Bikepacked through the Santa Cruz Mountains last weekend!

[sam.pederson]

I did my second real bikepacking trip through the Santa Cruz mountains last weekend.

We rode from the Mountain View caltrain (sea level) up Page Mill road, to the ride. Rode through the ridges to Castle rock State Park. Mix of pavement, fire road and a bit of singletrack. Next day was road, bombed down highway nine (clocked 34 MPH on the way down, what a rush). Country roads and mountain towns. Camped that night at Henry Cowell redwoods near Felton.

Final day was a ride, almost entirely dirt. We rode from Felton, through some secret trails I know, fire roads, Henry Cowell Park, Pognip, UCSC then back to my place in Santa Cruz. Didn't get off the trail till dark.

For gear, I think I did a fantastic job planning. Didn't really have anything I didn't need except my backpacking jacket. Next time maybe layers and a shell, skip the jacket. Surprisingly useful pieces of gear:

1) Duct tape square that was in my emergency pack. Used to fix my handlebar wrap that was coming off. Also used to wrap up my friend's hand (he got a burn on his hand while it cooking over the fire). Worked like a charm to keep his hand wrapped for the rest of the tripo.

2) Spare bungee cords. My Salsa anything cage broke on the front rack, but I bungied it all together and it was perfect.

Other lessons: You hardcore bikepackers are right, weight distribution is EVERYTHING. Last trip I had everything in panniers. This time I had 2 anything cages and a Jaand frame bag. Put my bag, pad, etc. in the anything cages, and put all my small, heavy stuff in the frame bag (extra fluids (coco water), nightrider light (another hugely useful thing), tools, food, anything heavy I could cram in there and keep the panniers light. This time my bike felt more like a heavy bike. Less side to side weight.

I think I'm going to swear off panniers eventually, and opt for a real bikepacking setup (handlebar bag, seat and frame bag).

We did 100+ miles and saw so much. Silicon valley on one side of the ridge, the ocean on the other. Deer, rabbits, hawks, falcons, so many animals. Little mountain towns, broken rail tracks, old relics from the gold rush. What a great trip.

Another lesson i learned: Bikepacking will not cure wanderlust. It just makes it worse. I am fine with that!

[bmike-vt]

pictures..... please.

[sam.pederson]

We didn't waste too much time on our electronic devices. But here are a few photos I snapped. They don't really do the beauty of the area justice.

I wanted to thank all of you who have posted advise/links/words of wisdom here on this site. I used it to the fullest and I was a lot happier and better prepared this round.

[sam.pederson]

Damn no luck posting the pics. I used "[img]" links.

There is no way to directly upload the pictures right?

I guess I'll try again later once I get more time.

[edmiston9]

I use photobucket to upload my images for posting.  Looking at your image code it looks like the picture link is lacking a .jpg ending so that's probably whats keeping the pics from showing up.

[Pawel]

I apologise for stealing the thread. I am riding a little bit around Silicon Valley/Bay Area. To be honest I hate this place. It is very difficult to plan resonable weekend bikepacking trip. In many places bikes are not allowed... Fences and gates everywhere... Few photos here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/108543226678960504994/SoquelDemoForestSantaCruzRedwood

[sam.pederson]

You have a point about fences and "no bike" signs. But I disagree, there are plenty of opportunities for bikepacking here?

Have you tried Henry Coe? Tahoe Rim Trail (a few hours away)?

[Pawel]

I have been to Henry W Coe few times and I'm not delighted at all. But I am probably spoilt by riding CTR, AZT, Lake Garda, Verbier in Switzerland... I don't have a car here and it is tricky to get to Tahoe without one. I'm going to explore Tahoe area for sure. But I wouldn't say that it is Bay Area.

[sam.pederson]

Well I can't comment on what you are used to in Europe other than saying sounds great.

The problem with California for bikepacking is not that we lack the weather, or the amazing scenery, or the trails. The problem is that the trails are disconnected, forcing you to do long stretches on the road. Exceptions: Coe, the SoCal corridor, and the North coast. 

I have to agree with you about all of the "no bikes" signs and private property. From skline blvd you look down it seems like an enormous stretch of wilderness. But then you look at the map and realize it's almost all private property...and most of the parks either don't allow bikes or force you to ride the fire roads.

It's pretty ridiculous that we don't have a bike-legal skyline to the sea trail for example. You can hike it in a few days but NO BIKES. Right now they are working on connecting up various parks and creating one, but I suspect it will mostly be fire road.

That said, the natural beauty here is top-notch and the MTB trails are amazing. If you are willing to bend the rules a bit, you can piece yourself together an amazing bikepacking trip. But it requires a bit of art in the planning as well as having a local who knows the area very well.

For example, the last route I did went from Henry Cowell in Felton all the way back to town, using singletrack, a touch of fire roads and a very small amount of riding along the railroad tracks. We hit perfectly groomed, switchbacked trails most all of the way. Not all of them were legal, but it was damn good riding.

[Mellyd]

Welcome to my home town and place of birth.  Many great places to ride in SC.  Glad you enjoyed your time there.
I hope nobody yelled at you in Pogonip for a lot of those areas are still closed off to bikes.
So much more still to be seen than what you already experienced!

[sam.pederson]

Well we didn't really go through Pogonip, just a tad (the connector trail).

Are you bikepacking around the area at all? Let's ride.

I ride regular MTBs too a lot, have a Santa Cruz Nomad.

[Mellyd]

I bike all over SC.  I leave for a mostly solo tour of the Great Divide on June 30th so am pretty busy until then.
I will also be racing the 24hr solo this weekend in Laguna Seca.
I also have a SC but it is a blur XC and I love it.  I will travel with my Hunter 29er hardtail on the divide though.
Perhaps we shall see each other on a ride one day.
Always happiest when I am on 2 wheels,
Melly