3 - April 5th - Plaskett Creek to Los Osos (72.3 miles, 7:30am - 5:30pm)
Day 4 - April 6th - Los Osos to Lompoc (70 miles, 8am - 4pm)
Day 5 - April 7th - Lompoc to Santa Barbara (55 miles, 8am - 3pm)
Day 6 - April 8th - Santa Barbara to LA (106 miles, 7am - 7pm)
Day 7 - April 9th - LA to San Clemente (72.4 miles, 8am - 4pm)
Day 8 - April 10th - San Clemente to SD (47 miles, 9am-3pm)

CB HI

+1 on N to S.

Hiker/biker camps are better in northern area. They can fill up, so do not pull in too late. They are priced by county and get more expensive as you get farther south. Big gap around Big Sur (stealth camped there).

ACA map and routing is good. https://www.adventurecycling.org/cyc...c-coast-route/

CB HI

Touring forum can give lots of information.

McBTC

From LA the best bike tour is to take the train to Portland and going south along the Oregon and Northern California coast.

TrojanHorse

Any underpass on SGRT! And if you're lucky, somebody will have a generator and a barbecue.

diphthong

why just this week godzilla stomped my car into oblivion and a lone coyote pursued, subdued and ate my doberman in the middle of the local junior high school field during 3rd period p.e.
avoid san diego at all costs.

TGT1

Hey they even have a disco ball at the 60 underpass.

I think it moved south from Valley Blvd this year.

prathmann

Although the official policy on Hike&Bike sites does say they can turn people away if full, my experience is that they won't turn away any legitimate bicycle camper. They've opened up day use areas (i.e. picnic sites) and other parts of the park when necessary to accommodate extra arrivals with the provision that if camped in those spots you take your tent down fairly early the next morning so other people can use the area. Not sure what gap you mean in the Big Sur area. Big Sur State Park has a very nice (and large) Hike&Bike area, Andrew Molera just a couple miles to the north has walk-in campsites that are fine for cyclists, and both Kirk Creek (Nat'l Forest) and Plaskett Creek a little south of Big Sur SP have Hike&Bike sites. [On my last visit Kirk Creek didn't have potable water, but the camp host offered me some if I needed it.] So lots of options, but I'd recommend Big Sur SP as having the best facilities (camp store, gift shop, restaurant, laundromat, hot showers, assorted hiking trails).

TrojanHorse

What? No way! I've seen the rope lighting (those are the gents with the generator) but no disco balls.

CB HI

One site told me hiker/biker was full and if I wanted to camp, I would have to pay full RV price for an RV site.

TGT1

Thread drift,


Saw the disco ball in a dudes shopping cart he was pushing a couple of years ago and did a WTF? double take.


then last year it was hanging under the bridge at Valley and this year under the 60 FWY.

Popeyecahn

And then there's this:

Deadly 51,000-acre wildfire near Big Sur spreads into footprint of massive 2008 Basin Complex fire - LA Times

I cancelled my camping plans for this month for this reason. Smoke is going to be bad and I didn't want to get in the way of folks working to contain that fire. That said, I think I understand you're not going anytime soon.

Yeah, damn good and well you avoid this dump. Lousy for cycling, just plain lousy.

OwenMeany

Anyone know how much total climbing there is on the N to S route?

tinrobot

Depends on the route, obviously, but San Francisco -> Santa Barbara via Big Sur is close to 20K of climbing over 375-ish miles.