Roads from San Francisco to Yosemite NP

[benja_b89]

Hi all,

My brother and I will be travelling accros western America from May 25th to July 7th. Our first step will be connect SF to Yosemite National Park. Since we come from Belgium, we don't really know about good itineraries.

My brother thinks it's better to go to YNP via Sacramento using the Adventure Cycling maps (SF->Sacramento->Woodfords->Lake Isabella)

I tought of this one http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/san-francisco/866126646697028153 since google maps shows more campgrounds on this way.



So I'm asking for a little help. What are the best roads according to you?

Thanks in advance,

Benjamin

PS: sorry for my poor english

[valygrl]

This guy always has great advice, I would use his route or the adventure cycling route:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/forum/board/message/?o=RrzKj&message_id=7160&v=DD&term=yosemite&context=all

I say this having lived in Santa Cruz for 15 years and commuted by car to Yosemite about 100 times. 

Leaving San Francisco, you can't ride across the bridge as shown on your mapmyride link - no bikes allowed on that huge busy highway bridge.  You can leave San Francisco by bike to the north via the GOlden Gate Bridge (north Hwy 101) or by heading way south on the peninsula and riding across the Dumbarton Bridge (Hwy 84).  Or you can ride down the coast to Santa Cruz.

You can also take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) which is a regional train system, from San Francisco (it does go to the airport) across the bay - this is very easy and cheap, and the bike can go on the train (except during rush hour).  It costs just a few dollars to cross the bay.  You don't need a reservation, you buy the ticket at the station.  Here's the web site to learn more:  www.bart.gov

You can also get a ferry boat ride across the bay, but I've never done that - I think the adventure cycling route recommends that, but I would just take BART, it's so easy, and the trains run very frequently.

Have fun!!

[staehpj1]

You can also take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) which is a regional train system, from San Francisco (it does go to the airport) across the bay - this is very easy and cheap, and the bike can go on the train (except during rush hour).  It costs just a few dollars to cross the bay.  You don't need a reservation, you buy the ticket at the station.  Here's the web site to learn more:  www.bart.gov

You can also get a ferry boat ride across the bay, but I've never done that - I think the adventure cycling route recommends that, but I would just take BART, it's so easy, and the trains run very frequently.

I have ridden the ferry and the Bart train and both were pretty easy to deal with even for us clueless out of towners.  We did not have our bikes along but in both cases saw others who did.

[cgarch]

Your English is fine. Notes about crossing the bay are correct. I see a couple of problems with this route. CA 4 from Discovery Bay to Stockton is not a road you want to ride. I drove it once and understood why I never even drove that road. it has zilch shoulders, lots of heavy truck traffic and is pretty frightening. Take a look at Google Maps and drop the little man in for a road level view. I don't have an alternate suggestion for that area either. I like CA 4 east of Stockton - nice road, goes from good shoulders to no shoulders, and a pretty ride. One suggestion would be to turn right at Milton Rd. (before Copperopolis) head south then east on E. Sonora Rd. - nice quiet low traffic ride and you can avoid some steep hills to Copperopolis and from Cop to Sonora. Be sure to fuel up in Farmington (intersection of 4 and county road J6). Then take CA 108 to the 140 junction to continue. Be careful too as it can be quite hot (100F - 38C) at the time period you're riding in. Climb at Groveland is quite stout. Otherwise check out crazyguyonabike for plenty of other suggestions. Good luck.

Craig
Santa Rosa, CA

[benja_b89]

Thx a lot for the answers. You really gave me good advices 

But we are still not sure about itineraries because it's seems that some roads are still closed in YNP (cause of the snow). So we'll maybe keep the Yosemite for the end of the trip.

[valygrl]

Here is the web site that shows the snow plow progress on Tioga Road (Hwy 120) from Yosemite to the east side of the sierras:

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tioga.htm

They usually try pretty hard to get the road open by Memorial Day (May 31 this year), but there was a lot of snow this winter, so they might not make it. 

However, sometimes they get the road plowed through and you can ride it before they open it to cars.  I heard sometimes there are a few days where they allow this, and I know that people do ride through without permission - however BE CAREFUL, if you go through before it's open there will be no one up there to help if you get in trouble, there will be no piped water (lots of streams, can use a filter if you have one).  Also, there are bears, so do some homework on bear safety, which mostly means don't leave food anywhere outside the metal bear-boxes at the campgrounds.  You'll want to get all the way over the other side of the pass if you go through before it's open.  Probably much better to wait until it's allowed, then you can spend time up there, which is amazing.