Best Cycling in California

Living in California to be completely frank is amazing. There are sweeping beaches, meandering highways through forests, long mild tempered deserts, and abundant greenery. Some of the best Cycling in California might be some of the Best Cycling in the world.

There are great winter destination in the United States too.

We haven’t even begun to talk about the sharp rising mountains to ascend, or the rolling hills throughout the bay area. There simply is too much to explore, and as a local to the state, I have felt lucky to live here and ride these places and more listed below.

In this post you will learn about 5 of the best places to go riding in California. There is an abundance of wildlife, changes in biome, and scenery in our state, and anyone that finds themselves pedalling away throughout its scenery will find themselves pinching themselves in the understanding that they are truly living in a beautiful space.

Best Cycling in California

This list is a great place to begin thinking of some places in our state to visit. There are many regions of the state spanning form south to north.

For the complete beginner, this will be a great place to visit where there is a ton of infrastructure to rent a bike, stay in a hotel, and visit with other travelers.

Pacific Coast Highway and The Beach Cities

Riding through Los Angeles into Orange County and out to San Diego is a blessing. You are lucky enough to cross through the beach cities in Los Angles through the south bay and enter into Long Beach which bridges the gap between Los Angeles and Orange County.

The ride is relatively flat throughout with some hilly sections entering into southern orange county around Laguna Beach. It is best to be mindful of the traffic in Laguna as it is a touch more energetic than the rest of the ride.

Leaving Laguna, you flow into Dana Point and finally into Northern San Diego County where you encounter towns like Carlsbad, Encinitas and La Jolla before getting into San Diego Proper.

Most of the way down can be taken via PCH or bike trails along the beach. When you are in Los Angeles, it’s best to stay on the trails for the most part in contrast to taking PCH through the city on a bicycle.

The Lake Tahoe Lake Circuit

The Tahoe Circuit around the lake is a great 75 mile option for the cyclist. There is not much of an elevation change throughout the ride outside of the Emerald Bay bumps and when circling around Glenbrook.

Your main challenge is two part:

1. Focusing on the road when there is amazing scenery around you.

2. Riding at an average of 6400 feet altitude.

You will want to be accustomed to the riding at altitude as there are many cyclists who simply aren’t prepared for the thinner air, even if the majority of the ride is flat.

San Francisco and Marin

The Bay Area holds a special place in my heart as a resident. With famous rides like Hawk Hill, there are too many places to count to ride including in the east bay too when looking to Mt. Diablo and Grizzly Peak in Berkeley. Living in San Francisco provides you the unique opportunity to learn to love hill cycling.

Mt. Tam

Mt. Tam is a fantastic ride. The elevation increase is about 3000 feet, and the pitch is not too difficult. Traffic varies though can be higher than normal on the weekend.

Mt. Tam is the largest mountain in the North Bay, to where you can see it from almost anywhere in South County Marin. It is only overshadowed by Mt. Diablo which also has a fantastic ascent and a descent that you’ll love after working for.

Great Highway

Are you looking for a relaxing cooldown ride? On the weekends in the city of San Francisco, this completely flat 2 mile stretch of road along the west side of the city is completely closed off to traffic.

Enjoy the breeze from the ocean as you big ring ride south down wind. Even when you are coming back north, the breeze is not too strong to make the ride un-enjoyable.

The best times to ride is during the Indian summer, which is most other parts of the US’s fall time. However, in the city of San Francisco, this is when it is most warm.

Conclusion: Best Cycling In California

This post only scratches the surface of great rides in California. There truly are countless. If you are into randoneurring and camping, then there are far more options to you in the forests up north and the mountains further east of the state.

California’s landmass is huge and its reputation precedes its self. Enjoy a bike ride in one of the most magical places on earth.