Help Me Flesh out My 4 Day Cycling Trip to Hyatt Highlands Inn

[heathpack]

I snagged a 4 night 2BR unit at Hyatt Highland Inn for next March for a cycling trip. This will be the 4th year in a row that we've gone in the Feb-Apr time frame for cycling.
Our arrival day is Sunday and I'm off from work starting Fri. Was thinking of adding Fri, Sat, Sun nights somewhere on the way or nearby with good cycling routes.

Any ideas? I was thinking maybe Paso Robles. Santa Barbara?

Where else? Maybe SF or even Napa.

I have 800 Hyatt points left to trade, plus two SFX deposits and in a pinch an etrade on a unit I'd rather keep but could probably get again.

 

[Kal]

OMG, just thinking about it makes my thighs hurt...not to mention issues between me and the bicycle seat!

 

[lizap]

I snagged a 4 night 2BR unit at Hyatt Highland Inn for next March for a cycling trip. This will be the 4th year in a row that we've gone in the Feb-Apr time frame for cycling.
Our arrival day is Sunday and I'm off from work starting Fri. Was thinking of adding Fri, Sat, Sun nights somewhere on the way or nearby with good cycling routes.

Any ideas? I was thinking maybe Paso Robles. Santa Barbara?

Where else? Maybe SF or even Napa.

I have 800 Hyatt points left to trade, plus two SFX deposits and in a pinch an etrade on a unit I'd rather keep but could probably get again.

What route are you taking? I'm sure you know part of Highway 1 is closed.

 

[WalnutBaron]

What route are you taking? I'm sure you know part of Highway 1 is closed.

Here's the thread on Highway 1. Latest estimates are that the large section closed south of Big Sur all the way to San Simeon will be closed for 1-2 years.

 

[heathpack]

We are driving in a car to location 1- perhaps Santa Barbara or Paso Robles or another place suggested in this thread. We will stay overnight 2-3 days in that location and I will go out on local rides.

Then we are driving in a car from location 1 to Carmel. Where we will stay overnight 4 nights and again, I'll go out on local rides.

The Hwy 1 closure is not relevant to the cycling portion of my trip. For the driving portion, yes we know the road is closed. We were just up to Carmel in Feb and the road was closed then too. I'm not sure what route we're taking when we drive, we typically won't decide that until a few days prior, but we don't usually take the PCH anyway.

 

[WalnutBaron]

Not being a dedicated bicyclist like you are, I can only speak to the kinds of rides I'd enjoy--which means I would not want to be riding in an urban setting like San Francisco. However, north of SF in Marin County, you can certainly find some beautiful rides in places like Mill Valley, Sausalito, and Larkspur. Santa Rosa also might be a good location to consider.

Napa is a great place to ride, especially along the Silverado Trail on the west side of the Napa Valley. Beautiful scenery, some rolling terrain, and a nice road. Just don't do it on a weekend in the summer because the traffic in Napa Valley is terrible, especially on summer weekends.

 

[sue1947]

Moro Bay. I think the rides up along Highway 1 to San Simeon or over to Montana de Oro would be great or take a break from biking and do some walks along the coast in the area. There are trails all along the bluffs from San Simeon south and in Montana de Oro as well as the great walk in the property south of there (can't think of the name). You could try for a couple of nights at San Luis Bay inn in Avilla Beach or do a VRBO in Moro Bay.
Sue

 

[VegasBella]

Talk to these people. They will have good recommendations for you
slobc.org


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[heathpack]

Not being a dedicated bicyclist like you are, I can only speak to the kinds of rides I'd enjoy--which means I would not want to be riding in an urban setting like San Francisco. However, north of SF in Marin County, you can certainly find some beautiful rides in places like Mill Valley, Sausalito, and Larkspur. Santa Rosa also might be a good location to consider.

Napa is a great place to ride, especially along the Silverado Trail on the west side of the Napa Valley. Beautiful scenery, some rolling terrain, and a nice road. Just don't do it on a weekend in the summer because the traffic in Napa Valley is terrible, especially on summer weekends.

