San Francisco and Yosemite

[Priscilla Parsley]

hello everyone, I'm looking for a bit of advice, I'm off to San Francisco and Yosemite at Easter and would like to get a bit of cycling in, im not having a lot of joy googling so I wondered if anyone had any links on stuff such as bike hire, guided trips , I think i would prefer road cycling but I am open minded about off-roading. my itinery isnt set in stone yet so if anyone knows of any amazing resourses/ideas then i would look outside these areas.

ta very much

Priscilla

 

[Alves]

Snow can be a problem in the Spring in Yosemite and you may not be able to get up to Toulumne or camp in the meadows (and the Tioga Pass will be closed) there until late may or June. It is a very spectacular area indeed and very popular so you need to organise accomodation soon if you want to stay overnight in Yosemite valley.
Check out www.crazyguyonabike.com for travelogues about cycling in California and there will be links in this huge and mildly addictive site for bike shops and bike rentals in California.
If you had enought time a ride up a section of the coastal Highway 1 would be something I've always fancied doing. I have visited the Redwoods and Giant Sequoias areas too and they are also great for a shorter visit.
Friends of mine have done a bike wine tour of the Napa valley but that would be missing the best of California imho.
Have a great trip, it's a beautiful area with a lot of variety. Having enough time to do it justice will be the big problem for you.

 

[Danny]

San Francisco itself is very hilly and would be quite a challenge to cycle around. However if you go over the Golden Gate bridge into Marin county there are trails round the bay which would be really nice.

There are easy bike trails round Yosemite valley which would all be pretty much on the flat. This would be a good way to see the valley, but you really need to be prepared to hike if you want to get some of the best views.

I would not recommend cycling in unless you are an experienced and fit cyclist as you would have a long descent into the valley along a single fairly narrow access road which goes on for something like 30 miles, and then would have a major climb out.

If you are thinking of going to Yosemite at Easter you need to check what the weather will be like. There could still be snow, particularly in the upper areas of the park where the giant redwoods are. I have camped there in early October and had snow and sub-zero temperature at night.

Don't let me put you off. Yosemite is one of my favourite places in the world and should be on everyone's "must visit" list if they are going to California.

 

[Cathryn]

Can't add much to the fantastic advice above...but...

SF is flipping hilly but also a city with a massive cycling culture. I believe local cyclists have routes around the biggest hills. Try this fantastic website for info about cycling round SF including recommended routes.

http://www.sfbike.org/

Yosemite is jaw dropping, so go if you can at all.

I'd also recommend cycling round Napa/Sonoma...wine country. The countryside is stunningly beautiful and you get to drink wine. Don't know what the laws are on drinking/cycling etc.

I'd also recommend the coastal highway but it gets pretty only from Carmel..the SF/Carmel area isn't the nicest section. Carmel down to Pismo Beach is wonderful. Hard work though... it was hard work in our rented pick up truck!!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I can t really help..my only experience of Yosemite was watching a big bear creap up on My Dad as he packed us kids into our sleeping bags in the back of the 'station wagon'.

 

[raybo]

This page has 10 links to information about bikes and San Francisco.

Here is a link to routes from SF to Yosemite.

This page has 51 links to information about bike touring in California.

Not all of the links will be of interest to you but some will.

I live in San Francisco and there are lots of places to rent bikes. The most common "tourist" ride is along the SF waterfront, over the Golden Gate bridge (going north) to Sausalito or Tiburon and taking the ferry back to SF. While you can ride around the city, which has both hills and flat bits, there isn't much to see as the city is chock-a-block with buildings.

There is excellent mountain biking on Mt. Tamalpais just north of SF. There is all the riding along the coast, north or south, you could want.

Much of Yosemite's high country will be closed at Easter.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Ray

 

[ChrisKH]

What everyone else said. My experience is limited to car & bike in May/June. I left San Francisco in T-shirt and shorts and by the time I got to Yosemite (admittedly one of it's highest points) it was snowing a blizzard. Stayed overnight in Mammouth Lakes (ski resort just outside Yosemite - more snow) and spent a day mountain biking there which was fun.

 

[spandex]

You can ask/pm Mickle as he lived over there so he might know?

 

[Priscilla Parsley]

Cripes Snow at Easter! gosh I didnt expect that, Thanks for all the links everyone, I will enjoy checking them all out this evening, I still really want to go to Yosemite but I obviously need to plan harder.

ta eveyone x

 

[maurice]

I can t really help..my only experience of Yosemite was watching a big bear creap up on My Dad as he packed us kids into our sleeping bags in the back of the 'station wagon'.

What happened, sounds like an unfinished story!