 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country 5-Day Mountain Biking Adventure |
This week-long adventure tour features 80 miles of cross-country mountain biking over five
days of activity, with 23 strenuous climbs and 17 exciting descents. All of this cross-country
riding occurs around a variety of environments, such as coastal ranges, redwood forests, pristine
lakes, and the Wine Country. Due to the climbing involved, a moderate-to-high level of fitness is
required for this tour. In addition, a Low Intermediate or greater mountain biking ability is
recommended for this adventure tour. This tour also includes six nights of inn stays (3 nights in San
Francisco, 2 nights in Marin County, and 1 night in the Wine Country), two meals per full day, and
rider support. Importantly, our adventure tour offers more mileage of riding and one to two
additional nights of inn stays versus comparable tours, yet is more affordable.
Dates Price
3/25-3/30 4/15-4/20 5/6-5/11 $1895
5/27-6/1 7/1-7/6 8/12-8/17
9/9-9/14 10/7-10/12
Day 1, Sunday
We begin the adventure with our evening Reception and Orientation at our Home Office in San
Anselmo, CA. Your place of stay for Nights 1 through 4, and 6 will be in the neighboring town of
San Rafael, which was the location of the 20th of the 21 Spanish Missions in California. In more
recent times, director George Lucas filmed the street cruising scenes in downtown San Rafael for his
1973 pop cinema classic American Graffiti.
Day 2, Monday - Montara State Beach, Pacifica, and Montara Mountain's North Peak
Our first day of mountain biking begins at lovely Montara State Beach. Very shortly after the start,
we begin a gradual climb up Old San Pedro Mountain Road towards Pacifica. This windy, often
narrow thoroughfare was used by early automobile traffic from 1915 to 1937. After performing an
out-and-back warm-up on Ole San Pedro, we scale the Wall on North Peak Access Road. Here, we
gain 500 feet of elevation in just 1/2 mile. Once past the Wall, the climb to the North Peak of
Montara Mountain is a bit more gradual. Our efforts are well rewarded, for the 360 degree panorama
from the summit at 1,898 ft. is astounding. In fact in 1769 from this range, Spanish explorer Gaspar
de Portola first sighted San Francisco Bay. Looking southward, one notices Pillar Point, which is
known for the phenomenal big wave riding at Mavericks, and the seaside community of Half Moon
Bay. Looking northward is Ocean Beach in San Francisco, where I grew up, and Mt. Tamalpais in
the background, where we will mountain bike for the next two days. After we have taken in the
views, we have a long six-mile descent back to sea level.
17.5 miles of mountain biking, with 3 strenuous climbs and 2 long, exciting descents
Day 3, Tuesday - Phoenix Lake and Mt. Tamalpais Loop
Today's MTB ride features a number of long climbs and long descents. We begin at Phoenix Lake at
the base of Mt. Tamalpais and perform an out-and-back warm-up to the top of Bald Mountain. The
Mt. Tamalpais area is particularly noteworthy because mountain biking pioneers such as Gary Fisher
and Joe Breeze introduced the use of everyday road bikes on these trails in the 1970s, thereby
developing the mountain biking industry. Some sections of the fire road to Bald Mountain are quite
steep with small, loose rock. The summit provides excellent views of East Marin and the Bay. After
we return to Phoenix Lake, more climbing is ahead of us through fern groves and redwood forests
on the Eldridge Grade. We then descend down through the groves and forests to Hoo Koo E Koo
before having a long, gradual climb up Old Railroad Grade. The Mt. Tamalpais Scenic Railway
operated on this grade from 1896 to 1930, and had 281 curves making it the "Crookedest Railroad in
the World". Now atop East Peak at 2,571 feet, we take in the breathtaking view of San Francisco to
the south, the Bay to the east, and Marin County to the north. Next, the fun really begins with a very
long descent down Eldridge Grade to Phoenix Lake. The upper section of the descent is composed
of a lot of loose, exposed rocks, so good handling and downhilling skills are a necessity here.
16.5 miles of mountain biking, with 7 strenuous climbs and 4 long, exciting descents
Day 4, Wednesday - Mt. Tamalpais Lakes and Rocky Ridge Loop
We mountain bike around the Mt. Tam area again today and focus our ride on three of its lakes.
Beginning from Phoenix Lake, we start with a steep climb up Fish Grade. The terrain levels off at
Sky Oaks Road before we have another steep climb and then a short, steep descent to Lake
Lagunitas. After riding around to the other side of this lake, we encounter two strenuous climbs up
to Rocky Ridge. The views of northern Marin County are fabulous from this ridge. Next, we have a
long, steep downhill to Bon Tempe Lake. There are some loose, exposed rocks on sections of this
downhill, similar to yesterday's descent. After crossing Sky Oaks Road, we have another nice
descent down Shaver Grade. The route levels briefly at Five Corners before we perform an
out-and-back on Deer Park Road towards the town of Fairfax. After returning to Five Corners, we
have a final descent down Concrete Pipe Road back to Phoenix Lake.
