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Suggestions for road trips from So Cal

1K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  HarryCallahan 
#1 ·
OK...4 day weekend, 2 days traveling, 2 days riding and camping. From So Cal (North of LA), where would you go that meets the time requirements of a no longer than 8 hour drive (as much is possible), has at least 2 days of riding variety offering good loops/out and backs for experienced riders, and is worth the trip to get there?

Moab is too far. I have on my list: Gooseberry Mesa, Downieville, Upper Kern, maybe Brian Head, Mammoth...?

Just thinking of good road trips to areas I might not have been to. Of course, the time of year you visit will have a lot to do with it all, but anything I should add to my list?
 
#3 ·
dstepper said:
That is a good list, Gooseberry would be to hot for me this time of the year. So I would put Mt. Elden, Flagstaff in its place. And any ride in the Tahoe area.

Dean
Yeah, I was thinking Gooseberry in Sept? Have to watch the weather about then. Flagstaff...I was just google-ing that area and it did not seem to come up nearly as much as Sedona. Kinda surprised me, cuz Flagstaff seemed like it had the room for good riding. I know there is a lot of forest up there from when I have driven through.
 
#5 ·
The group I ride with (see the link below) just got back from four days in Santa Cruz. It's a pretty simple trip from So Cal, not too far, and some really fun riding if you're not familiar with the area. It was nice to ride amongst redwoods and dirt instead of sagebrush and dust, especially at this time of year when Utah and AZ are too hot.
 
#6 ·
You don't mention a particular 4 day weekend, and time of year is definitely a factor.

Mammoth sounds good, especially since you could get most of the way there after work if you were ready to go. I used to ski there;leave on Friday night, drive to the Owens Valley and sleep somewhere, ski 2 days at Mammoth and drive home Sunday night.

Montana de Oro / Morro Bay / San Luis Obispo could be fun. I'm not sure there is that much variety there, but it is a fun area.

Henry Coe State Park. It is near Gilroy, so maybe an hour from Monterey. It's huge. You can camp there. It's an oven from May through September, but spring and fall can be great. Lots of info in the Norcal forum.

Santa Cruz region. Huge number of riding options. Nisene Marks, Soquel Demonstration Forest, Wilder Ranch, Mid-Peninsula Open Space District.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I'll cast another vote for Mt. Elden in Flagstaff, AZ during July/August. Seven-hour drive from Hi-SoCal. Super-fun trail system that will easily keep you smiling for two days of riding. Beautiful scenery, lots of variety, 7,000 to 9,000 foot elevation, refreshing afternoon thunderstorms that usually blow out by early evening, and to top it off, it's a really cool town.

Brian Head, UT is another good choice for July/August. Also a seven-hour drive from Hi-SoCal. Get an early start one day and ride Thunder Mountain/Casto Canyon, lunch in Panquitch, call Georgs' bike shop and arrange to be picked up at the Bunker Creek pick-up spot, shuttle to Brian Head Peak and ride Bunker Creek back to your car. Next day, arrange a reverse shuttle and ride the Virgin River Rim Trail from Strawberry Point to Wood Ranch (32 miles / 90% singletrack).
 
#8 ·
HarryCallahan said:
You don't mention a particular 4 day weekend, and time of year is definitely a factor.

Mammoth sounds good, especially since you could get most of the way there after work if you were ready to go. I used to ski there;leave on Friday night, drive to the Owens Valley and sleep somewhere, ski 2 days at Mammoth and drive home Sunday night.

Montana de Oro / Morro Bay / San Luis Obispo could be fun. I'm not sure there is that much variety there, but it is a fun area.

Henry Coe State Park. It is near Gilroy, so maybe an hour from Monterey. It's huge. You can camp there. It's an oven from May through September, but spring and fall can be great. Lots of info in the Norcal forum.

Santa Cruz region. Huge number of riding options. Nisene Marks, Soquel Demonstration Forest, Wilder Ranch, Mid-Peninsula Open Space District.
Right. I figured the weather/time of year was kind of a given (no Mammoth in December:p ), but I should have been more specific.

Good suggestions. Santa Cruz is a total unkown to me.
 
#9 ·
JimN said:
I'll cast another vote for Mt. Elden in Flagstaff, AZ during July/August. Seven-hour drive from Hi-SoCal. Super-fun trail system that will easily keep you smiling for two days of riding. Beautiful scenery, lots of variety, 7,000 to 9,000 foot elevation, refreshing afternoon thunderstorms that usually blow out by early evening, and to top it off, it's a really cool town.

Brian Head, UT is another good choice for July/August. Also a seven-hour drive from Hi-SoCal. Get an early start one day and ride Thunder Mountain/Casto Canyon, lunch in Panquitch, call Georgs' bike shop and arrange to be picked up at the Bunker Creek pick-up spot, shuttle to Brian Head Peak and ride Bunker Creek back to your car. Next day, arrange a reverse shuttle and ride the Virgin River Rim Trail from Strawberry Point to Wood Ranch (32 miles / 90% singletrack).
Sounds great. I did a race in Brian Head a few years ago. It was a 100/50 miler put on by Team Big Bear. I was blown away by the area I was riding through.
 
#12 ·
JimN said:
I'll cast another vote for Mt. Elden in Flagstaff, AZ during July/August. Seven-hour drive from Hi-SoCal. Super-fun trail system that will easily keep you smiling for two days of riding. Beautiful scenery, lots of variety, 7,000 to 9,000 foot elevation, refreshing afternoon thunderstorms that usually blow out by early evening, and to top it off, it's a really cool town.

Brian Head, UT is another good choice for July/August. Also a seven-hour drive from Hi-SoCal. Get an early start one day and ride Thunder Mountain/Casto Canyon, lunch in Panquitch, call Georgs' bike shop and arrange to be picked up at the Bunker Creek pick-up spot, shuttle to Brian Head Peak and ride Bunker Creek back to your car. Next day, arrange a reverse shuttle and ride the Virgin River Rim Trail from Strawberry Point to Wood Ranch (32 miles / 90% singletrack).
Thanks for both those suggestions and info. I've skied at Brian Head, but it has been years, and I've been to Flagstaff, but likewise, years ago. I will say that last time I was in Flagstaff, it was August, and it was beautiful, while Sedona was a f-ing zoo.

Any advice you'd care to share on routes, driving, eating, camping for either place?
 
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