# Riding in/around Salinas??



## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

Hey y'all,

I'm moving from Sandy Eggo up to Salinas for the next few months. Anyone out in RBR land live/ride in/around Salinas? Road, off-road, cyclocross are all OK with me. Bring it on!

Group rides?

Places to go/avoid?

Thanks,

M


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

I haven't done a lot of riding there, but Carmel Valley Road is not too far away and is a great road ride. There isn't much traffic on the Salinas side. Make your way over to River Road, then take Arroyo Seco to the top and ride down the other side to the ocean.

Also, San Juan Grade into San Juan Batista is a cool ride, although the pavement on the descent really sucks.

There are some good road rides out on Fort Ord/Laguna Seca, which is also the site of some pretty good mountain biking (ugh, The Grind!). The Sea Otter race is there, followed by a 24-hour race in May.


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## Woofer (Nov 18, 2004)

MShaw said:


> Hey y'all,
> 
> I'm moving from Sandy Eggo up to Salinas for the next few months. Anyone out in RBR land live/ride in/around Salinas? Road, off-road, cyclocross are all OK with me. Bring it on!
> 
> ...


For off road, (extremely steep fireroads...) Henry Coe and (sandy fun, lots of horses sometimes) Fort Ord are fairly close and a new Open Space Preserved opened up last year south of San Jose. 
I can't believe you moved without *first* checking out the cycling scene.


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

Woofer said:


> For off road, (extremely steep fireroads...) Henry Coe and (sandy fun, lots of horses sometimes) Fort Ord are fairly close and a new Open Space Preserved opened up last year south of San Jose.
> I can't believe you moved without *first* checking out the cycling scene.


...or the hashing scene! There's a Hash in Monterrey, but I'm betting we're not gonna be there too often.

The GF is a travelling nurse. The choices of jobs were getting narrowed down significantly when we agreed to Salinas. My first choice was Santa Rosa 'cause I have buddies there, but...

We're there till May-June, then off to CO. This is temporary, so I can live with a smaller scene than Sandy Eggo for a bit.

M


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## tjp (Aug 16, 2004)

*Road and mountain*

I grew up there - there are better places but you can do a lot worse. You couldn't do much better than the Mexican food there, none of this Chilis crap. Try the little place next to the Kmart on Davis road. All you can eat for 4 bucks, and as good as it gets. 

Bikes - To the south there is great road riding at Fort Ord, Monterey/17 mile drive area, down Highway 1, and Carmel Valley. Most of this can be reached by riding out of town. To the north, take old San Juan out and climb Fremonts peak. Great ride, but no whining about the road surface. Further north there is tons of stuff around Santa Cruz. 

Mountain: Fort Ord again - lots there. Toro Park is across the street from Ord. I like it too. Santa Cruz is half an hour away, too much to mention there. Good mtb community.

My recommendation is to live in Marina/Seaside (15 minute commute, Ord would be your backyard), Highway 68 (short commute, Ord/Toro your backyard) or Watsonville/Corralitos (half hour commute, Santa Cruz your backyard, close to Hectors taquiria).

Salinas is currently a pit of Strip Malls. Sad but true. 

PM me and I can tell you about places to camp/hike/swim etc. 

tjp


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## Pelley (Jun 28, 2005)

Cross season is pretty much over. I live in Salinas, im 16 I race XC and Road. If you want to get together sometime I can guide you on some mtb trails or we could ride along the coast/17 mile drive.


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

Pelley said:


> Cross season is pretty much over. I live in Salinas, im 16 I race XC and Road. If you want to get together sometime I can guide you on some mtb trails or we could ride along the coast/17 mile drive.


Sweet. I'll PM when I get up that way. (Fri or so, actually!)

M


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

Well, I'm here. 

Salinas is a different kind of place than I'm used to, that's for sure! MUCH more working class/not many athletes (that I can tell in the few days I've been here). Went over to Monterey this PM. Much more similar to Sandy Eggo. Del Mar specifically. 

Looking forward to finding my way around.