16.5 miles of mountain biking, with 6 strenuous climbs and 6 exciting descents
Day 5, Thursday - Robert Louis Stevenson Park to Mt. St. Helena's Peaks and back
We venture into California's Wine Country for our next two days of mountain biking. Just north of
St. Helena and Calistoga, we begin our out-and-back ride in Robert Louis Stevenson State Park,
where the Scottish author and poet Robert Louis Stevenson lived for a while in 1880. Today's MTB
ride features a series of long climbs to the South Peak (elev. 4,003 ft.) and North Peak (elev. 4,343
ft.) of Mt. St. Helena. From these summits on a clear day, one can see the Sierra Nevadas to the east
and Mt. Shasta to the north. After taking in these great views, a thrilling six-mile descent awaits us!
Tonight, we will stay in Santa Rosa, which was the home for many decades of both horticulturist
Luther Burbank and cartoonist Charles M.Schulz. Santa Rosa is the present-day home of
professional road cyclist Levi Leipheimer.
13 miles of mountain biking, with 4 strenuous climbs and 3 long, exciting descents
Day 6, Friday - Annadel State Park to Ledson Marsh Loop
On our final day of mountain biking, we perform a counter-clockwise loop around Annadel State
Park. From Spring Lake, we climb up Canyon Trail and continue with a singletrack ascent on
Marsh Trail towards Ledson Marsh. The singletrack levels off slightly and rolls along Ridge Trail as
we near the marsh. We continue on Ridge Trail until we renter Marsh Trail at Buick Meadow. After
the meadow, it is now mostly singletrack downhilling on South Burma Trail to Warren Richardson
Trail and back to Spring Lake. After this ride, we will return to San Rafael for a final night of stay.
16.5 miles of mountain biking, with 3 strenuous climbs and 2 long, exciting descents
days of activity, with 23 strenuous climbs and 17 exciting descents. All of this cross-country
riding occurs around a variety of environments, such as coastal ranges, redwood forests, pristine
lakes, and the Wine Country. Due to the climbing involved, a moderate-to-high level of fitness is
required for this tour. In addition, a Low Intermediate or greater mountain biking ability is
recommended for this adventure tour. This tour also includes six nights of inn stays (3 nights in San
Francisco, 2 nights in Marin County, and 1 night in the Wine Country), two meals per full day, and
rider support. Importantly, our adventure tour offers more mileage of riding and one to two
additional nights of inn stays versus comparable tours, yet is more affordable.
Dates Price
3/25-3/30 4/15-4/20 5/6-5/11 $1895
5/27-6/1 7/1-7/6 8/12-8/17
9/9-9/14 10/7-10/12
Day 1, Sunday
We begin the adventure with our evening Reception and Orientation at our Home Office in San
Anselmo, CA. Your place of stay for Nights 1 through 4, and 6 will be in the neighboring town of
San Rafael, which was the location of the 20th of the 21 Spanish Missions in California. In more
recent times, director George Lucas filmed the street cruising scenes in downtown San Rafael for his
1973 pop cinema classic American Graffiti.
Day 2, Monday - Montara State Beach, Pacifica, and Montara Mountain's North Peak
Our first day of mountain biking begins at lovely Montara State Beach. Very shortly after the start,
we begin a gradual climb up Old San Pedro Mountain Road towards Pacifica. This windy, often
narrow thoroughfare was used by early automobile traffic from 1915 to 1937. After performing an
out-and-back warm-up on Ole San Pedro, we scale the Wall on North Peak Access Road. Here, we
gain 500 feet of elevation in just 1/2 mile. Once past the Wall, the climb to the North Peak of
Montara Mountain is a bit more gradual. Our efforts are well rewarded, for the 360 degree panorama
from the summit at 1,898 ft. is astounding. In fact in 1769 from this range, Spanish explorer Gaspar
de Portola first sighted San Francisco Bay. Looking southward, one notices Pillar Point, which is
known for the phenomenal big wave riding at Mavericks, and the seaside community of Half Moon
Bay. Looking northward is Ocean Beach in San Francisco, where I grew up, and Mt. Tamalpais in
the background, where we will mountain bike for the next two days. After we have taken in the
views, we have a long six-mile descent back to sea level.
17.5 miles of mountain biking, with 3 strenuous climbs and 2 long, exciting descents
Day 3, Tuesday - Phoenix Lake and Mt. Tamalpais Loop
Today's MTB ride features a number of long climbs and long descents. We begin at Phoenix Lake at
the base of Mt. Tamalpais and perform an out-and-back warm-up to the top of Bald Mountain. The
Mt. Tamalpais area is particularly noteworthy because mountain biking pioneers such as Gary Fisher
and Joe Breeze introduced the use of everyday road bikes on these trails in the 1970s, thereby
developing the mountain biking industry. Some sections of the fire road to Bald Mountain are quite
steep with small, loose rock. The summit provides excellent views of East Marin and the Bay. After
we return to Phoenix Lake, more climbing is ahead of us through fern groves and redwood forests
on the Eldridge Grade. We then descend down through the groves and forests to Hoo Koo E Koo
before having a long, gradual climb up Old Railroad Grade. The Mt. Tamalpais Scenic Railway
operated on this grade from 1896 to 1930, and had 281 curves making it the "Crookedest Railroad in
the World". Now atop East Peak at 2,571 feet, we take in the breathtaking view of San Francisco to
the south, the Bay to the east, and Marin County to the north. Next, the fun really begins with a very
long descent down Eldridge Grade to Phoenix Lake. The upper section of the descent is composed
of a lot of loose, exposed rocks, so good handling and downhilling skills are a necessity here.
