The best stops for a road trip on the pacific coast highway. Tom kirkendall and vicky spring guide you turn by turn along the length of pacific coast bicycle route. September 12, 20 before i james started riding the pacific coast highway, a well meaning friend told me i wouldnt get lost as long as i kept the ocean on my right hand side. The weather is mild, scenery is absolutely beautiful and there are convenient services for food and lodging all along the route. Pacific coast highway hwy 1 motorcycle ride eaglerider. These fortytwo suggested daily itineraries averaging 53 miles each begin and.
Bicycling the pacific coast was first published in 1998, and has been updated for the most recent edition. Do you need maps or guide books to cycle the pacific coast. We set out 67 days ago from vancouver with little experience of cycle touring and unsure of what to expect. With no road or cell phone signal for miles, the lost coast is a rare stretch of undeveloped coastline. The scenic pacific coast route travels from vancouver, b. And for 33 years, our very own bicycling the pacific coast. Pacific coast highway continues to santa monica where youll connect to the marvin braude bike trail, which extends to redondo beach. The path empties out on to pacific coast highway, which winds along the various beaches north of ventura, including solimar, mondos, faria, hobson and rincon. From the canadian border to the border with mexico, the routes take you on the highways and the byways through over 1700 miles of magnificent west coast scenery.
Its a comprehensive and fullyindexed 272page book that covers every mile of the 1987. A complete route guide, canada to mexico, 4th edition spring, vicky. You could spend a week just trying all the side routes and island hopping but my focus was on staying on route and schedule as i was meeting a group in san diego ca on september 14th to ride the southern tier route from san diego. A simple route to follow, it involved cycling along the pacific highway 101 and highway 1. All work pretty well, and its unlikely anyone of them will lead you astray. Tells you why you should go a particular way, and discusses the route, and alternative routes. Reboots are all the rage these days and i was on the brink of rebooting the bike trip.
Washington there are tours for washington, ranging from 1. May 20, 2016 the second leg of the trip starts off in astoria, the northwest corner of oregon and heads south, hugging the pacific coast. Discover the beauty to be found between canada and mexico. Its useful, sometimes out of date when it shouldnt be. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The taiwan east coast route is the most famous one and offers amazing landscapes, great cycling experiences and you can have a taste of the local life. For the first half, north of san francisco, i mostly. As a warning, the shoulder along pch going north isnt in the greatest shape.
Pacific coast bike route page, san jose, california. That said, you really could point it south and follow the signs without too much issue. The complete guide from canada to mexico is published by mountaineers books. Lets face it, the pacific highway route takes you from wilderness to sfo and. Several routes to cross america were available to me when cycling from alaska to argentina, but in the end, i decided on the pacific coast route. Route and accommodations while cycling the pacific coast. A guide to cycling taiwans east coast wandering on travel blog. Buy the book online via amazon, indiebound or thorness website at. Many cyclists use either the adventure cycling association maps, or the book bicycling the pacific coast, while completing this route. Average guy biking the pacific coast, by rich trimble. Davids pacific coast bicycle tour faq helder land words. It features the most uptodate info on this amazing route.
Bike from san francisco to santa barbara, ca 382 miles. After leaving carmel, the ride south along the pacific coast highway is the most spectacular portion of the route for many cyclists. Milebymile highlights so you can make the most of this winding highway through olympic national park, cape perpetua, avenue of the giants, hearst castle, and more. The pacific coast highway is probably the most popular cycling tour in the usa and for good reason. And for 33 years, our very own bicycling the pacific coast was the most popular guidebook to this venerable routeuntil now. Embark on your epic pch journey with moon pacific coast highway road trip. The lost coast is a remote stretch of the california coastline so rugged that it forced the coast highway inland. How to bike the pacific coast from canada to mexico.
How to complete an epic pacific coast highway road trip. Im particularly excited about seeing the lost coast. Californias famous coastal highway truly deserves a spot near the top of every motorcyclists bucket list. Wedged between the pacific ocean and hillside towns such as malibu, big sur, and monterrey, this scenic road winds north along one of the most beautiful coastlines in the usa view map here photos and videos from pacific coast highway hwy 1. This beautiful route along the historic and beautiful pch has had accidents and even fatalities to cyclists over the years, but the beauty of the pacific ocean and santa monica mountains keeps riders coming back in spite of the potential danger. From canada to the mexican border, bicycling the pacific coast is the most popular guidebook to bicycle touring this gorgeous edge of the u. A noholdsbarred look at doing the mighty coast highway on two wheels. Cycling the pacific coast as told by author bill thorness. We had a blast riding through the strawberry fields and rolling hills on. Tom kirkendall and vicky spring guide you turn by turn along the length of pacific coast bicycle route all 1816. He lives on the west coast, dividing his time among british columbia, washington, and california. A really handy book for travelling the pch on bike.
