Hey everyone, I just discovered bike packing a few days ago and am slowly doing research on gear and logistics. My main question is, if I were to drive somewhere and then start bike packing, how would I go about leaving my car unattended for a few days? Would I leave it in a random neighborhood?
For context, I was thinking about driving my car from Escondido to San Francisco to do the Bay Area Triple Crossover and then starting a bike packing journey there with the bike. I'm unsure about how I feel about leaving my car unattended in the city for a few days though.
Thank you!
by Sunnyside-Days
20 Comments
Well for that route in particular there are numerous riding and transit options to the start so you could park pretty much anywhere. If you’re in the Bay, maybe start from home?
Although I’ve done some tours starting in SF and left my car in front of a friend’s apartment so he could keep an eye on it. Probably safe as long as there aren’t valuables and you know the rules about how long you can leave it in the particular zone.
I leave my car parked on the street outside my house for weeks at a time. Kinda depends on where you’re leaving your car.
I don’t know the specifics of your area/route/trip….but in general its good to look for options that allow your car to stay home and for you to be dropped off at the start…bus, train, friend, uber, taxi, car service etc all make life a little easier. If you must leave a car somewhere recommend finding safer areas…again friends house, airport, train station possibly, secured parking operation etc.
It would depend completely on your particular circumstances. Since Escondido is about 7 hours away, have you considered a one way car rental?
lots of options. you could consider taking amtrak to the bay area. you could drive and leave your car in a long term airport lot or a park and ride for a little extra security. definitely do a little research as trailhead break ins are common and people are sensitive to random cars getting parked for multiple days on their block, in addition to parking permits.
you could also look at socal routes like the stagecoach 400, depending on your abilities. that’s a tough route but passes through your area.
For this specific plan – If it were me I would drive from Escondido to the Bay and park my car at a transit station for a few days. The route itself is close enough to transit that you could leave the car at a station near the start or end of the route. Note that parking isn’t free, though.
https://preview.redd.it/3b8jxq0lalbg1.jpeg?width=1320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=03c60fb771a5d520215b702a58eea6241e2eefcf
Can’t leave your car for more than 72 hours here in California. Looks like a sick route though! I’d ask if a buddy could drop off/pick you up after.
This past year I did a bikepacking trip across Wisconsin to Chicago. I took Amtrak to my start, and when I was done I the same train back in the opposite direction to the Twin Cities. That was pretty slick. Maybe you can do something similar? I did have to ensure I had a bike check pass ahead of time, I think it was an extra $10 each way. Definitely will do it again
I definitely would not leave your car in SF for longer than 3 days. 72 hours is the limit here for parking, plus I’m not sure what area is safe to leave a car without a robbery.
While I know of plenty of nearby towns where your car would be safe from robbery, it might not be ignored by pesky neighbors and parking officers. Now I could be a crybaby and possibly there is a neighborhood where no one would care, but even the remote towns like Livermore, Mill Valley, or Walnut Creek I wouldn’t guarantee what residents would do.
I use paid long term parkings on airports/train stations. Anything with car security barrier.
If you’re just starting as a beginner, consider trying a local overnighter first, to try out your equipment and make adjustments. Maybe something near Palm Springs or Joshua Tree.
You could probably find a place to leave your car on a rural road in Marin County for a few days.
In my opinion, car-free travel is carefree travel. If you don’t have a car with you, then you don’t need to worry about it. You can do open-jaw cycling itineraries. You can change your mind at any time and ride somewhere else. For this trip, you could take Amtrak Pacific Surfliner to Los Angeles, Amtrak Coast Starlight to San Jose, and Caltrain to San Francisco. Within the Bay Area, you can use BART as a bail-out option. All of those trains are bike-friendly — at most you’ll need to unmount some bags.
I always try to take the amtrak to the start of my route, or rent a car.
Amtrak or one way car rental is great.
On a different trip I was doing a loop starting in a town I had to drive 6 hours to. I was not sure what to do about parking but looked on [warmshowers.c](http://warmshowers.co)om and found some local hosts. The first person I messaged (just to ask about the parking situation in his town) said I could just leave my car in their driveway for the 5 days of my trip…so that’s another option to consider if you are doing some sort of a loop.
We have left a car for a few days in a small town in Sonoma county to ride a loop trip – done that a few times with no issue. We parked carefully: 1) on a public street 2) without any parking restrictions 3) under a street light 4) near a busy community park and 5) NOT directly in front of someone’s house. Google maps is your friend in finding a spot and scoping things out – make sure you find several areas in case your selected spot is occupied or the street is closed for some reason (that has happened to us!).
Otherwise, as everyone is saying, trains and bikes are a great option! From SoCal I do not recommend the Coast Starlight as it only has one departure per day and can run very late. The Pacific Surfliner has more trains and reaches as far as SLO, where you transition to an Amtrak bus heading north to San Jose (all on one ticket) The train you need to make a bike reservation (free) and just roll your bike on the designated car, and the bus you just put it in the luggage hold (admittedly, it’s a LONG day of transit from SLO alone!). In San Jose you can hop on CalTrain (very bike friendly) heading up the peninsula/SF to the start/end of your route. To get back to SoCal, just do the transit in reverse.
(Bay Area local)
Note: many cities in the Bay Area have rules for street parking. For example, Mountain View, Cupertino – have 72-hour rules after which the vehicle is expected to be moved. Having said that I haven’t heard it being enforced strictly.
If I were you, I’d park near the endpoint (San Antonio), find a quiet street, and then grab a Caltrain up to SF to start your ride. Caltrain is pretty bike-friendly. Depending on your schedule, you could be done with the ride in about 3 days (or maybe take an extra day?)
A few other options are getting a ride from a friend, one way car rental, and taking amtrack.
This is the biggest logistical issue any solo, multi-day cyclist runs into. It really becomes an issue of safety vs. security. I use google maps and simply call places to find out where to leave a car. Usually, if i am starting in a city, i prefer the security over cost. I have left my car at the airport paid parking lot or a near-airport offsite parking facility. I have also gotten prior permission to lave a vehicle at a church. Also, I work for a large enough company that i have pre-arranged to leave my vehicle at their local office.
Another thought is this. Most major city start locations don’t allow free street parking that I would consider secure. However, if you are doing a loop back to your original start location (i have no idea what the triple crossover is), consider starting in more of a rural area where leaving a vehicle for a week is less risky and plenty of space.
The car-free options that have been suggested are good.
If you end up needing to drive, you can park near my place in SF and leave stuff with me. Haven’t seen a car break-in in my neighborhood in a long time and it’s non-permit parking so pretty chill. DM me if you’re interested!
Also have a bunch of bags you can borrow if you don’t want to buy stuff before you know if you like it or not.
Woah, small world. Family is in Escondido and now I live in SF. Feel free to DM me, I can try and help you out. Parking your own car will be tough, but maybe you can park at a place on the peninsula. I know a house that might accomodate you, they would probably be stoked tbh. I could also rotate your car for you if you choose to park in the city to avoid the street cleaning penalty fee or getting towed, but that would mean leaving me with your keys which I would understand you not wanting to do. There is parking in my neighborhood, I have friends on the peninsula park here when they visit me. Just make sure absolutely nothing is visible in the car. If you fly in, the BART takes you directly to the city. You could also rent a car and drop it off at the airport or the Embarcadero Avis. If you take the train, let me know and I can try to pick you up. I haven’t been to the Amtrak station before up here
If you’re leaving from a smaller town, call the local police department or city hall to inquire about parking. I’ve been very fortunate to get permission to leave my car in their parking lots. Local churches, small county airports and bike shops have also been accommodating.