I am going to be taking a four month sabbatical this summer and I will be in CA between mid-August and mid-September and wanted to do some iconic rides and climbs. I will have an OPEN with a 700c wheelset set up for road and a 650b wheelset for gravel, so I am open to multi-terrain. I’ll climb anything, but looking for rides in the 30-70 mile range.
These are some of the ideas I have so far:
Onion Valley Road and/or Horseshoe Meadows in the Owens Valley
Gibraltar Road climb, looking for suggestions on where to park a car and how to make good ride out of this climb.
Mt. Figueroa, looking for suggestions in Solvang area. Would be fun to hit a few wineries along the way.
Mt. Diablo, looking for suggestions on which route, where to park, how to make a nice ride out of this.
Mt. Tamalpais
Any additional suggestions or comments on the rides I am already looking at would be greatly appreciated.
Make plenty of time for Owens Valley, as you also have Whitney Portal and White Mountain right there as well as several other climbs. If you hit a cold spell in September, head over to Death Valley as there are a number of good climbs there (Townes Pass, Dante’s View) that would be awesome if the temps are right.
Glacier Point is a classic in Yosemite. Though not a huge climb, it’s a good ride out and back.
I’m out of town or I’d try to give you more help. Hopefully you’ll get some more info from locals because there are a lot more great routes in CA than the ones you’re listing. I’m from the SF bay area and could give you numerous awesome routes here, but I’m not quite sure your preferences/fitness etc. Since you listed Mt Tam and Mt Diablo, here are two places to start:
Awesome route starting from SF end of GG through Marin and climbing Mt Tam: https://www.strava.com/routes/16327487 The small (1 block) detour in Stinson beach is to a good bakery for a snack. There’s also a short out and back to the west peak summit of Mt Tam that I wouldn’t skip. Some dirt fire road near the start, but I do this on a road bike with road racing tires.
If you do Diablo you should do the Morgan Territory loop. Climb Diablo and then loop back around to Morgan Territory road. There’s some “junk miles” in there but both Diablo and Morgan Territory are really nice. I’m in a rush and couldn’t find a good map of the full route, but here’s a strava link that leaves out the Diablo summit (but you should definitely put that in!): https://www.strava.com/local/us/sf-east-bay/cycling/routes/200
Lots of great routes in the Santa Cruz mountains. Big Basin Way through the state park is amazing and the descent down Bear Creek Rd (I think that is where I was) was one of the most enjoyable descents I have ridden. Super twisty roads in great condition. Maybe grab a copy of 75 Classic Rides Northern California for more ideas.
Slightly OT, but what 700c wheels and tires are you using for road rides? Any comparison on how the UP climbs, descends, handles, sprints compared to any road bikes you have/had?
I am in the market for a new bike and was have been on the fence about going with this (or the Exploro) versus a traditional road bike. I’ve had an R3 in the past and loved the way it handled, climbed, accelerated. But I’d like more clearance for you rides that continue when the pavement ends.
I don’t see the fascination with Morgan Territory personally… the road is super bad… Heading towards livermore is ok because you are climbing, but if you were to turn around and descend it… good luck to you.
As far as Mt Diablo goes… you can park at the Athenian school and head up Scenic to Southgate to the junction…summit… I’m not a big fan of northgate…especially descending it.
I am going to be taking a four month sabbatical this summer and I will be in CA between mid-August and mid-September and wanted to do some iconic rides and climbs. I will have an OPEN with a 700c wheelset set up for road and a 650b wheelset for gravel, so I am open to multi-terrain. I’ll climb anything, but looking for rides in the 30-70 mile range.
Gibraltar Road climb, looking for suggestions on where to park a car and how to make good ride out of this climb.