Bicycling the pacific coast everything you need to know about each days ride is included. In july and august you have the best chance of almostperfect weather, but you also have the busiest crowds and highseason hotel prices. Apr 16, 2020 which route you take when cycling taiwans east coast will be your own choice of course but we chose to stick to highway 11 or the hualientaitung coastal highway as we wanted to hug taiwans east coast for the duration of our journey. Beginning in santa monica, the route uses some beautiful bike paths that go right through the middle of the sandy beaches, and then youll ride through residential and industrial areas before rejoining the pacific coast highway south of the city. One of the greatest endtoend trips out there, with stunning scenery, exotic wildlife and the full american experience. Start in portland, oregon, and ride the famed pacific coast highway all the. Jan 28, 2005 click here to download the 42 mile ride near anacortes and the 48 mile ride along the oregon coast from bicycling the pacific coast bicycle touring the pacific coast is outlined in one trip or four separate adventures road directions, points of interest, and available restrooms and provisions all built into daily mileage logs elevation profiles and table of essentials overview for each day. For us, the best times to drive the pacific coast highway are from late spring, through summer, to early fall. I think i made this video a bit more watchable and i am close with the second section showing oregon as well so i thought that i would reupload it. A packing guide for a pacific coast highway road trip. The scenic pacific coast bicycle route goes from vancouver, british columbia to imperial beach, california and the mexican border. Cycling the pacific coast highway san francisco to san.
Heres my opinion on cycling on pacific coast highway in southern california. You can stay off the highway practically the whole way from watsonville to moss landing. Bicycle touring the pacific coast is outlined in one trip or four separate adventures road directions, points. Heres some travel tips and blogs from biking the pacific coast highway. Jun 27, 2014 the book, cycling the pacific coast highway shows many different day rides and side routes to the san juan islands. This winding, scenic road high above the ocean has been seen many times in television shows, commercials, and movies. Sep 27, 2017 and for 33 years, our very own bicycling the pacific coast was the most popular guidebook to this venerable route, until now. Though its definitely not necessary road wise as you literally just follow highway 1011, someone gave me the book a week or two in and i found it useful as it laid out all of the hikerbiker sites. Continue following the coast from long beach to newport beach. In this area, the pacific coast bicycle route isnt on highway 1 or the 101, but its well marked with the green bike route signs at every turn.
Road trip usa pacific coast highway highlights major cities, obscure towns, popular attractions, roadside curiosities, historic sites, and oddball trivia. Twelve days biking and camping alone along the pacific coast. You could spend a week just trying all the side routes and island hopping but my focus was on staying on route and schedule as i was meeting a group in san diego ca on september 14th to ride the southern tier route from san diego ca. The other places where the coast route shines are locations where odot has paved wide and smooth shoulders. The pacific coast highway is only a part of this general cycling guide to the usaa west coast, which also lists lots of recommended bike tours throughout the three west coast states. For some stretches of the journey this simplistic approach to navigation was effective, but there were also numerous occasions when rather. An epic ride down the western us seaboard from the canadian to the mexican border. State route 1 map of california with sr 1 highlighted in red route information defined by streets and highways code 301 maintained by caltrans length 655.
Anyone planning to cycle the pacific coast highway might like to know that the book includes a route to get you to and from seattle airport and downtown. How to bike the pacific coast from canada to mexico the six fifty. Almost everyone you run into will have one or the other. Bens other bike wasnt a good fit, so jordan hopped on mine and i pedaled bens. Search this forum the pacific coast tour is discussed often. Lets face it, the pacific highway route takes you from wilderness to sfo and lax on the same trip. The whole point of the reboot was to go the right way and pedal south instead of north so i would be cycling. Powered by create your own unique website with customizable templates. If you are taking a longer pch drive, turn west out of portland along oregon highways 99w and 18 to connect with u. The adventure cycling maps are very useful for dense urban areas and provide in depth information about elevations and resources available in towns. Tom, the coast bike route follows the 3 capes road from tillamook, and then avoids cascade head a really harrowing shoulderless climb by cutting inland on slab creek rd.
The pacific coast route is the most popular bike touring route in the u. I brought five detailed map for the pacific coast route with turnbyturn directions. The good, the bad, and the ugly on the oregon coast bike. Breathtaking cliffs, redwood forests, lighthouses, beaches, and a rugged coastline make this a very popular route. Nov 07, 2016 a packing guide for a pacific coast highway road trip. Pacific coast highway travel bicycling the pacific coast bicycling the pacific coast was first published in 1998, and has been updated for the most recent edition. While far from the physically separated cycling path we dream about. On the 10th september 2018 i started my next challenge, cycling over 4,000km down the pacific coast highway to san diego, before crossing the border into mexico to cycle. It offers turnbyturn directions for the entire 1,850mile route. All the way to san diego, there will be a mix of urban cycling through towns, bike paths, highways. Canada to mexico route for cycling the pacific coast and overnight motels and camp sites. Bill thorness with his book, cycling the pacific coast.
