Pic for attention. I have a week in early to mid July, planning on bringing my gravel bike and spending as much time as possible on it, either camping and doing day rides, or some mellow bikepacking (I used to do a ton of bikepacking when I was younger, but after having a kid it’d be my first time back in years). I live in Colorado, will be visiting my in-laws in Northern California. Either of those states, or pretty much anywhere in-between is on the table. Here are my criteria:
– great gravel roads and scenery, obviously
– not too hot: I’ve lived in Northern California, and the Rocky Mountains, and I like moderate summers.
– manageable fire risk. It’s not going to be zero in the west in July, but bikepacking in prime fire season can be stressful
So far I’m thinking about the gravel roads behind and around Big Sur (which I’ve bikepacked before but it’s been about a decade – that’s the photo), the lost coast of far northern CA (same), or Routt county in northern CO, which I’ve biked through once and always wanted to return to – seems like gravel paradise up there. Downsides of the northern CA coast are that it’s really foggy at that time of year. Downsides of Routt is that it’s the middle of our monsoon season. Fire danger is present but likely manageable in both areas.
Neither fog or lightning storms are dealbreakers, but am I overlooking something that checks off all the boxes without those downsides?
by Honest-Stretch1503
8 Comments
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I moto’d usal and mattole road last summer, pretty rad area, there’s gravel and a lot pavement that I would only consider on a gravel bike on because it’s so rough. Usal beach to Ferndale would be a good overnighter, with a stop in shelter cove for resupply. In July it was nice at the beach but as soon as we climbed the mountains to ferndale, we got in the thick fog, might as well be raining.
There’s a bunch of great gravel in Washington State and the temperature usually isn’t insane. The Oregon Outback could be an option too.
I assume you’re driving from Denver to NorCal?
Other than fires. Washington state or Oregon. Temperate, depending on where you are lower humidity. Otherwise east coast (northeast: Vermont or NY) to absolutely avoid fire risk. Downside, while not southeast hot or humid, if you come from the west it’s gonna feel like a sauna.
Yazoo County Mississippi.
Big bear, California
It gets super hot in the mountains just east of Big Sur. Lose that coastal breeze and it turns nuclear hot.