Is the Lost Coast Alternate worth it ?

[BJohnson]

Hi all there,

I will be doing the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route from Vancouver to Imperial Beach beginning this September, following the ACA Maps.
My question is, has anyone here done the Lost Coast alternate route between maps 31 and 32 ?

If so, is it worth it ?

Kind regards,
Björn
p.s my first post in the forums, is there maybe a better place in the forums to place this question, is there maybe a special forum forum for Pacific Coast Route ?

[cgarch]

If you've got the legs, the alternate is worth it. Very little traffic, gorgeous coastal views. Camping is available at the county park and Albee Creek SP. Supplies at Petrolia. Get real close to one of the most seismically active spots in the continental US - the Mendocino Triple junction is just off the coast. It has far more climbing (some of it very steep at 16-20%) than the inland 101 route, but more remote. The route is part of the Tour of the Unknown Coast in May. Disclaimer - i have ridden portions of it but not as part of a loaded tour - I just live in the area and have traveled it. Probably will add a day or two to your time, depending on how much you linger. You will still get plenty of miles riding Avenue of the Giants south.

cg

[BJohnson]

Thank you for replying to my post cg, I think I will decide it on-the -road, it will at least add 1 more day to my trip but its exciting. And not only that, it has the biggest climb then from Honeydew over to Avenue of the Giants over 2500ft. Thank you again. Anyone else here who can comment on the Lost Coast ?

[Krampus Snail]

Do it! It's fantastic. Best part of the coast.

The climb from Honeydew to Avenue of the Giants is routine, but long. That's not what's remarkable. Rather, the long, STEEP climb right out of Ferndale, and the second STEEP climb after you descend right down to the ocean again, are the killers. But so worth it. When you get to the beach, you have about ten miles right along the beach, practically in the sand, flat and typically with a big tailwind, with no cars and nobody but yourself.

AW Way Campground is perfectly fine.

[staehpj1]

I'd suggest deciding when you are there.  I found that there were more than enough good views and hills on the regular route and I saw no need to do the lost coast option, but you may feel differently.  No need to decide until you are there though.

I have very often not found "scenic" options on the AC maps to just be harder without actually being much more scenic.  They seem to equate lots of climbing on a poor road surface and scenic as the same thing.  For example I found the seven devils option to actually be less scenic.

I guess it also depends on how important getting away from traffic is to you.  For me that is a low priority.  If I really want to get off the beaten path I go backpacking.

[Krampus Snail]

I've done the Lost Coast Alternate both south to north and north to south. And I've also done the regular route in that section. My opinion is that the Lost Coast option is both considerably more difficult and considerably better than the regular route. If you feel that the regular route is hard enough, don't do the Lost Coast! But if you want a worthwhile challenge, the Lost Coast is it.