THE NORTHERN PEAKS TOUR Mount Shasta (or Fall RIver Valley) to Lake Tahoe..and beyond Seven days, 430-530 miles Plus two link days to the Three Parks Tour Except for a few very worthwhile diversions, this tour follows beautiful State Highway 89 all the way from the 14,000' shadow of Mount Shasta to the south shore of Lake Tahoe and beyond, into the high Sierra. Along the way it visits Burney Falls, Lassen National Park, Lake Almanor, and many other, less well-known scenic jewels. Or you can make use of our alternate start venue in McArthur, which exchanges Mt Shasta and Hwy 89 for some quiet backroad miles in beautiful Fall River Valley. In addition to the marquee sights listed above, expect miles of quiet roads through the tall trees, high-mountain meadows, tumbling streams and waterfalls, alpine lakes, and the occasional serene river valley. Explore a cave on Day 2, steaming geysers and fumaroles–as well as year ’round snow fields–on Day 3, or a fascinating railroad museum on Day 5. This was one of the first tours I ever led, but I didn’t initially plan the route. I borrowed it from another cycling club–trusting them to have laid out a good set of stages–and we rode it sight unseen. We ended up having a great tour, with no significant problems. Now however–years later–I know a little bit more about staging tours, and I’ve gone back over the course and have changed a number of things to substantially improve the original package. At this point, no single day is exactly as it was when we first did the tour. Even with the improvements though, I still will note some reservations I have about a few roads along the way. As is so often the case, the problems have to do with traffic..too much of it and too little shoulder to get away from it. The congestion is the worst around Lake Tahoe, but it pops up from time to time elsewhere along the route as well. I take every opportunity to veer the route off the busier highways onto deserted backroads. That reduces the unpleasant bits considerably, and scheduling your trip for after the peak tourist season will help to do so even more. Having warned you about the potential traffic hassles, let me reiterate that, when we rode this tour--even in its original, "unimproved" form--not one cyclist in our group of 30 reported even a single scary or even unpleasant incident with a car or truck. • Tour packet: 51 pages; 43 photos; 11 maps • Where does it go? Day 1: Shasta to Burney Falls 57 miles, 3000' up, 3500' down 85 miles, 4000' up, 4500' down Begin with a long, very gradual climb to Snowmans Hill summit on Hwy 89. After the long descent, visit the picturesque town of McCloud and later the impressive waterfalls along the McCloud River. The short route stays on Hwy 89 until it meanders off on a peaceful backroad loop on Clark Creek Road. The longer route leaves 89 for a detour through the Fall River Valley...a long diversion, but fairly easy miles on dreamy roads through the middle of nowhere. Camp at McArthur-Burney Falls State Park and visit magnificent Burney Falls. Showers. Day 1 (alternate): Fall River-Clark Creek Loop 60 miles, 3000' up, 3000' down 66 miles, 3100' up, 3100' down Bonus miles: 12 miles, 500' up and down For those wishing to avoid the heavier traffic on Hwy 89, this alternate stage combines most of the best parts of Day 1’s long and short options into one easy and highly rewarding loop around the Pit River and Fall River Valleys, a delightful backroad trek on Clark Creek (including a visit to Burney Falls and an optional run along the banks of the Pit River), and finally a moderately hilly journey back to Fall River Valley. Overnight at Intermountain Fairgrounds in McArthur. Day 2: McArthur (or Burney Falls) to Lassen National Park 66 miles, 6000' up, 2400' down Begin with a hilly run along the ridgeline above the Pit River, then a long, gradually uphill run along pretty Hat Creek. Stop at the mid-way point to explore a cool, dark lava tube cave near the town of Old Station. After that, the climbing becomes a little more challenging–although never brutal–on the way up and into Lassen National Park. After a fun, 3-mile descent in the park, finish up with an 8-mile climb to Summit Lakes Campground amid Lassen’s spectacular alpine scenery. No showers, but lake access. Day 3: Lassen NP to Lake Almanor 61 miles, 2300' up, 4500' down 71 miles, 2800' up, 5000' down One of the all-time great bike rides! Begin by climbing (always gently) to the 8500' summit on the shoulder of Lassen Peak..probably riding through snowfields at the top of the climb. Then dig into one of the best descents ever: 12 miles of switchbacking, cork-screwing crazyness (15 miles on the longer route). The longer route detours through the town of Mineral and adds the superb Hwy 172–easy climb and ripper descent. Both routes continue on Hwy 89 to Lake Almanor and a private resort on the east side of the lake. Showers and swimming in the lake. Day 4: Lake Almanor to Portola 70 miles, 3400' up, 3000' down After leaving Lake Almanor, scoot downhill on a 6-mile flier into a pleasant valley near the town of Greenville. Leave 89 and meander along the edge of the valley on tiny, sleepy lanes before more downhill alongside the white water rapids of Indian Creek. Climb along Spanish Creek, bypass the town of Quincy on more little side roads, and then finish up with a long, rolling run