San Francisco Bay Area is GREAT for riding. South of SF proper is Santa Cruz mountains. Skyline Blvd rides the ridge of the mountains heading south from the city. Down above San Jose toward Santa Cruz there is Hwy 9 and Hwy 236, which are beautiful winding roads through towering redwoods. BE CAREFUL though, as nearby it is highly populated area and cars from the city can roar through. Best times are weekdays while everyone is working and traffic is lower. Hwy 1 could be your route South from SF, then at Santa Cruz, take Hwy 9 up into the mountains and head back North on Skyline/Hwy 35. Plenty of small side roads
For more laid back, head North of San Francisco into Marin County or into Napa County and the wine country. Start toward Pt Reyes on ocean, head inland and/or North. Some roads were used in the Tour of California bike race which are nice cruising roads.
There are other hill roads to south and east, but fewer trees, drier and hotter. I like the greener, cooler Santa Cruz mountains or Marin County.
Keep going North up Hwy101 or Hwy 1 (Pacific Coast Hwy) further into more remote redwood forests, including national forests, mountains, rivers... Mt. Shasta area, Lassen Volcano Park, etc... really interesting areas. Klamath River valley, etc...
The whole USA has great areas, you could tour for 10 years and never see it all. But Calif alone can keep you busy for months alone.
Last edited by chuckles; 07/02/2008 8:15 PM.
