# Yosemite vs Lake Tahoe vs Sacramento vs San Francisco vs ????



## XC Mike (Sep 26, 2004)

Hi Gang Looking for a Tandem Friendly Getaway.....
My Girlfriend and I want to plan a trip for the end of March and would like to do some easy trail rides on & offroad she has zero saddle time as of now but I'm hoping I can change that before March. 
We have never been to any of these locations to ride so any input would be great:thumbsup:


----------



## 11053 (Sep 19, 2009)

YOSEMITE=National Park. Bikes aren't allowed off road. You are relegated to bike paths with tourons who'll be stopping every 10 feet to take pictures of squirrels, deer, waterfalls, and rocks. If you ride on the roads in the park you stand a good chance of getting hit by a vehicle because the driver will be gawking at big and tall rocks instead of watching the road. March can be cold in the Valley. Absolutely beautiful place though.
SACRAMENTO=Excremento. You could ride by the river or drive an hour or so to trails, but there's multiple reasons why Sacramento isn't a destination for mtbs or tourists.
TAHOE=absolutely awesome, BUT end of March could still mean snow on a lot of trails. all depends on winter. March could be ok, or it could still feel like winter.
SAN FRANCISCO=go there at that time of year. Great City when you are off the bike. Excellent fire road riding just across the Golden Gate Bridge on Mt. Tam and the Marin Headlands. Spring is beautiful in the SF bay area. You can ride across the Golden Gate and in to the Marin Headlands for an awesome day on the bike. You can also sight see by bike through the Presidio, Golden Gate Park, across the Golden Gate, Sausalito, etc. Stay in SF if you want everything a big city offers. If you want to be away from tall buildings and crowds, consider staying on the Marin side of the bay-Mill Valley, Sausalito, San Rafael, Fairfax, etc. Fairfax is a great bike friendly town. Plus, if it turns out your SO doesn't enjoy the mountain biking thing on trails and the bike centric foundation of the trip begins to crumble, you stand a far better chance of finding alternative activities and multiple other things to do to save the trip and your relationship in the vicinity of San Francisco.


----------



## XC Mike (Sep 26, 2004)

Thanks Norman lots to think about...
How about Santa Cruz or Monterey??


----------



## mtnbiker4life (Sep 19, 2005)

Norman Clydesdale said:


> SACRAMENTO=Excremento. You could ride by the river or drive an hour or so to trails, but there's multiple reasons why Sacramento isn't a destination for mtbs or tourists.


You come off like a real wanker but I'm sure you're an okay bloke in person. Have you ever mtn biked on Sacramento area trails? There are a number of trails that are tandem friendly and do not have a park ranger waiting around the corner to tag you for going over 20 mph.


----------



## Okayfine (Sep 7, 2010)

The Point Reyes (SF/Marinish) area will have a good selection of easy/fire-road off-road trails to choose from. A couple will get you to the ocean, though March is a fairly wet month for the region. Have never ridden there in the wet, so I can't comment on soil composition (i.e. if it's sandy or clay-ey).

Monterey has Ford Ord, site of Sea Otter, but otherwise doesn't have much in the way of designated off-road trails that I've ever been able to sus out. They do have some paved paths (specifically leading from Marina into Monterey proper), but that's not off-road.

Santa Cruz has trails, including Wilder Ranch SP. There are some good trails and loops in Wilder, but it's tough to find a good route just looking at a map.

Both Monterey and SC will have predominantly the same weather as SF that time of year. Could be dry as a bone, could be soggy city.

How long is your March trip planned for? How far from base are you willing to drive to trails? IIRC XC Mike you're in SoCal. Ridden much in the Santa Monicas?

-----------------

mtnbiker4life, please share good Sac-area trail systems. We've always found it harder than it should be to find good places to ride, not having the local knowledge of where the good stuff actually is.


----------



## J&L (Oct 20, 2010)

If you go south of SF, and want something more than a hard core mountain bike ride (since it's her first time)...

Wilder has trivially Ohlone bluffs trail, fireroad, along the coast. Inland, Wilder loop and further north, fire roads, along with hills and views of Monterey Bay.

Waddle creek, fairly simple and at the end you have a short hike to a water fall.

Almaden Quick Silver park (take the Hicks road entrance) has some interesting mining artifacts and remains of a mining town that was once there. All fireroads.

Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve, great views, mix of fireroads and easy single track. 

If you want to combine bird watching, the Bay Trail, flat and sometimes windy. Parks and interpretive centers along its length. All around the bay, I've been on the part from the Dumbarton Bridge to Alviso.

+1 for Fort Ord, get a map, lots of easy (to sometimes not so easy) mtn bike fun.


----------



## XC Mike (Sep 26, 2004)

Okayfine said:


> How long is your March trip planned for? How far from base are you willing to drive to trails? IIRC XC Mike you're in SoCal. Ridden much in the Santa Monicas?


Just three nights so the plan is to ride Sunday and Monday.
As of right now I'm thinking Monterey hoping it would be warmer then Yosemite and Tahoe...
I looked up some Youtube videos of Ford Ord looks cool
I guess I could do a road ride on Sunday and hit the Dirt Monday


----------



## 11053 (Sep 19, 2009)

XC Mike said:


> Just three nights so the plan is to ride Sunday and Monday.
> As of right now I'm thinking Monterey hoping it would be warmer then Yosemite and Tahoe...
> I looked up some Youtube videos of Ford Ord looks cool
> I guess I could do a road ride on Sunday and hit the Dirt Monday


Monterey is an excellent choice for a quick trip.
Especially so if you are driving up the coast to get there.
As to the weather, I think the North/Central CA coast is beautiful anytime of year. It's great even in winter if you are prepared for it.
Check out this link for some riding ideas.
You can cover quite a bit of ground on the Coastal Bike Path.
Monterey Bay Coastal Bike Trail - Path Map
Plenty to see and do in the area for a few days.
I love the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Was there just after it opened in the 80's and have been back multiple times over the years.


----------

