THE CENTRAL COAST TOUR Big Sur to the Pinnacles and Back Seven days, 420-460 miles This is a delightful exploration of both the well-known Big Sur coastline and the little-known inland hills and valleys behind the coast. The trip begins in Monterey and ends about 15 miles away in Carmel Valley, making it effectively a loop route (given just a little logistical juggling). It starts in grand fashion with a tour around the world-famous Monterey Peninsula’s 17-mile Drive before heading south along the rugged cliffs of Big Sur. After two days of cliff hugging and ocean viewing (and an optional side trip to Hearst Castle), the tour heads inland to visit some of California’s best kept secrets: the winding, rolling country roads of San Luis Obispo and San Benito Counties, highlighted by overnights at Santa Margarita Lake and the old Mission San Antonio de Padua. If your only exposure to this area has been a run up Hwy 101 in your car, you will be amazed at the wealth of obscure backroads that wind around in the hills and valleys of this region...one of the best cycling venues anywhere. After a quick spin across “America’s Salad Bowl”–the vegetable farms of the Salinas River Valley–the route heads north and east up into the incredibly gorgeous Pinnacles National Monument. If you do the route the way we have it laid out, you’ll begin your last day on the tour with a hike through the towering, red-rock spires (and canyons and caves) of this geological fantasyland. Done as drawn up, it’s a rare opportunity to go in one side of this roadless wilderness and come out the other side. Once back on your bike, you end the tour cycling down out of the mountains and back toward Monterey via Arroyo Seco and the nearly perfect cycling road down the tree-shaded, creek-hopping length of Carmel Valley. This tour offers exceptional opportunities for exploring off the bike as well as on, with excursions in Monterey, hikes to waterfalls near camp, a visit to one of the best preserved of the early California missions, a tour of Hearst Castle, and best of all, the hike through the Pinnacles. • Tour packet: 39 pages; 46 photos; 8 maps • Where does it go? Day 1: Monterey to mid-Big Sur 73 miles, 4500' up, 4800' down The tour begins in the pines of the Del Monte Forest, high above Monterey, drops into the town, and rolls along the lovely shoreline of Pacific Grove and then around the stunning 17-mile Drive. After cruising the storybook village of Carmel, the route heads south along the rock-ribbed cliffs of Big Sur...one of the most impressive stretches of coastline in America. Overnight at a quiet state park, with beach access, hikes to waterfalls, and showers. Day 2: Mid-Big Sur to San Simeon 44 miles, 2000' up, 2000' down Bonus miles: 13-mile out-&-back, 900' An intentionally short day to allow time in the afternoon for a tour of Hearst Castle–very close to the overnight campground. The ride includes more of Big Sur’s rugged cliffs and ocean views before descending to rolling hills next to the beach. For those who would rather ride than tour the castle, there is an optional out-&-back from camp on a quiet country road winding up into the empty hills. Showers and beach access at camp. Day 3: San Simeon to Santa Margarita Lake 56 miles, 3000' up, 1700' down 67 miles, 5000' up, 3700' down On the shorter route, the first third of the ride runs either close to or right alongside the ocean, visiting the little beach towns north of Morro Bay. The longer route heads inland on a brutally steep climb (through magnificent scenery) before returning to the coast by way of a series of fast, twisting, totally outrageous descents. The reunited routes then head inland for good on a long, gradual climb over the coastal mountains. Dodging the the city of Atascadero, the route heads south into wonderfully empty country, ending up at a pleasant camp on the shore of pretty Santa Margarita Lake. No showers, but a swimming pool. Day 4: Santa Margarita Lake to Paso Robles 71 miles, 3900' up, 4500' down One of the best days on the tour...on any tour! No special scenic attractions; no big climbs or monster descents. Just mile after mile of quiet roads through empty, beautiful backcounty. Rolling terrain and winding little lanes that appear to have been designed specifically for cycle-touring. Camp at the Mid-State Fairgrounds in Paso Robles. Showers. Also access to restaurants and other amenities in the town of Paso Robles. Day 5: Paso Robles to Hunter Liggett 61 miles, 3000' up, 2800' down 50 miles, 2000' up, 1800' down More quiet, very scenic backroads out of Paso Robles, and then a long run north through open valleys of waving grasses and scattered old oaks. A landscape for the most part unchanged since the days when the first Spanish explorers