Ken's favorite Silicon Valley road bicycle rides

The year round pleasant weather, interesting terrain, and beautiful scenery make the San Francisco peninsula a great place for road bicycle riding. Here are some of my favorite bicycle routes. Click on each link for a street map and detailed route description. These maps were generated by a mapping program that assumes a constant 15mph speed. Since you probably won't ride at the same speed both up and down hills, you can ignore the route time stamps. Click your browser's BACK button to return here from the map pages.

Rolling Loops

These rides travel through the rolling foothills of San Mateo County. Except for the last ride, the hills are not long and these are great rides for the winter when days are shorter and weather is less predictable. The hilly loops in the next section all travel up to Skyline Blvd., which is sometimes cold and wet during the winter.

1. Portola Valley Loop (17 miles, 840 feet of climbing) - the classic Stanford area ride
2. Lakeview Loop (28 miles, 1300 feet of climbing) - continue from Portola Valley through Woodside to the scenic hills of Redwood City
3. Canada and Crystal Springs Loop (41 miles, 2200 feet of climbing) - north along scenic Canada Road to the Crystal Springs reservoirs, return via suburban Alameda de las Pulgas
4. Local hill training (33 miles, 3200 feet of climbing) - you don't need to go all the way to Skyline to find 15% grades; this is a tour of some monsters in Los Altos Hills and Portola Valley. This route goes by the Alpine Inn twice; if you're tired when you get there the first time, stop for a beer and do the second (much harder) half of the ride another day.

Hilly Loops

These hilly rides all climb up to Skyline Blvd. (sometimes twice) for great views of both the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Note that Skyline and the coast can be cool and foggy during the summer. I recommend bringing at least a wind vest, especially for early morning rides. During the winter, tights and long sleeves are usually a good idea.

1. East and West Old La Honda (35 miles, 3300 feet of climbing) - east Old La Honda Rd. is the easiest climb to Skyline; this route also climbs scenic west Old La Honda Rd. in a figure 8
2. Page Mill and Kings Mountain (38 miles, 3800 feet of climbing) - this scenic route can be done in either direction for two very different (but both very fun) experiences. Kings Mountain is more shaded and has an constant grade. Page Mill is more sunny with mixed steeper and flatter sections.
3. West Alpine Road (38 miles, 4100 feet of climbing) - a very beautiful (and sometimes very warm) climb on the west side of Skyline
4. Pescadero and Alpine Road (68 miles, 5700 feet of climbing) - a longer version of the previous ride, including the Pacific coast and the towns of San Gregario and Pescadero
5. Tunitas Creek (54 miles, 4700 feet of climbing) - have lunch at the beach, then climb back to Skyline through a dark cool canyon
6. Page Mill, Pescadero, and Half Moon Bay (84 miles, 8000 feet of climbing) - two great climbs (Page Mill and Tunitas Creek), plus a tour of the old stage coach route connecting the rural coast-side towns of Pescadero, San Gregorio, and Half Moon Bay
7. Long Skyline Loop (64 miles, 5200 feet of climbing) - take the (in)famous Redwood Gulch route up to Skyline, then head north along the ridge for great views of the bay and ocean. The Highway 92 descent can have a lot of traffic, but a skilled rider can usually keep up. For a shorter route, descend via Page Mill Road or Kings Mountain Road instead.
8. Big Basin Loop (82 miles, 7400 feet of climbing) - climb Redwood Gulch like the previous loop, but head south to the beautiful Big Basin Redwoods State Park near Santa Cruz. The return climb up Highway 9 is long, but not too steep.