Author Topic: Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur  (Read 14232 times)

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Offline longrid

Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur
« on: June 25, 2016, 04:32:52 am »
Hi All, This is my first visit to this forum. My wife and I plan to cycle SF to LA and are having problems acquiring accommodation in Big Sur for 31 March, 2017. We are carrying our own gear but not tenting. Can anyone give us some advice.
Regards,
Gordon.
Melbourne, Australia.

Offline RonK

Re: Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur
« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2016, 05:38:12 am »
Are you aware of Warm Showers? Probably worth a try.
Cycle touring blog and tour journals: whispering wheels...

Offline longrid

Re: Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2016, 07:15:44 am »
Thanks for the advice. Yes I have tried warm showers with no luck.
Might have to use Adventure Tent at Fernwood, Big Spur at $US 140 a night.
Regards,
Gordon.

Offline ericfoltz

Re: Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2016, 08:26:34 pm »
You can get a motel relatively cheap in Monterey ($80-90). This is about 35 miles North of Big Sur and then do the full run of 100 miles to San Simeon where you can usually get a room for $50-60.

or

Stay at the hiker/biker campsite at Big Sur State Park which is probably the nicest Campsite on the coast. There are a couple more National Forest Campgrounds a little farther south.

Offline longrid

Re: Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2016, 07:02:27 am »
Thanks for the advice Eric. We cycle from Monterey the day before but have now settled on Fernwood Big Sur using adventure tent.

Offline ptr52

Re: Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur
« Reply #5 on: February 18, 2017, 05:53:57 am »
Hi All, This is my first visit to this forum. My wife and I plan to cycle SF to LA and are having problems acquiring accommodation in Big Sur for 31 March, 2017. We are carrying our own gear but not tenting. Can anyone give us some advice.
Regards,
Gordon.
Melbourne, Australia.
Hi Gordon

I will be following you down about a month later!
I will be continuing on to see my daughter and grandaughter in San Diego.
I'm getting quite concerned about the state of the road on Big Sur, not so much the landslides, but the bridge at Pfeiffer Canyon, which does not look good.
http://www.thebigsurblog.com/

Let me know how you get on! Good luck

Peter
London UK

Offline BrianW

Re: Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur
« Reply #6 on: February 18, 2017, 10:30:44 pm »
Note that one of the Hwy 1 bridges in Big Sur is closed at the moment due to structural damage from a recent mudslide. Keep an eye on the CalTrans website to see status when you are traveling. Right now it's closed to vehicles AND pedestrians, and there is no alternate paved route, so you'd have to go inland a good bit to bypass it, and miss one of the most scenic stretches of the California coast :-(

Offline ptr52

Re: Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur
« Reply #7 on: February 19, 2017, 04:03:01 am »
Note that one of the Hwy 1 bridges in Big Sur is closed at the moment due to structural damage from a recent mudslide. Keep an eye on the CalTrans website to see status when you are traveling. Right now it's closed to vehicles AND pedestrians, and there is no alternate paved route, so you'd have to go inland a good bit to bypass it, and miss one of the most scenic stretches of the California coast :-(

Thanks Brian, yes you are right.  That is the bridge I mentioned in my previous post, and the photos look bad! What I am not sure about is whether there are any footpaths or trails that could be used as an alternative by cyclists (even if you have to push or carry your bike!).  I have posted this question on the ACA forum relating to the Pacific Coast Bike Route, but I have not had any replies yet. I am hoping that touring cyclists and/or walkers with a good local knowledge of the area can tell me whether it is possible to get along the coast with a bike, even if this bridge remains closed.  Looking at Google maps there do appear to be some trails in the area.  What is particularly frustrating for me is that the last time I tried to go along the Big Sur in 2008 it was closed because of the fires!
Peter

Hi All, This is my first visit to this forum. My wife and I plan to cycle SF to LA and are having problems acquiring accommodation in Big Sur for 31 March, 2017. We are carrying our own gear but not tenting. Can anyone give us some advice.
Regards,
Gordon.
Melbourne, Australia.


Hi Gordon
When I was planning this ride, I originally intended to do it without a tent, but I eventually decided to take a tent, simply because of the flexibility it gives in choosing places to stay, and more importantly, distances cycled each day.  There is also the problem of having to book ahead with motels etc, whereas with the hiker/biker sites I understand there is never a problem getting on to the sites.  I also worked out that I could save the cost of lightweight camping gear even if I just avoid just a few nights in expensive places.  Just thought I would share my ideas with you, hope you have a great trip.
Peter

Offline superpletch

Re: Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur
« Reply #8 on: March 17, 2017, 08:26:02 am »
i am also planning a tour from sf to la in may.  pfeiffer bridge is being demolished as we type and new bridge is not scheduled to be completed until december of 2017.  from what i can gather from caltrans is that they are working on a walk around where you can walk/carry bike to bypass damaged bridge.  it may have limited access at times due to construction of new bridge.  i plan on following closely the progress for the only other option is a much longer inland route which will bypass some of the best parts of this tour.  i recommend calling caltrans public information officer (805)549-3138 to keep pressure on to complete a workable walk around.  a good spot to watch progress is thebigsurblog.com.  any additional information from anyone is greatly appreciated.

