Originally published in Motorcycles On the Road Again, April 2006.
For motorcyclists California provides diversity rivaling any of the other 49 states. From the deserts of southern California, Death Valley, the stunning beauty of the coastline, to the thrill of riding the Sierra Nevadas, California has more to offer bikers than most people would be able to adequately cover in a lifetime.
If you want to see California firsthand and gain the most from the experience consider taking a motorcycle tour with an experienced tour operator. They know the best places to ride, where to stay, where to eat and what to see. As a “local” they can make sure that you get to visit some of the biker hang outs and meet other riders from the area.
The California Coastline
Ride Free Tours (RideFree.com) manages a ride that originates at Venice Beach. From there ride to Palm Springs to enjoy the desert, play in the sand or relax in the pool. From Palm Springs visit Joshua Tree National Park, the Yucca Valley, Lake Isabella and the Redwoods of Sequoia National Park.
Visit Hollister, famous for the 1947 motorcycle riot that the Marlon Brando film Wild One was based. The Hollister area will give you a real taste of the old cowboy days of farming and ranching. The Cannery Row in Monterey inspired Charles Dickens.
The route from Monterey to Los Angeles is one of the most awe-inspiring rides in the world. The coastline twists along flat, sandy beaches and high, rocky cliffs.
They say that Big Sur is as much a “state of mind” as an actual place. But for those of us who truly enjoy spectacular motorcycle roads it is almost heaven. Big Sur Highway (Route 1) provides as many challenges, rewards and views as any place in the country and motorcyclists should plan on riding it at least twice — once in each direction. Big Sur is quite possibly the best way for a rider to grasp the coastline’s beauty with the rocky walls protruding into the crystal blue waters to the marine life that abounds on the beaches. Pebble Beach. Carmel. Big Sur. Point Pinos. Monterey Bay. These names are the stuff that dreams (and vacations) are made from.
People who have been to Big Sur always want to return; and those who haven’t been, want to have the experience.
Waterfalls punctuate the scenery as they thunder over cliffs to create clear serene pools below. Five thousand foot mountain ranges appear to slide into the crashing surf of the Pacific Ocean. The rocky coves carved into the hillsides offer panoramic views of the incredible landscape.
Some of the waterfalls are easily accessible, some are on private land and you should honor the no trespassing signs. Still others require a strenuous hike through the rugged terrain — but the views are worth the effort. Of special note is McWay Creek where it falls onto the beach in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Every direction you look seems to be another photo opportunity so be prepared.
Like higher elevations? From sea level you can hike to a couple thousand feet in just 2 or 3 hours. The mountains that border Big Sur to the east are not as high as the Sierra range but they are steeper and more diverse. The Big Sur region, an area about 89 miles in length along the California coastline was, is, and will always be a wilderness area.
In 1932 the completion of the 714-foot long Bixby Bridge made the Carmel — San Simeon road possible.
The bridge is 260 feet high. Concrete abutments anchor into the solid rock 140 feet above the creek and 330 feet apart. A marvel of engineering and construction, the Point Sur Lighthouse is one of two great lighthouses that mark the Big Sur coast. Fifty years before the highway was built, it was shining its beacon across the rugged coastline.
The foresight of early preservationists and entrepreneurs has paid off. The area is not blighted with billboards, overdevelopment and tacky buildings. Services are grouped into five areas along the 89 mile stretch with the rest remaining as natural as possible.
As one writer put it “there is no time here. There is simply the sensation of the earth moving about in the galaxy. The Sea is so far below, but so compelling, you feel like you are riding on it. It seems so distant; it appears so soft and harmless, like a big mattress. The wind whispers through the canyons up from the ocean and into the forest. Colors change around the hills all day long, and the sage, berry, pine, canyon creek and sea mist scents strafe around…”
More California
There are many rides in California that offer breathtaking scenery and challenging motorcycling roads. The www.Byways.org website is an excellent resource to get ride ideas and information — not only for California but other states as well.
Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway. 61 Miles through the heart of the Sierra Nevada. Located between Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe. This byway will have you climbing thousands of feet in elevation while enjoying spectacular untouched wilderness. You will be flanked on both sides by valleys and canyons carved thousands of years ago by glaciers. Snow capped mountains and ancient volcanic peaks extend for hundreds of miles.
Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. For an extended trip (total 500 miles) this route from Mount Lassen in California takes you through northern California and up into southern Oregon to Crater Lake. Hang on tight, many sections of this are a real riding adventure. This area is very seasonal and includes some higher elevations, consider making this trip in the summer. The opening of Rim Drive at Crater Lake signals the beginning of summer. Call ahead to make sure that the snow has been cleared and the road is open.
Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road. This 64-mile route is one of the most incredible passages over the Sierra Nevada and is the highest automobile pass in California. As you ride the valleys and ridges of Yosemite Park enjoy towering granite peaks, pristine lakes, alpine meadows and forests of Giant Sequoia groves.
Enjoy your trips in California.
RESOURCES
Ride Free Tours (RideFree.com)
Admo Tours (Admo-Tours.com) offers a full range of road trips and off road trips not only in California but in many other countries as well.