BC to California for a week

Gormley Green

Gormley Green

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Joined
Jan 17, 2011
Messages
503
Location
Squamish, BC
Well I got a week off in April, and we'd like to get down to Cali. Ideally somewhere warm. She wants to get to Big Sur. I've never been to CA and as such I'm pretty easy. We have 6-7 days and are leaving from Squamish with the goal of warmth, sun, and good mountin biking. Would like to ride at least 2 days, nothing crazy just something new (<5 hour rides in cool terrain - coastal, desert?). Beach camping would be cool too!

Seen WA and OR so planning on booking it down the I-5, aside from a night in Portland to see my sister.

So we have:
Day 1 - Squamish to Portland (573km, 7-9 hours depending on border)
Day 2 to 7 - ?

Looking forward to some tips, thanking you in advance. Mike.
 
Good question. Where is it warm in northern Cali in April, assuming you want to limit your driving time and don't want to drive to J Tree :)

We've got great riding around Nevada City and Downieville, but April can be wet, muddy and/or snowy, depending upon the weather. I'm not as familiar with Big Sur, but would guess it can be a bit cool also. What about heading more to the East Side, down 395 to Mammoth area? Farther south and lower down by Bishop / Alabama Hills would be warmer. Heck, drop over North Pass to Saline V. and it would be toasty. :D
 
Well I got a week off in April, and we'd like to get down to Cali. Ideally somewhere warm. She wants to get to Big Sur. I've never been to CA and as such I'm pretty easy. We have 6-7 days and are leaving from Squamish with the goal of warmth, sun, and good mountin biking. Would like to ride at least 2 days, nothing crazy just something new (<5 hour rides in cool terrain - coastal, desert?). Beach camping would be cool too!

Seen WA and OR so planning on booking it down the I-5, aside from a night in Portland to see my sister.

So we have:
Day 1 - Squamish to Portland (573km, 7-9 hours depending on border)
Day 2 to 7 - ?

Looking forward to some tips, thanking you in advance. Mike.


Mr. Green,Big Sur area can be nice.We have had a warm winter here in the area.Seems now we are in a rainy period,not sure what the weather is really like right now as I am sitting in Barcelona at present.It´s warm and sunny here.There are some nice NF camping areas south of Big Sur,I thing Sunman could give you some info about those. Not much beach camping in the Monterey bay area that you would want to do I think they cater more to ¨large¨camping units.

Hope you find a nice warm area to fit your needs.Frank
 
:)

You know, Mr Green, the north coast is pretty wet that time of the year and the north high desert and foothills are usually muddy then, but when you are driving south on I-5, past Redding and south of Red Bluff and west of Orland about 20 minutes is a very nice COE campground (has a web site) and rec area called Black Butte Res. I stopped by last month for the first time, been driving past it for many years, this time i stopped (retired people can stop and smell the flowers)! not many people there, hot showers and not hot weather like it usually is during the summer. Lots of space, room to roam and ride and a nice place to rest and figure out where to go next. If you like coyotes go there, they sing all night long and seem like they are in your camp. Took a few pictures & posted them in the Ca gallery; that time of the year, the flowers should be coming out, and this is probably the only time that central calif can be nice to be in! Be a nice stop to do some planning-if the road is open, HW 162 (gravel on FS-paved on both sides ) just south of the CG is an interesting trip over to the 101 and to HW 20 to the coast-but would check with FS or camp host before heading over-could be snow and mud, but still an adventure! If the weather is nice try for Ft. Bragg and north to West Port Landing SB-nice place to stop/camp and ride your bike very carefully on HW1, posted a few pictures in the gallery, then head south to Point Arena, Fort Ross SP and points south toward SF and Point Reyes National Rec Area (more pictures posted there)-the trip down HW ! is a must sometime during you life! Shouldn't be to many people out and about and its a fast (or slow) trip to Santa Cruz and points south-talking about it makes me want to go-Enjoy!:)

Smoke
 
In Monterey there is the Veterans Memorial Park. The wife and I stayed there for 3 days a few years ago. From there we were able to scoot down to Big Sur country, walk around Carmel and do the do in and around Monterey. Didn't camp on the beach, nor take bicycles, but Veterans Park is a good, inexpensive place to call home for a few days if you want to hang in the area.
Enjoy,

http://www.seemonterey.com/veterans-park-monterey
 
Very unpredictable weather the past few months in Santa Barbara, one day it's 78 F and then next few days we're in the mid 50's F (and rain today... finally, we need it). Looks to be the same for all of April.

And, you've got the reports for north of me.

You may need to drive a lot to get WARM, either head a long way south (San Diego or at least south of LA), or, as mentioned above, head to Death Valley, lower Hwy 395 (Alabama Hills, etc.) or that sort of area.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Or, get a cheap flight to Las Vegas, and visit the pool to get your tan, and visit every buffet you can find. Just a different perspective in thought in case you're feeling wild and crazy. There will be plenty of camping this year, now that you're out Wandering the West.
 
Well the coast could (likely will be) cold and wet. From I5 you could cut east just south of Shasta and head toward 395 and southeast into NV. Lots of options there and if it's still too cold for you head south on 395 to Bishop, Big Pine, Lone Pine etc. Good mountain biking, climbing, hiking, hot tubbing etc. We're heading to Southern UT/ Northern AZ the last week of April ourselves, hope it's not too hot!
 
Mr.G,Veterans park is a nice place.It sits in the oaks above the city.We have lived in the area over 35 years and had never been aware of the place until we met campers in Yellowstone from Minnesota who camp there when visiting family. It´s quite and you can road bike around the area.Also in the Monterey county area is Arroyo Seco NF camp outside Greenfield off 101 south of Salinas. It´s warm there and you can ride the Arroyo Seco to Hunter Leggett road.It´s closed to vehicles until the San Antonio mission.I used to ride my motorcycle on this road back in the old days.It´s a nice bike road with lots of great views,mountain and river.There is a NF campground at the mission end,Indians I think it´s called.You can search through NF camp grounds for info.