Here you go…since you’re bringing a gravel bike, I added an additional loop down Angostura Rd (“dirt Gibraltar”) to Gibraltar Dam, along the Santa Ynez river to Paradise road, then a dirt road road climb back up Arroyo Burro road, then back along Camino Cielo and descending Gib back to your start. I put the start/end point at Rocky Nook Park, but you could also park at the Mission as well…
Since you’ll be doing this in Aug/Sept, make sure to take plenty of water if you do that backcountry loop. There is water at the Lower Oso picnic area along Paradise Rd, but that’s a short bit beyond the turnoff to go up Arroyo Burro. A camelbak might not be a bad idea…
Or, you can use that same route just to go up and down Gib (paved frontside). If you do that, I’d suggest going beyond the intersection of Camino Cielo and Gibraltar Rd (where the TOC stage ends) and continuing the short bit all the way up to La Cumbre peak before turning around.
How about a 7000 ft climb?
Can’t find it using my phone, but Highway 39 from Azusa up to Crystal Lake, continue through the closed to cars section to Highway 2, turn right up to the saddle who’s name I forget
I just have Zipp 30 course 700c wheels, that I bought with intent of gravel use. I have only done one ride on the OPEN with road tires, handling doesn’t seem any different from a road bike. The OPEN is my dedicated gravel bike (I have 3 other road bikes), but I will be using it for road for this trip because I only want to bring one bike and still have options to do some unpaved stuff.
I have actually been thinking about getting a nice light road wheelset for the open, because it is actually lighter than my other road bikes and with the gravel gearing it would be my best bet as a dedicated hill climb bike.
So, my vote is for the OPEN if you want versatility. It is a gravel beast, but does everything well.
Here you go…since you’re bringing a gravel bike, I added an additional loop down Angostura Rd (“dirt Gibraltar”) to Gibraltar Dam, along the Santa Ynez river to Paradise road, then a dirt road road climb back up Arroyo Burro road, then back along Camino Cielo and descending Gib back to your start. I put the start/end point at Rocky Nook Park, but you could also park at the Mission as well…
How gravelly, what tires would your run? I have 42mm WTB Resolutes tubeless on my 650B wheels which are awesome, but I have several options for the 700cc wheels (Zipp 30 course, not set up not tubeless), so I switch out tires as needed. Am going with a 27mm GP5000 as my road setup for this trip which I am not afraid to run on easy gravel, but have other gravel options (base gravel set up on these are challenge gravel race 38mm) that I may bring. I tried to 36mm gravel race pros, but they are too hard to mount and per one of your posts they seem to be a wash with the 38mm anyway.
How gravelly, what tires would your run? I have 42mm WTB Resolutes tubeless on my 650B wheels which are awesome, but I have several options for the 700cc wheels (Zipp 30 course, not set up not tubeless), so I switch out tires as needed. Am going with a 27mm GP5000 as my road setup for this trip which I am not afraid to run on easy gravel, but have other gravel options (base gravel set up on these are challenge gravel race 38mm) that I may bring. I tried to 36mm gravel race pros, but they are too hard to mount and per one of your posts they seem to be a wash with the 38mm anyway.
Yeah…it’s somewhat of a beast, but well worth it
Run the Resolutes on the 650Bs if you’re doing the drop down to the dam and along the river…otherwise, the GP5Ks if you’re just going up and down Gib/La Cumbre since it’s completely paved.
I can weigh in on this one as Exploro and Open are both in stable. Both are 1x with Di2 & XTR RD.
Exploro: rides very similar to a road race bike. Crisp handling, climbs & descends well. Slightly heavier and more harsh ride than Open.
Open UPPER: turned this into dedicated gravel rig with smaller front ring and gravel bars for control in dirt. Super smooth ride, more like the comfort of an endurance frame. Climbs & descend well-I’ve done huge road days in the mountains on it. In gravel it has more clearance for big tires–I’ve fit a 42mm on 23mm internal 700c rim with sufficient clearance.
If I had to pick one it’d be the Open. The little bit you give up in handling crispness is made up in greater versatility.
Surprised no one has mentioned Big Pines Hwy. You can make it a nice 20 mile climb starting at the 138, so goes from 3k to 8k ft. It was the mountain top finish of the TOC one year, and also the KOM another year. Great roads and not much traffic in summer. Its the backside of the Baldy climb basically, so you could do a nice double…
