On Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 10:16 AM, franklyn wrote:
> For those familiar with routes in the South (San Francisco) Bay area,
> can you recommend a route from San Jose to Santa Cruz? My wife and I
> are taking the train down to San Jose then riding to Santa Cruz to
> stay overnight. Google suggests a route that includes Los Gatos Creek
> Trail and kind of goes along the highway (17). I also found a route
> that goes to Saratoga, then up to the ridge on Big Basin Way and then
> follows HWY 9 to Santa Cruz.
I've ridden in both those areas many times. The Highway 9 route from
Saratoga to Boulder Creek is wonderful, but Highway 9 from Boulder
Creek to Santa Cruz is busy and narrow. It's not terrible, but on a
weekend there might be more traffic than you like.
The Los Gatos Creek Trail route is also a winner. Ride to Los Gatos
and up the Creek Trail (which is not paved). At the top of the trail,
at the dam, instead of going left on Alma Bridge Road to go around
Lexington Reservoir counterclockwise, if it's dry, go right. When you
are just feet from Highway 17, take a left on the single track trail
around the reservoir clockwise. In dry weather, that singletrack is
fine for 28 mm tires or wider. Your Bleriot would be happy and
comfortable there; it's not a technical trail at all. That singletrack
is less than a mile, and puts you on Old Santa Cruz Highway.
You continue on Old Santa Cruz to Summit Road. There, you could go
right, cross over Highway 17, and go down Mountain Charlie Road.
However, I agree with other commenters that Mountain Charlie is
considerably better ascending than descending. I advise you go left.
Now you're heading south on Summit Road. You have a choice here. You
can go down San Jose Soquel Road, a well paved, fairly fast descent
which can be busy and which isn't particularly scenic. Or, if you're
not in a hurry, you can stay on Summit until it turns into Highland
Way, and head down the gorgeous, remote Eureka Canyon Road.
Highland/Eureka Canyon is not well paved. It's definitely better in
the mostly uphill direction, but still quite beautiful in the
direction you'd be going. Be ready. Though it's predominantly
downhill, you'll climb some. When you get down to the flat, you'll
make your way to Soquel Road and go north a dozen miles or so to Santa
Cruz.
If you're doing a round trip, I'd suggest Los Gatos Creek Trail/Old
Santa Cruz/San Jose Soquel Road outbound, and Eureka
Canyon/Highland/Old Santa Cruz on the way back. On the return trip,
rather than taking the singletrack, you can take the road. You'd be
sort of riding on Highway 17, but not exactly-- you're always on the
onramp/offramp, never truly merging onto 17, there is a decent
shoulder, and it's less than a mile.
--
-- Anne Paulson
My hovercraft is full of eels
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