came this way hundreds of years ago. Reinforcing the feeling of stepping back in time: camp on the peaceful grounds of the Mission San Antonio de Padua, one of the best preserved and most authentic of the old missions. Showers, swimming pool at nearby Hunter Liggett Military Reservation, as well as access to the Hacienda Ranch House, an historic old restaurant (a former William Randolf Hearst lodge). Day 6: Hunter Liggett to Pinnacles National Monument 54 miles, 3000' up and down 62 miles, 3000' up and down The route rolls downhill into the nearly flat agricultural fields of the Salinas River Valley before climbing up into the hills on the eastern side of the valley for a pleasant run north to the eastern entrance to Pinnacles National Monument. Scenery along the way varies from rolling, oak-dotted hills, to fields of lettuce and chili peppers, to remote canyons filled with wildflowers and sleepy little creeks. The plan is to camp at the eastern entrance to the park, transport the bikes and gear to the western side of the park, and hike through on the following morning, before the final day’s ride. (A sag wagon is required to do this properly, but if you plan to ride unaccompanied, we discuss alternate plans.) Showers and a swimming pool at camp. Day 7: Pinnacles to Carmel Valley 62 miles, 3800' up, 4600' down 67 miles, 4500' up, 5300' down If you’ve never been to the Pinnacles, you’ll be amazed at this red-rock wonderland.. technically a different geology, but similar in feel to the canyonlands of southern Utah. After a 3 to 5-mile hike through the park, head downhill–a big, fast downhill–back to the Salinas River. Recross the valley near the town of Greenfield and head west along the Arroyo Seco River. Climb over Cahoon summit (high point of the tour) and descend for most of the remaining 40 miles on some of the most perfect cycling roads ever...down the twisting, twining length of Carmel Valley. The long route adds one more climb and one more steep, white-knuckle descent to the mix. End up with showers and swimming pool at the Community Center in Carmel Valley. Drive home or back to campground in Monterery where the tour began. • How hard is it? The easier routes each day add up to a fairly moderate tour package that should be manageable for an average rider, but the longer, hillier options present some serious challenges for stronger riders. There are longer and shorter options on four out of the seven days. The shortest version of the tour averages 60 miles a day and 3300' of climb per day for seven days. The longest day is 73 miles. The longest version of the tour averages 65 miles a day and 3900' of climb per day for seven days. The longest day is 73 miles. • When should you do this tour? The climate and terrain on this loop are moderate enough that it could be attempted almost any time of the year except midwinter. However, midsummer is probably not the ideal time to do this tour. Big Sur is likely to be foggy (and choked with tourists), and the interior valleys will be triple-digit hot. A better time might be in the Spring, when the wildflowers are blooming and the tourist traffic on the coast is lighter. • Accommodations All of the campgrounds on this tour are pleasant, and some are wonderful. All of them can be reserved. All have easy access to decent showers, and most have either swimming pools or access to lakes or the beach. This tour cannot be readily adapted to overnights in motels, as at least two of the campgrounds have no motels nearby. • Travel..to and from The tour begins in Monterey, just over two hours from San Francisco. You could drive to the start and ride the first stage on the same day, but I suggest you use the balance of that short drive day to be a tourist in Monterey. (Our tour paid a group rate to visit the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium and then went out to dinner on Cannery Row.) The tour ends in Carmel Valley, just 15 miles from the start. That makes it possible to treat this as a loop route, affording you the opportunity to leave cars for your return. The details of this are discussed in the information packet. The final day can be handled as a getaway day as well, or, if you have too far to drive, you can return to the first night’s campground in Monterey. This tour can be linked with the Condor Country Tour to the south for a rather ambitious two-week tour. The missing links between the tours can–in theory–be ridden on bikes, but the connections are a bit confusing and not great cycling. They would probably be better done in a shuttle, rather than on a bike. This is discussed in detail in both this tour packet and the Condor Country Tour packet. Adventure Velo 7315 Fircrest Avenue Sebastopol, CA 95472 707-823-9807 backroad@sonic.net