M


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## steephill (Jul 14, 2005)

MShaw said:


> Hey y'all,
> 
> I'm moving from Sandy Eggo up to Salinas for the next few months. Anyone out in RBR land live/ride in/around Salinas? Road, off-road, cyclocross are all OK with me. Bring it on!
> 
> ...


Has anyone mentioned the great climb up San Juan Canyon Rd to Fremont Peak State Park? If I recall, it's about a 13 mile climb. It's a beautiful climb along a ridge with great views in both directions near the top.


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

steephill said:


> Has anyone mentioned the great climb up San Juan Canyon Rd to Fremont Peak State Park? If I recall, it's about a 13 mile climb. It's a beautiful climb along a ridge with great views in both directions near the top.


One of the guys I met at the KTM (MC) dealer told me something about a climb, but I don't know where it is.

Issat within riding distance of town or is it one of those 'drive to the ride' kinda places?

M


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## steephill (Jul 14, 2005)

MShaw said:


> One of the guys I met at the KTM (MC) dealer told me something about a climb, but I don't know where it is.
> 
> Issat within riding distance of town or is it one of those 'drive to the ride' kinda places?
> 
> M


Yes, it's near Hollister. Exit Hwy 101 at Hwy 156. Here's a map of the area. If you just want to make it short ride (25 miles) then just start from San Juan Bautisa Park (centered on the map). Scroll down on the map to see the road up to Fremont State Park. It's a great ride... steep in sections but overall not too difficult. The surrounding area is flat which is good for a warmup.


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## tjp (Aug 16, 2004)

*ride from town*

Go out San Juan Grade or old stage road from north Salinas. Climb up over Old San Juan Grade toward San Juan Batista, and turn right on the road to Fremont Peak. Great ride, but it's mostly an out/back. 

If you live on the south side of town go toward hwy 68. Plenty of climbing out that direction.


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## johnny99 (Apr 2, 2004)

Get a copy of the Krebs map for "South San Francisco Bay and Monterey Bay Areas". It shows all the best road cycling routes in the area. Most bike shops carry these maps or you can get them on-line from http://www.krebscycleproducts.com/


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## Woofer (Nov 18, 2004)

MShaw said:


> One of the guys I met at the KTM (MC) dealer told me something about a climb, but I don't know where it is.
> 
> Issat within riding distance of town or is it one of those 'drive to the ride' kinda places?
> 
> M


So you'll have to give us a comparison between Salinas and San Diego.


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

Woofer said:


> So you'll have to give us a comparison between Salinas and San Diego.


So far, the comparison's tilted in Sandy Eggo's favor 'cause you can hop out your front door and be riding somewhere interesting quickly. Salinas you have to get thru a ring of farmers' fields.

The one thing Salinas has on SD is Ft. Ord. Way cool to be in a place that you've got the whole road (base is closed to cages), boatloads of trials, and its within riding distance of home.

M


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## Spacey (Feb 25, 2006)

Welcome to Salinas! As for places to avoid, avoid the East side.  As you have found Fort Ord is a great place to go. No cars are allowed on the roads (although I got passed by a tour bus a couple of weeks ago while going 30 MPH, scared the hell out of me!). Check out all the roads inside the base. Supposedly Jacks road is the steepest paved road in the county (the steep part isn't very long though). Also take Inter-Garrison to CSUMB, make your way to General Jim Moore, take that to South Boundry Rouad which will take you to Laguna Seca (you will have to walk around a couple of gates). Keep to the North side of Laguna Seca (around a couple of more gates) which will take you to Barloy Canyon Road. That will take you down a nice descent and up a steep climb back to the East Garrison gate. Also through CSUMB, take 12th street to the bicycle path along Highway 1. Take that all the way to Pacific Grove and go into Pebble Beach from there if you want.

As other people have mentioned, take San Juan Grade road over the grade and then up Fremont Peak. That round trip should give you about 5000 ft of climbing. Today I did the Coral de Tierra/San Benancio loop (off of 68). I think around 1400 feet up in 8 miles, 4 miles down. Too easy? Then start by going up San Benancio. Match out at the slide area near the top. Big dip! At least they repaved it recently so you don't bounce all over the place! Do a loop on River Road/Arroyo Seco/Carmel Valley Road/Laureles Grade/68 if you want to do a century. Sometimes I take River Road to the Soledad Mission and relax there for a few before heading back. Other than that just explore the country roads and enjoy!

