Winn0923

Will be in Palm Springs tomorrow. Rented a road bike, thinking of doing hwy 74 but a lot of ppl don’t recommend it due to safety. Does anyone local have a good route they can recommend for a solo rider?

Reasonably strong cyclist - looking to do 80-100 miles both day.

roadcrankr

You could ride a route like the Tour de Palm Springs. https://tourdepalmsprings.com/event-info/routes/
They alter the route occasionally. I never did this version, but you can probably look at past years' ones.

WaveyGravey

What are your safety concerns regarding Hwy 74? Thanks.

Winn0923

I have read that the ascent and descent traffic is pretty crazy and there is no shoulder for cyclist really. Look like a pretty climb and I would probably feel safer with 2-3 people but solo I am a little reserved.

Most reviews I found online said to avoid hw74, esp during Coachella time 😭

urbanknight

Yeah, that wasn't even the intended route but they altered it due to flooding on some of the (more enjoyable) roads. I drove some of the bypassed roads the day before and the day after the event, and there was indeed a good amount of water in some places.

Here's a better one https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38705465 HOWEVER it has still been raining pretty good in So Cal so those roads could be flooded again.

diphthong

sorry, saw this too late to possibly help out.
ca hwy 74 from the bighorn country club at the extreme southern edge of palm desert is very winding and narrow for the first 5 miles or so. only a few places to pull over and poor sight lines for motorists. i say this as a socal cyclist that avoids only 4-5 roads in the region. there is plenty of fast, daily commuter (early morn and early afternoon construction trades traffic) during the weekdays. weekends best from sunrise to 9am if you must ride it. the descent is a blast.

from palm springs, there is scenic, flattish riding in town west of palm canyon rd/ca hwy 111. climbing up tram road to the guard house is a definite lung and leg buster if you need climbing…just watch that speed on the descent. making it out to dillon road on the north side of the 10 fwy finds a little bit less traffic and no stop lights. services few and far between out there so take two extra inner tubes and carry two water bottles. la quinta cove area is scenic and would be a roughly 75-80 mile loop from palm springs incorporating dillon road and ca hwy 111.

if the tram road climb whets the appetite, there is a shortish and stiff climb from the corner of ca hwy 111 and frank sinatra drive as well. prettiest road in the nearish coachella valley is the 1000 palms road connecting ramon rd/washington rd to dillon rd. it’s about 4 miles long and about a 4% grade up or down given your direction.

if you’ve got a car to transport the bike, joshua tree national park is approx an hour’s drive away (one way) and super scenic. weekdays best before 11am. can park about 4 miles north of the entrance near the corner of ca hwy 62/park blvd at ride up the 4-5% incline for approx 6 miles till things level out, get flattish and awesome. dunno what the exact charge is for cyclist entry is since i’ve got the annual pass but think it is $12.

Winn0923

Thanks! I looked at both Tram Roadway also. People said not to attempt too late in the day due to wind but condition looks perfect today, no gust over 13 mph all day. I’ll try that today in the afternoon (since not picking up my bike till 10) or early tomorrow morning!

diphthong

updated original post to include joshua tree national park. tram road climb will give you one heck of a workout. the palm springs modern architecture-styled neighborhood just to the south of tram road (and squeezed between the mountain and palm canyon rd/ca hwy 111) is great for toodling and recovery from the big hill climb.

Steel Charlie

Descending from the tram climb my arms always looked like Popeye's. But that was many years ago and I hope that the road has been improved since then.

Winn0923

I ended doing tram way like 4x for fun. The descent was not bad, with the exception of the first day where the wind was gusting quite a bit. I def got scared and slow down to a 15 mph real fast from 45-50 mph. Luckily I only felt the wind when I was about 0.5 mile from the bottom so I def got lucky, but that single gust def got me **** my pants!

The road is pretty nice, so no problem descending it as long as there is no wind!

Winn0923

yes I ride around las palmas a bit! Some nice hills in there too for hill repeats!

didn’t get a chance to ride JT so def will be back! Do you have any route recommendations?

diphthong

https://www.strava.com/routes/3216330638029954842

https://www.strava.com/routes/3216331759724874522

https://www.strava.com/routes/3216332466147067674

weekdays if you can swing it. pack plenty of tubes or top off that sealant.
wouldn't hurt to bring a new, folded tire along for backup and a boot kit as these are some desolate rides.
support is non-existent enroute so you gotta be self-sufficient with supplies, grub and grog.

if you only do one ride, the middle/2nd route is the one to do.