Offline JHamelman

Re: Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur
« Reply #9 on: March 17, 2017, 10:08:53 am »
from what i can gather from caltrans is that they are working on a walk around where you can walk/carry bike to bypass damaged bridge.

Our understanding of this footbridge, from the park superintendent, is that it is primarily for locals and WILL NOT be open to cyclists.

Jennifer
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Jennifer Hamelman

Adventure Cycling Association
Inspiring and empowering people to travel by bicycle.
800/755-2453, 406/721-1776 x205
www.adventurecycling.org

Follow Routes & Mapping on Twitter: @acaroutes

Offline roderick.young

Re: Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur
« Reply #10 on: March 20, 2017, 02:54:46 pm »
These are the addenda for Pacific Coast Map 4, which contains the Highway 1 outage.  If you dig down, there is a recommendation to divert inland at Monterey, and go back to the coast just south of Cambria.  I live in San Jose, so when I go in mid-April, I will be following secondary roads like highway 25, go through San Luis Obispo, and then continue on the coast.  You can use Google maps to recommend a bicycle route, but be mindful that there may be no services for long stretches.  I plan to carry a full day's supply of water, and 2 days of food.


Note that San Francisco Airport is not actually in San Francisco, but about 20 miles south of the city.  If one is flying into San Francisco Airport, one would be backtracking if they wanted to see the actual City, and that would not be a particularly scenic ride.


If one wanted to get to the coast, straightaway, the best move might be to hire a taxi, Uber, or Lyft to take them and the bike(s) via highway 92 to Half Moon Bay.  As a local, I'm somewhat familiar with the mountain roads and how to get to the coast, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone from out of town.  Further south, there are other ways to the coast.  Kings Mountain/Tunitas Creek road, popular among tough cyclists, but VERY (15% if memory serves) steep in places.  Highway 84, not as steep, but still steep.  Highway 9, further south, gentler still, with an average grade of 6%.  And the easiest way to cross the mountains in the area is Soquel - San Jose Road.  But remember that you'll be cutting over to the coast for the benefit of 1 to 2 days of scenery (admittedly beautiful), before being forced back inland for the detour.


The other choice is to bike via frontage roads for highway 101.  That's a reliable path, full of services and lodging, but not scenic, as it is basically urban/suburban area for 40 miles, then maybe another 100 miles of central valley farmland and gas station towns.  No ocean.  But it does pass somewhat near my house in San Jose, and anyone going through the area before mid April is welcome to stay over.  Not fancy - you may need to roll your sleeping bags out on the floor, but we'll make it work.  Email or message me if interested.  Another benefit of the 101 frontage roads is that one could pick up the official detour in the addenda at Salinas.

Offline mstroy

Re: Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur
« Reply #11 on: March 21, 2017, 05:59:10 pm »
I am starting the PC ride from Vancouver on 4/22 and I just checked out the Big Sur reroute. Thanks for all who have shared information! I've ridden the reverse of this ride along the coast, from Monterey and up and over Nacimiento into King City and back through the Salinas Valley. The ride through Salinas Valley is nice but I'm afraid to say that it does not compare to the ride along the coast in Big Sur. The climb west up Nacimiento with fully loaded bikes will be a big climb. The view if the fog has cleared from the top of Nacimiento will be spectacular and the ride down will be very steep. Once you hit the coast you may want to see if it's possible to ride north along the coast on your bicycle. Not sure if the authorities are keeping the road closed to cyclists.

Happy and safe trails!

Offline Krampus Snail

Re: Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur
« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2017, 12:33:58 am »
As of today, in addition to the now-destroyed bridge at Pfeiffer, there are three more slides south of Nacimiento Fergusson Road.  Getting through any of them would be difficult.  mstroy's detour is nice, but right now it will put the rider north of the three extra slides.

Offline susigan

Re: Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur
« Reply #13 on: July 29, 2017, 05:40:29 pm »
HEy guys how going the trip : have a itinerary to share?

I think do SFO to L.A highway 1 , but the news its sad. i Saw this Detour route https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19189649
Anyone have some suggetions , know about the view, because  do this trip and lost costal ladscape is sad.

Still worth!?
Tks!

Offline roderick.young

Re: Aussies cycling SF to LA re Big Sur
« Reply #14 on: July 31, 2017, 01:05:59 pm »
I think the detour is worth it.  If you were doing a long tour, such as Seattle to San Diego, I would say simply take the Amtrak Train from Salinas to San Luis Obispo, giving you more time on the coast.  But if you're going SF to LA, the detour will be a significant part of your ride, so might as well experience it.  It's not like you'll be going through a barren desert.