California Adventure Motorcycle Tour - West Coast Motorcycle Tours

Adventure

THINGS TO KNOW

For those who want to see just about all of California, this tour does the job. For ten days and nine nights, California Adventure Motorcycle is going to show you why our state is one of the most beautiful in the whole country! We will ride iconic roads from the rugged north coast and the idyllic vineyards of Sonoma and Napa counties into Gold Country and the imposing Sierra Nevada mountains. We will ride nearly the entire length of the Sierras before heading west and back to blue Pacific at Morro Bay and then north through Monterey and to San Francisco.

Travel Course

TOUR SCHEDULE

(165 MILES)DAY 1—Wine Country

San Francisco – Healdsburg

We start our California travels by riding across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and with a visit to the beautiful Marin Headlands. We will follow the coast through scenic Marin and Sonoma Counties with a lunch stop in Bodega Bay before continuing up along some of the most beautiful parts of Highway 1. We will turn inland toward wine country passing through redwoods, Indian Reservations and ranchland. The scenery here is dramatic and rapidly changing from coast to inland valleys. Our first night's destination is the quaint wine-country town of Healdsburg in the Alexander Valley.

(250 MILES)DAY 2—Into The Mountains

Healdsburg – Graeagle

We will head east into the Napa Valley before heading north on a twisty highway toward Middletown and Clear Lake. These challenging roads take us into the Sacramento Valley where we will pass almond tree orchards and rice paddies before heading up the Feather River and into the Sierra Nevada mountains. We will overnight in the beautiful mountain town of Graeagle.

(175 MILES)DAY 3—Gold Lakes

Graeagle – Arnold

We will head through the Gold Lakes region of the High Sierra and then through the largest alpine valley in North America before turning south toward beautiful Lake Tahoe. We'll stop for a late morning coffee to visit historic Truckee before riding the scenic west side of Lake Tahoe and then heading through Markleeville and riding the curvy Ebbitt’s Pass to Lake Alpine and our next evening stay in Arnold.

(125 MILES)DAY 4—Sierras Summit

Arnold – Bridgeport (it’s a full day…trust us!)

From Arnold we will take Sierra foothill roads back in history to a living gold rush town featuring the largest single collection of existing gold rush-era structures in the state. Afterward, we ride to the quaint gold rush-era town of Sonora for lunch before we will head over the crest of the Sierras to the lightly visited east slope. At an elevation over 9,600 feet, the Sonora Pass is one of the highest paved roads in California.

(240 MILES)DAY 5—Bodie

Bridgeport – Mariposa

We will head south along the east slope of the Sierras to Bodie State Historic Park, a genuine California gold-mining ghost town where we will walk down the deserted streets of a town that once had a population of nearly 10,000 people. After the ghosts scare us away, we will explore some of the rugged beauty of Yosemite National Park before riding into Mariposa, the southern end of the famous Highway 49.

(REST DAY)DAY 6—Yosemite

Explore Yosemite NP or the Gold Country

Mariposa is a perfect place to decide between a serious ride through the southern Sierra Nevada foothills, a more full exploration of the wonders of stunning Yosemite Valley, or even a relaxing day off the bike for those who want a little downtime. Mariposa has a quaint old town and there are several places nearby worth a day's exploring including historic Groveland, Railtown, and the town of Sonora.

(300 MILES)DAY 7—Giant Sequoias

Mariposa – Kernville

OK, yes, this is indeed a full day of riding, but it will also be a day you will long remember for the delightful mountain riding and the many impressive giant sequoia trees (including the largest tree on earth by mass).

(190 MILES)DAY 8—Morro Bay

Kernville – Morro Bay

The Kern River will lead us out of the Sierra foothills and into the Central Valley and then it's even more fun roads through California’s primary oil patch, over the Temblor Mountains and the Pacific Range into Morro Bay on the blue Pacific. Morro Bay is an eclectic and enjoyable coastal town with seafood restaurants and, of course, the famous Morro Rock.

(150 MILES)DAY 9—Coastal Views

Morro Bay – Monterey

Highway 1 along the coast of Big Sur is certainly one of the most beautiful rides possible. There is a reason William Randolph Hearst built his wonderfully pretentious castle here. The Big Sur section of Highway 1 has one gorgeous viewpoint after another…and plenty of pullouts to enjoy the views. There is even one where (November through March) we will see Elephant Seals! Lunch will overlook the Pacific before we find ourselves in magnificent Monterey.

(175 MILES)DAY 10—Santa Cruz Mountains

Monterey – San Francisco

Our ride will be around Monterey Bay to fun, yet wacky, Santa Cruz before we hit the twisty roads of the Santa Cruz Mountains and then lunch at famous (infamous?) Alice's Restaurant (you can get anything you want at Alice's restaurant!). We will then make our way back into "The City by the Bay" and bring an end to a great ride and say “adios” to our new friends…until next time!