Then you have to hop back on the highway a sort stint before continuing on to marinaseaside on a backroad. Martins press was the first guidebook to the old road written in more than forty years, as well as the first to map the route since its decertification in 1985. Cycling the pacific coast highway cycling the pacific coast highway is one of the most amazing cycling experiences in the world. There are a number of ways someone could choose to ride down the pacific coast. Experience the iconic cycling locations and events without travelling passo dello stelvio, alpe dhuez, kona and infinite number of others. Bicycling the pacific coast is a 1984 bicycle touring guide by vicky spring and tom kirkendall, published by the mountaineers books. The bike route is about 370 miles and if you plan to bike the entire route, expect to spend 6 to 8 days.
Mostly traversing the coast, ill cycle through lincoln city, finishing at the oregon coast aquarium in newport. Cycling the pacific coast highway vancouver to san diego. So, it pretty much avoids 101 and its actually a really scenic and relatively low traffic portion of the coast ride, imo. Train on the realistic race profiles of your next race to gain a competitive advantage. Pacific coast adventure cycling route network adventure.
From logging towns to surfer lore, road trip usa pacific coast highway covers every aspect of this mostly twolane route through the unabashedly breathtaking western coast. Cycling the usa west coast pacific coast highway travel. Oct 04, 2009 adventure cycling maps robert frost may have taken the road less traveled, but iwasnt taking any chances. Cycling the north pacific coast, vancouver bc to san. The big sur section of highway one is designated as part of the pacific coast bike route by the state of. The book, cycling the pacific coast highway shows many different day rides and side routes to the san juan islands. Dec 05, 2017 bill thorness with his book, cycling the pacific coast. Road trip usa pacific coast highway by jamie jensen.
Cycling pacific coast highway from san francisco to san diego duration. Click here to download the 42 mile ride near anacortes and the 48 mile ride along the oregon coast from bicycling the pacific coast bicycle touring the pacific coast is outlined in one trip or four separate adventures road directions, points of interest, and available restrooms and provisions all built into daily mileage logs elevation profiles and table of essentials overview for each day. Coastal california guidebook lonely planets coastal california guidebook is the ideal travel guide for driving or cycling the pacific coast highway from the oregon border to mexico. Pacific coast highway or pch as its called is famous for many reasons. Please be aware that many noncyclists and even some big sur locals may tell you that cycling down highway one along the big sur coast is not safe and that they may continue to insist this in spite of all the evidence to the contrary. Williamss first bike ride was planned to be 70 miles along the pacific coast highway but it ended when he cramped up after 50 miles. Eventually youll make your way to long beach, a city with excellent bicycle infrastructure, including the shoreline bike path. Before going on your oregon coast bike route journey, we recommend that you download the oregon coast bike route map and purchase bicycling the pacific coast book. This is good because there are books and other bikers on the route. Route 101 existed 1934present tourist routes route one, big sur coast highway and route one, san luis obispo north coast byway portions of the cabrillo highway in santa barbara and. If you are planning on biking the pacific coast highway, you might find the following resources useful via amazon. Oregon and california have official pacific coast bicycle routes.
Biking the pacific coast highway travel tips from cycling. Cycling the pacific coast highway is one of the most amazing cycling experiences in the world. Bike from crescent city, ca to san francisco 412 miles push on down the california coast line all the way down to san francisco. Cycling the pacific coast continues the trusted legacy with an allnew, extensively resarched, completely reridden, and comprehensive guidebook. Advice on cycling the pacific coast highway, with information on routes, books, and accommodation options through washington, oregon and california. Jun 29, 2019 heres some travel tips and blogs from biking the pacific coast highway. Oregon coast bike route the oregon coast visitors guide. The book covers a nearly 2,000mile 3,200 km route from vancouver, british columbia to tijuana, mexico, following mostly united states highway 101 and california state route 1.
And for 33 years, our very own bicycling the pacific coast was the most popular guidebook to this venerable route, until now. The oregon coast bike route follows highway 101 along the oregon coast and is very popular among biking entusiasts. A wet suit is encouraged if you want to dip more than a toe in the pacific, depending on the location and time of year. Misadventures while cycling the pacific coast highway. What followed was a fun three weeks of rollercoaster hills, new friends and epic views. Bill thorness is author of the new book cycling the pacific coast. There are books, blogs, cycling forums for reference or just ask around and you will probably.