up to a private resort just before the town of Portola. Showers and swimming pool and all conveniences. Day 5: Portola to Truckee 55 miles, 4000' up, 3000' down 55 miles, 3000' up, 2000' down 75 miles, 6600' up, 5600' down A challenging day, especially on the longer route. Heads into Portola for a visit to the sprawling railroad museum, then descends back to Hwy 89 on a slinky downhill. The short route heads south on 89, while the long route loops up and over Gold Lake Forest Highway: a long climb, great vistas from the summit, and a wild descent..followed by another long, easy climb to Yuba Pass and an even wilder descent back to the short route on Hwy 89. Together, the routes pass through the quaint town of Sierraville, then climb up and over several significant ridges to the finish at Alder Creek Camp, north of Truckee. There is a second short option with less climbing. Showers. Day 6: Truckee to Lake Tahoe 45 miles, 2200' up, 1900' down 55 miles, 3600' up, 3300' down Bonus miles: 15 miles, 1100' up and down After dodging around the busier parts of Truckee on residential side streets, the short route follows the Truckee River to the north end of Lake Tahoe, while the longer, hillier route heads to the lake over Brockway summit. Both routes travel down the western shore of the lake on a nearly level, shoreline run (still Hwy 89). Near the southwest corner of the lake, the road climbs up and over the rocky headlands that make up Sugarpine, D. L. Bliss, and Emerald Bay State Parks–one of the most beautiful stretches of road around–before desecending to the tour’s conclusion at a private resort on the south shore of the lake. Optional out-&-back to the top of Donner Pass offers great vistas over Donner Lake. Showers and all conveniences. Day 7: Lake Tahoe to Jenkinson Lake 71 miles, 4800' up 7600' down Sneaks around the clutter of South Lake Tahoe on obscure backroads, then climbs over magnificent Luther and Carson Passes before wrapping up the tour with a wild, 25-mile descent along Mormon Emigrant Trail to a regional park on the shore of Jenkinson Lake, in the foothills of the Gold Country. Overnight camping available (no showers) or just hop in the lake, have a picnic lunch, and head for home. Link days: Lake Tahoe to Markleeville and Markleeville to Twin Lakes Although the “official” Northern Peaks Tour ends in the Gold Country, this packet also includes maps and detailed information on two more days of riding that can be used to link this tour to the Three Parks Tour (that runs through the southern Sierra, visiting Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks). Together, the two tours make up an epic, two-week odyssey down the entire mountainous backbone of the state of California. Or you can just tack these two great days of riding onto the end of this tour. • How hard is it? In spite of being a “mountainous” tour, it’s one of the easier rides we offer, at least if one chooses the shorter options each day. This is very much a two-tier tour, with distinct shorter and longer options on most days, making it a trip that can be shared by cyclists with differing abilities and ambitions. The route climbs and descends many mountain passes, but most of them are traversed on long, gentle grades, and there are only a few really steep pitches. The shortest version of the tour averages 61 miles a day and less than 3000' of climb per day for seven days. The longest day is 65 miles. The longest version of the tour averages 73 miles a day and 4700' of climb per day for seven days, including all the bonus miles options but not counting the 22-mile prologue or the two link days. The longest day is 75 miles. • When should you do this tour? Because the roads are often still closed with snow until mid-July over the top of the mountains in Lassen National Park, this tour cannot be scheduled any earlier than the last week of July. Given the concerns about traffic, I would advise you to plan the trip for after Labor Day to cut down on the congestion..not only the cars on the roads but the campers in the campgrounds. It is probably still feasible to schedule it into the latter part of September, but after that the possibility of mountain weather closing in makes it rather risky. • Accommodations All of the campgrounds on this tour are pleasant, and some are wonderful. All of them can be reserved, except for Summit Lake Campground in Lassen NP. (Lost Creek group camp is the only Lassen NP camp that can be reserved. We discuss the pros and cons of your various options on that day in the detailed information packet.) Most camps have easy access to decent showers, except for Summit Lake and Jenkinson Lake. In each of those camps, a dip in the lake will have to take the place of an after-ride wash-up. This tour cannot be readily adapted to motel overnights, as there are no nearby lodgings to at least two or three of the designated campgrounds. • Travel..to and from The tour begins in the town of Mt. Shasta, about five hours north of the Bay Area on Interstate 5. If you plan to use the alternate Day 1 stage (beginning in McArthur), you should allow about the same travel time as to Shasta, via I-5 and Hwy 299 out of Redding. The return trip from Jenkinson Lake to the Bay Area takes two to three hours via Hwy 50 and I-80. Adventure Velo 7315 Fircrest Avenue Sebastopol, CA 95472 707-823-9807 backroad@sonic.net