The camp grounds are not used much this time of the year.

.Just a thought to a nice bike ride,also could be a day trip from Monterey .Just more choices.

Hope you get to a warm place. Frank
 
Thank you all for the input so far. Lots of good advice to consider so far. I had overestimated the temperatures there for April, seems not much different than here! We are anywhere from 32-65F these days but typically 50s-65 with lots of rain at sea level. Considering doing the 395 route and staying away from the coast based on this info but undecided. Any mountain bike locales, or any other info is still much appreciated. Thanks again.
 
GG
Good luck, your problem will be when you turn east and get on 395-could be a problem finding a pass over the mountains and/or desert-Mark BC can tell you all the routes, but I5 to Red Bluff and over to 395 usually is open, or Sac and over by 80 to 395-so many ways (most cold), and so many possible adventures-add some Oregon/Wash possibilities and do you have a month or two to play!

Smoke
 
when you turn east and get on 395-could be a problem finding a pass over the mountains and/or desert-Mark BC can tell you all the routes

As BillM suggested, the best way from I5 over to US 395 in far-northern California is probably to take CA 89 just south of Mt. Shasta City to CA 44 to Susanville.
Or you could continue on I5 to Redding (I5 Mt Shasta to Redding is scenic, for an interstate) then take CA 44 east to Susanville. However, going from Mt Shasta to Redding you lose about 3000 feet of elevation, which you have to regain going up 44.

See map:

I5-to-395-in-NorCal.jpg

If, for some reason, you want to experience the agricultural boredom of I5 Redding to Sacramento...consider that the routes over the Sierra Nevada down there trend NE or at best ENE (until winter-closed passes open, at least), so you have to go north to get east, which is another reason to head east way-up north by/north-of Redding.

One consideration about heading to 395-country in general: The east side of the Sierras (until you get to/south-of Bishop, anyway) is not warmer than the west side -- just drier. Most-everything (other than Death Valley and the low Mojave) is over 3000 feet, mostly over 4000 feet elevation, so that makes it cooler, especially at night.
 
"agriculture" ¹ "boredom" for all of us, btw... just sayin'
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Yeah, you're right -- that's why so many of us take our vacations in Iowa.
tongue.gif
 
Yeah, you're right -- that's why so many of us take our vacations in Iowa.
tongue.gif



Watch what you're saying here, guys. There might be one or two cornhuskers checking out this website.
 
You're right -- I've never been to Iowa...for all I know it rivals Yosemite Valley or the Grand Canyon.
mellow.gif


But I did spend the first 18 years of my life living in California's Central Valley: Fresno, Merced, Stockton, Redding. Has it become more scenic than when I last lived there, in the late '70s?
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FWIW: I don't find Oregon's agriculturally-green and populated Willamette Valley to my taste either.
On the other hand, I know that most people consider the sagebrush expanses of the Great Basin (which I love) desolate wastelands. No accounting for taste, is there?
biggrin.gif
 
Watch what you're saying here, guys. There might be one or two cornhuskers checking out this website.


Cornhuskers would be Nebraska. I think you may mean Hawkeyes. :D

I did some grad school at Nebraska, but no farming - I root for the Huskers. I guess that makes me a Husker. And by the by, there's some nice country in Nebraska around the Niobrara River and the Sandhills - not dramatic, but nice. Can't say much for Iowa, except for right along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Great place if you like cornfields.
 
Cornhuskers would be Nebraska. I think you may mean Hawkeyes. :D
<snip>


Here I go trying to stand up for Iowa and I screw up. Oh well, I've screwed up before. I thought of Iowa and I pictured corn. A friend did a classic road bike ride in Iowa last summer. I forget what it is called. the riders are put up in people's homes each night. She said she had a blast. The folks in Iowa were great.
 
I'll even give a plug for Nebraska, they had got allot of great western history take place there -and the University has a great book store! Hey GG, when you are heading south, if the weather is good, take 89 from Mt Shasta to 299 to Beiber and 139 and check out Eagle Lake. The BLM/USFS fee campgrounds are closed but BLM has several free campsites along the North Eagle Lake shoreline of 139 and if you take Lassen County AI at the Eagle Lake Cut-off to Bucks Bay and Spaulding, the primitive CG at Rocky Point is a great place to camp too -no water just restrooms, but this time of the year, hardly any people, lots of places to ride your bikes-several BLM/FS trails, lots of wild life, some year-round bald Eagles and other types of Eagles, sand dunes, take pictures. Not sure if the gas station and store are open at Spaulding, but there is always gas at Adin, and Susieville is only a half hour south on 139. There is even an old rock paved road from the late 1880's, above 139, that follows the HW. Its worth a drive by, but not sure if the county road is open all the way around the lake and over to Susanville because of snow on the south end!:LOL:Anyway just a thought, if your heading SE from I5, to 395 might as well take a quick side trip on the way & take a look, especially, if the Lake/Bays are open and not frozen and the weather is nice!

Smoke
 
We're packed up and ready to roll tomorrow to Portland. Have decided to explore the Tahoe area when we get in to CA. Hoping to camp at Squaw Valley for a night or two as we've decided to bring our snowboards as well as mountain bikes. I hear that if you're polite they will let you park overnight. Won't be online much over the trip but I'll be eagerly awaiting any advice on here until departure tomorrow morning!

No idea if we're looking at winter or spring. I'm thinking a bit of both, hence the range of toys :D We usually do more planning than this, but this is how its happening.
 
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