As for mountain biking I haven't done that in Fort Ord since they opened up the base to mountain biking (go figure). We used to have to avoid the Millitary Police!  Anyway, stay on the trails and out of the unexploded ordance areas. There are maps of the trails online. You can enter either at the East Garrison gate (I heard the easy rides are around there). There are other entrances off of Portola and 68.

Anyway, I hope that keeps you busy for a while. If you have any other questions about the area let me know. I was born and raised here.


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

Spacey said:


> Welcome to Salinas! As for places to avoid, avoid the East side.  As you have found Fort Ord is a great place to go. No cars are allowed on the roads (although I got passed by a tour bus a couple of weeks ago while going 30 MPH, scared the hell out of me!). Check out all the roads inside the base. Supposedly Jacks road is the steepest paved road in the county (the steep part isn't very long though). Also take Inter-Garrison to CSUMB, make your way to General Jim Moore, take that to South Boundry Rouad which will take you to Laguna Seca (you will have to walk around a couple of gates). Keep to the North side of Laguna Seca (around a couple of more gates) which will take you to Barloy Canyon Road. That will take you down a nice descent and up a steep climb back to the East Garrison gate. Also through CSUMB, take 12th street to the bicycle path along Highway 1. Take that all the way to Pacific Grove and go into Pebble Beach from there if you want.
> 
> As other people have mentioned, take San Juan Grade road over the grade and then up Fremont Peak. That round trip should give you about 5000 ft of climbing. Today I did the Coral de Tierra/San Benancio loop (off of 68). I think around 1400 feet up in 8 miles, 4 miles down. Too easy? Then start by going up San Benancio. Match out at the slide area near the top. Big dip! At least they repaved it recently so you don't bounce all over the place! Do a loop on River Road/Arroyo Seco/Carmel Valley Road/Laureles Grade/68 if you want to do a century. Sometimes I take River Road to the Soledad Mission and relax there for a few before heading back. Other than that just explore the country roads and enjoy!
> 
> ...


Did 'the loop' thru Ft Ord yesterday. MAN! Am I out of shape! The climb out of East Garrison over towards the ammo bunkers kicked my arse! 'Course the little hill up to the Garrison parking lot did too, but that's another story! I can spin on the flats fine, the power to get up the hills is gonzo. :cry 

Out for ~1.45 and I got to ride what I'm prolly gonna call 'the loop' (Davis to Resevoir, in at East Garrison, turned at Eigth and headed back down Watkins Gate to Chapel Hill and out to Resevior. Right on the main drag from Marina to Salinas, and left on Davis) I can hop out my door, ride to the no cage zone, ride around for a bit, then ride home. Kewl. I'm gonna have to do some REAL work to get back up to speed!

Its lookin kinda grey and rainy today, so I may go for a r*n instead of riding. 

I'm gonna go pre-ride the climb on San Juan on my MC so I know what I'm getting in to before I ride it on the bicycle. 

M


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## Spacey (Feb 25, 2006)

Cool, glad you got out there. I do a similar loop out there sometimes. It sounds like you went up Barloy Canyon if you passed by bunkers. After that climb you go down a steep really straight sections (called "The Wall", about 1/4 mile at 15-20%). At the bottom you have a four way intersections. Jacks Road is to the left, straight up Barloy is a 3 mile climb to Laguna Seca. To the right is Eucalyptus (which is what you probably took). About 1/2 mile or so on Eucalyptus there is a road on the right called Hennekens Ranch Road. That has a steep climb (1/2 mile maybe) and mild descent that takes you back to Watkins Gate. 

Like I said check out all the roads out there as you get a chance. When riding a road for the first time I would always be very careful. There are some trouble spots out there. For example if you took Hennekens from Watkins Gate to Eucalyptus, on the descent on the right side there is about a 100 foot section of pavement that is cut out and is just dirt/rock. If you are going too fast it could be ugly. There are a couple things like that out there. Also Eucalyptus further down has some 4 or 5 inch holes in the middle of the road every so often (the kind you would put big metal poles in too prevent vehicles from passing). They are in the middle of the road and empty! Got to keep an eye on the road ahead at all times.