We actually went to Napa in March two years ago. Stayed at Riverpointe Napa, which is not much of a timeshare (it's fine) but bonus is that it's literally right on a bike path which then takes you to a road that is one block from Silverado Trail. I got in some great rides, I would do that again. I've ridden in San Francisco too, over the Golden Gate Bridge & up into the Marin Headlands to Sausalito. And some good riding south of the city too, in the mountains near Palo Alto.

Both of those are great places to ride + do other stuff, and no way did I ride all the good routes, worth considering...

 

[heathpack]

Moro Bay. I think the rides up along Highway 1 to San Simeon or over to Montana de Oro would be great or take a break from biking and do some walks along the coast in the area. There are trails all along the bluffs from San Simeon south and in Montana de Oro as well as the great walk in the property south of there (can't think of the name). You could try for a couple of nights at San Luis Bay inn in Avilla Beach or do a VRBO in Moro Bay.
Sue

Have you actually ridden the PCH in that area? We were thinking Paso because we like wine & I assume there are good routes in the area. And we'd like to get back to Hearst Castle.

I know the PCH up by Carmel and in the Big Sur area is beautiful but I don't want to ride it- too much high speed traffic, blind corners, stretches of road with zero shoulder and I'm assuming distracted drivers. I just can't recall what the PCH is like in the Morro Bay/San Simeon area.

 

[heathpack]

Talk to these people. They will have good recommendations for you
slobc.org


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm not too worried about finding routes once we decide where we are going. We cyclists have our ways...

 

[sue1947]

Have you actually ridden the PCH in that area? We were thinking Paso because we like wine & I assume there are good routes in the area. And we'd like to get back to Hearst Castle.

I know the PCH up by Carmel and in the Big Sur area is beautiful but I don't want to ride it- too much high speed traffic, blind corners, stretches of road with zero shoulder and I'm assuming distracted drivers. I just can't recall what the PCH is like in the Morro Bay/San Simeon area.

I haven't biked it, but do really like the trails along the bluffs. The PCH in that area is not nearly as windy and narrow as the road through Carmel. The area is rolling hills with a plateau area near the coast vs the mountains coming straight down to the water. As a result, things are much more open. The road has quite a few straight stretches and is wider so would be decent on a bike, I think. The road out to Montana de Oro SP from Moro Bay is narrow and windy with not much for shoulders but also doesn't have that much traffic. From San Luis Obispo south, the roads are too crowded or freeway so not a good option for you.
If you are open to doing some hiking, there are some good trails in the area. There are a series of little hills called the Seven Sisters that all have trails (sometimes multiple ones) to the top. There is a trail along the Estero Bluffs and several state parks north of Moro Bay all the way to San Simeon. South is Montana de Oro State park and south of that is Point Buchon which is an absolutely spectacular hike along the cliffs on PG@E property. Here's a good website with hike options: https://www.hikespeak.com/central-coast/san-luis-obispo/. This area is probably my favorite on the whole CA coast.

Sue

 

[heathpack]

I haven't biked it, but do really like the trails along the bluffs. The PCH in that area is not nearly as windy and narrow as the road through Carmel. The area is rolling hills with a plateau area near the coast vs the mountains coming straight down to the water. As a result, things are much more open. The road has quite a few straight stretches and is wider so would be decent on a bike, I think. The road out to Montana de Oro SP from Moro Bay is narrow and windy with not much for shoulders but also doesn't have that much traffic. From San Luis Obispo south, the roads are too crowded or freeway so not a good option for you.
If you are open to doing some hiking, there are some good trails in the area. There are a series of little hills called the Seven Sisters that all have trails (sometimes multiple ones) to the top. There is a trail along the Estero Bluffs and several state parks north of Moro Bay all the way to San Simeon. South is Montana de Oro State park and south of that is Point Buchon which is an absolutely spectacular hike along the cliffs on PG@E property. Here's a good website with hike options: https://www.hikespeak.com/central-coast/san-luis-obispo/. This area is probably my favorite on the whole CA coast.

Sue

Thanks, I am open to hiking but my spouse is not- he has bad knees.

I know! Weird how much I ride on vacation but he either sleeps in or rides support on the routes- supplying me or my group with water and mechanical support and ther like. We ride nice routes so the driving is scenic.