16.5 miles of mountain biking, with 7 strenuous climbs and 4 long, exciting descents
Day 4, Wednesday - Mt. Tamalpais Lakes and Rocky Ridge Loop
We mountain bike around the Mt. Tam area again today and focus our ride on three of its lakes.
Beginning from Phoenix Lake, we start with a steep climb up Fish Grade. The terrain levels off at
Sky Oaks Road before we have another steep climb and then a short, steep descent to Lake
Lagunitas. After riding around to the other side of this lake, we encounter two strenuous climbs up
to Rocky Ridge. The views of northern Marin County are fabulous from this ridge. Next, we have a
long, steep downhill to Bon Tempe Lake. There are some loose, exposed rocks on sections of this
downhill, similar to yesterday's descent. After crossing Sky Oaks Road, we have another nice
descent down Shaver Grade. The route levels briefly at Five Corners before we perform an
out-and-back on Deer Park Road towards the town of Fairfax. After returning to Five Corners, we
have a final descent down Concrete Pipe Road back to Phoenix Lake.
16.5 miles of mountain biking, with 6 strenuous climbs and 6 exciting descents
Day 5, Thursday - Robert Louis Stevenson Park to Mt. St. Helena's Peaks and back
We venture into California's Wine Country for our next two days of mountain biking. Just north of
St. Helena and Calistoga, we begin our out-and-back ride in Robert Louis Stevenson State Park,
where the Scottish author and poet Robert Louis Stevenson lived for a while in 1880. Today's MTB
ride features a series of long climbs to the South Peak (elev. 4,003 ft.) and North Peak (elev. 4,343
ft.) of Mt. St. Helena. From these summits on a clear day, one can see the Sierra Nevadas to the east
and Mt. Shasta to the north. After taking in these great views, a thrilling six-mile descent awaits us!
Tonight, we will stay in Santa Rosa, which was the home for many decades of both horticulturist
Luther Burbank and cartoonist Charles M.Schulz. Santa Rosa is the present-day home of
professional road cyclist Levi Leipheimer.
13 miles of mountain biking, with 4 strenuous climbs and 3 long, exciting descents
Day 6, Friday - Annadel State Park to Ledson Marsh Loop
On our final day of mountain biking, we perform a counter-clockwise loop around Annadel State
Park. From Spring Lake, we climb up Canyon Trail and continue with a singletrack ascent on
Marsh Trail towards Ledson Marsh. The singletrack levels off slightly and rolls along Ridge Trail as
we near the marsh. We continue on Ridge Trail until we renter Marsh Trail at Buick Meadow. After
the meadow, it is now mostly singletrack downhilling on South Burma Trail to Warren Richardson
Trail and back to Spring Lake. After this ride, we will return to San Rafael for a final night of stay.
16.5 miles of mountain biking, with 3 strenuous climbs and 2 long, exciting descents
Click on the link above to use
Yahoo! Maps, and view the
layout of some of the major
destinations on this adventure
tour. Enter locations such as San
Francisco, CA; Pacifica, CA;
Montara, CA; Ross, CA; Fairfax,
CA; Santa Rosa, CA; and
Calistoga, CA in the City, State
text box of the map window.
Yahoo! Maps, and view the
layout of some of the major
destinations on this adventure
tour. Enter locations such as San
Francisco, CA; Pacifica, CA;
Montara, CA; Ross, CA; Fairfax,
CA; Santa Rosa, CA; and
Calistoga, CA in the City, State
text box of the map window.
Complimentary Livestrong bracelets are available to the first tour guests on our 2007
tours while supply lasts! You may reserve this Wild West Cycling adventure tour by clicking on
the Dates and Tour buttons on the right and placing your choices into your online shopping cart.
Or you may reserve any of our adventure tours via the Internet, telephone, or regular mail by
visiting our Reservations Center. A $400 deposit is required per guest per tour, and any balance
is due 30 days before the start of your tour. To learn more about all of the amenities that are
included with our tours, please visit our Guest Services Center. We look forward to mountain
biking with you in lovely Northern California.
Please view our Terms of Service page if you have any questions concerning our cancellation and refund policies.
tours while supply lasts! You may reserve this Wild West Cycling adventure tour by clicking on
the Dates and Tour buttons on the right and placing your choices into your online shopping cart.
Or you may reserve any of our adventure tours via the Internet, telephone, or regular mail by
visiting our Reservations Center. A $400 deposit is required per guest per tour, and any balance
is due 30 days before the start of your tour. To learn more about all of the amenities that are
included with our tours, please visit our Guest Services Center. We look forward to mountain
biking with you in lovely Northern California.
Please view our Terms of Service page if you have any questions concerning our cancellation and refund policies.