As for San Juan Grade, the road is not in the best of condition but it is more rough than dangerous. Not much in the way of potholes but a lot of broken pavement. On the plus side once you hit the grade the amount of vehicle traffic drops to almost nothing. 

One of these days I am going to take a picture up near the top of the grade where there is a San Benito County line sign. The pavement at that point goes from not great to terrible! You can see what is probably the original concrete road surface with it's worn smooth aggregate! 

But if you take your motorcyle try to make it up to Fremont peak, especially if it is a clear day. Great views and ride. Fairly steep on the top half. I blew through a corner on my bicycle once when I locked up my rear tire while doing about 7 MPH down a steep switchback!


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

Spacey said:


> Cool, glad you got out there. I do a similar loop out there sometimes. It sounds like you went up Barloy Canyon if you passed by bunkers. After that climb you go down a steep really straight sections (called "The Wall", about 1/4 mile at 15-20%). At the bottom you have a four way intersections. Jacks Road is to the left, straight up Barloy is a 3 mile climb to Laguna Seca. To the right is Eucalyptus (which is what you probably took). About 1/2 mile or so on Eucalyptus there is a road on the right called Hennekens Ranch Road. That has a steep climb (1/2 mile maybe) and mild descent that takes you back to Watkins Gate.


The bottom of that steep section had a couple of options. The gate going straight was closed and I didn't have time to look right. So I went left. and up... ...and up... and up... About the top my legs started feeling slightly better.



> Like I said check out all the roads out there as you get a chance. When riding a road for the first time I would always be very careful. There are some trouble spots out there. For example if you took Hennekens from Watkins Gate to Eucalyptus, on the descent on the right side there is about a 100 foot section of pavement that is cut out and is just dirt/rock. If you are going too fast it could be ugly. There are a couple things like that out there. Also Eucalyptus further down has some 4 or 5 inch holes in the middle of the road every so often (the kind you would put big metal poles in too prevent vehicles from passing). They are in the middle of the road and empty! Got to keep an eye on the road ahead at all times.


 Yeah, I found some of those holes. Ho-di-do, la-di-da WHAMMO! WHAMMO! WHAMMO! WTF??!! Guess I'd better pay attention, huh? Luckily these holes were on a relatively flat section after the right turn into Ft. Ord from the college (off Eighth).



> As for San Juan Grade, the road is not in the best of condition but it is more rough than dangerous. Not much in the way of potholes but a lot of broken pavement. On the plus side once you hit the grade the amount of vehicle traffic drops to almost nothing.
> 
> One of these days I am going to take a picture up near the top of the grade where there is a San Benito County line sign. The pavement at that point goes from not great to terrible! You can see what is probably the original concrete road surface with it's worn smooth aggregate!
> 
> But if you take your motorcyle try to make it up to Fremont peak, especially if it is a clear day. Great views and ride. Fairly steep on the top half. I blew through a corner on my bicycle once when I locked up my rear tire while doing about 7 MPH down a steep switchback!


Sounds like a good ride for the cross bike! Bad pavement means nothing when yer riding 34c tires!

All in all, its not bad around here. Flat when you wanna putz around. Hilly when you don't. Now if I could do something about the wind...

M


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## Spacey (Feb 25, 2006)

As for the gates, I think you can walk around all of them with no problems. There are one or two tight fits by Laguna Seca where you have to watch the barb wire. 

As for the wind, that is always a problem in the valley. It is usually calmer in Fort Ord though. Mornings are the best time to ride if you want to minimize the wind. Yesterday and today are really bad but that is just because of the storm. Luckily you won't be here in the summer when we get the daily 15 MPH wind in the afternoon followed by the fog rolling in. I always rode my bike to school and sometimes I would have a headwind riding to school in the morning (small wind blowing off-shore in the morning usually) and a stiff headwind riding back home in the afternoon (as the wind blows on-shore as usual)! That is the cloeset "up hill both ways in the snow" story I have from here.


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