Temporary ACA Route Road Closures / Re: Pacific Coast Route Section #4, maps 47-49 October 2017
« on: August 02, 2017, 03:36:30 pm »I feel like reply #26 needs more realistic info added to it. This 'detour' would make for a crazy, crazy day for a loaded touring cyclist. The link you provided was from the bottom of N-F Road and into Paso Robles, over 70 mi and 6k elevation gain. That doesn't include the ~20 or 30 miles and another couple thousand ft elevation gain from the bypass trail. There is no camping on N-F Road at ALL. No dispersed camping allowed either. An illegal camp fire set off the Soberanes Fire last summer and the local people are on edge, looking for illegal camping and reporting it. Law Enforcement is making extra patrols as well. N-F Rd is the only road in for the construction traffic that is trying to clear up the road conditions on HWY 1. Heavy Trucks on a narrow, windy, country road; shared with local traffic and tourist as well. There are 2 campgrounds coast side within 5 miles of N-F Rd. that would make this route more realistic. Kirk Creek and Plaskett Creek. Kirk Creek doesn't have water though. It is not impossible, I just thought that a little more context was needed.
I agree, this detour is not a casual ride. I will make that more clear in the original post. I would only recommend it for cyclists that are determined to see the Big Sur Coast and are up for a bit of a challenge.
However, there are several places to camp on Highway 1 south of the bridge that are currently open: Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Lime Kiln State Park, Kirk Creek Campground, and Plaskett Creek Campground. There are two campgrounds along Nacimiento-Fergusson Road that are open: Nacimiento Campground and Ponderosa Campground.
Food and other services are available at several locations near the bridge, and at the Lucia Lodge further south. The Lucia Lodge is serving dinner daily and lunch on the weekends. They also have lodging and a small general store. After Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, the next food/supplies option is at the general store in Lockwood, and the next camping/lodging/general store is at the Lake San Antonio Resort. So, this detour is practical with careful planning. It can be divided into a few separate days.