Bike 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles

This is a bike trip where you bike between 40-110 miles over the course of seven days.  You'll wake up early in the morning, experience the breathtaking views, and eat a lot of food :)

Note that I was on the Lifecycle ride and this is where the route came from.   Also, we camped each night in tents in parks but you can definitely book a hotel in each city/town. We woke up each morning at 4:45 am, had breakfast, packed up our tents and rode out by 6:30 - 7:30 am.  I recommend biking between May - August.

You can pretty much start anywhere in the city of San Francisco. The first day is from San Francisco to Santa Cruz where along the way you'll go through Pacifica and Half Moon Bay, and pass the San Gregorio State Beach and Wilder Ranch State Park. At about mile 80 you'll reach Santa Cruz. 

Day 2 you'll pass the Manresa State Beach, Pezzini Farms in Castroville, Salinas Central Park, Gonzales Central Park, Patriot Park, and Soledad, California and end in King City, doing about 108 miles total that day.

Day 3 you'll leave King City and ride through the towns of Lockwood and Bradley while ending at Paso Robles totaling 67 miles. You get to go over the Rinconada Fault and Santa Lucia Mountains, which are made of metamorphic rocks. And one part of this journey is known as a quadbuster!

Day 4 you'll ride west along State Route 46.  Today is the day where you make the half-way point between SF and LA!  You'll pass through Templeton, Pismo Beach (stop for the Old West Cinnamon rolls...yum!), and end in Santa Maria.  At mile 34 there's the state rock of California, Serpentinite. You also get to climb up the southern Santa Lucia Mountains, gaining 1800 feet in elevation.  Today's total is 87 miles.

Day 5 you'll ride 43 miles passing through Pioneer Park, Marshalia Ranch Golf Course, and River Bend Park, ending in Lompoc, California. You'll see the Santa Ynez, San Rafael and Sierra Madre mountains.  Feel free to add up to 20 miles onto this today by going to Ocean Beach Park and back.

Day 6 you'll journey to Ventura going along the longest stretch of south-facing coastline in California. You'll even get to see dolphins and oil derricks offshore. 87 miles that day.

The last and final day, you'll ride past Leo Carillo State Beach and Malibu Bluffs Park all the way to Los Angeles. You'll follow along the Santa Monica mountains and Malibu Coast having done 60 miles.

You'll see fields and taste delicious strawberries and fried artichokes.  If you don't have a van carrying food, you'll want to plan accordingly.  Always be sure to have water, electrolytes, snacks, and enough clothing. And definitely wear your helmet!