Thinking of going to California for a couple of weeks within the next month or so

Will be visiting a mate in San Francisco for a few days but am trying to work out what else to do… and there are so many options!

Would like to do some good biking but probably won’t take my own bike out with me

Also thinking about visting Yosemite National Park

Any ideas?

Yosemite yep, not that I have quite made it there yet (brother lives in LA, so over there a fair bit… speaking of which – don’t go to LA or Hollywood… it’s a shithole)

Mono Lake is well worth a visit for utterly insane landscape, and up to June Lake for that mountain community thing. Good bar there with some really quite nice micro brewed beers 😉

When in SF get over the bridge to Sausalito (or take the ferry). Just a nice place to go and chill.

Forgot – Point Reyes Beach is pretty special too.

I liked San Franscico, one of the few cities that is worth spending a few days in IMO. Some ace bits of architecture (painted ladies and stuff) along with the trams… just fun! Some good bars too – The Rogue Bar in Little Italy is supreme. Worth staying at Hotel Metropolis if you haven’t booked stuff already – nice boutique place that isn’t too expensive (on the corner of a bit of a rough area, but about 2 minutes into the heart of commercial SF, and the bar/restraunt is okay too from memory)

San Fran – Phoenix Hotel, cheap, Trendy with some very cool history.
Hire a Proper MTB and head over the bridge to Marin County.
Alcatraz is worth a visit especially the night tour, book in advance though.
Yosemite, amazing place stay in the Valley if you can. Not much MTB’ing but lots of things to do, try and get on the Ansel Adams photography workshop. You can rent a cruiser bike for a ride around the valley.
LA is a dump but handy if you like theme parks, 6 flags is cool and Universal is worth a look, avoid Disney World.

San Diego is a great city too. Cracking restaurants in the Gas Lamp district.

Highway 1 has got some pretty fantastic views and some cool towns to stay in.

You could do a Road Trip that would take everything in San Francisco-Yosemite-Death Valley-Vegas-LA-San Francisco.

second Yosemite and Sausalito. Yosemite is the most amazing place i’ve ever visited and Sausalito is a cool little place to visit for a few hours. Not usre if you’re into your music but there’s an amazing music store at the bottom of Height Ashbury

You can doa pretty nice loop driving from SF through to Yosemite then back out and up HWY1 stopping at places like pebble beach, monterey etc – loads to see and do and great fun. Yosemite rocks.

you must spend some time in wine country, stay away from nappa but try the russian river area and point reyes

russian river area

Drive down coast (S), window down – the smell of sea and shrubery was pretty good.

I wasn’t impressed by Yosemite – too big,too much the same, liked the high plains though, bleak and beautiful. Monterey looked really good.

Yosemite, stay at Housekeeping Camp – basic but great atmosphere, if you go down the Merced in a rubber boat it is a gentle drift so take a picnic and swimming gear and stop off a few times – amazing place.

Good route is LA – PCH1 up the coast – Morrow Bay, Monterray (aquarium is good), Big Sur, SF (could spend 2 weeks here alone), over to Yosemite, down to Joshua Tree and back to LA.

Could add Big Bear – Skiing in winter, beautiful lake in summer.

LA is as soulless as you can get – best bit IMO is Santa Monica both the centre and the beach.

Stay here http://www.bearvinn.com/ and visit http://blackmountaincycles.blogspot.com/ eat cakes here http://www.yelp.com/biz/bovine-bakery-point-reyes-station

Maybe go to Lake Tahoe and ride the trails, well waymarked, loads of friendly bikes shops with trail info.

Santa barbara is costly but a welcome haven from LA, nice micro brewery, several bike shops, when i was there 11 years ago you could hire Jamis full sussers,cruisers and hartails. great mexican place on state st called chilango’s, big flash mall for cheap gear, lovley clean town with a great beach and, as its a uni town ,laden with eye candy whatefer your preference.
been twice now and loved it both times.

Get yr buddy (if he rides) to take you to Tamarancho & Skeggs, trust me both rock 😉
Clicky
Clicky

If he cant take you to either give me a shout & I will show you them both but hang on, the Skeggs ride is mentally quick (I ride their with a team on Wed nights & those boys are fast…)

What unclefred said. Advance book a rental car. Do a couple of days in SF (must do Alcatraz, but book at least a day in advance). Pick up rental car and do Yosimite, Death Valley, Grand Canyon (truly awesome) and end up in Vegas for one day. Either drive the rental car back or arrange to leave it there fly back to SF.

Havn’t done it myself but there is a bike place in Vegas that does uplift and guiding into the Sierras

Depends if you like driving, but a roadtrip up Hwy1 north of SF into the redwood forests is a great drive. Some of the forest towns are very 70s. And good advice to stop at Russian River if you like wine (or biking). But there’s so much to do and see that I’d be wary of biting off too much. Just focus on three or four things and savour it.

Get down Highway 1 to Carmel and Santa Cruz, if you go as far as L.A. then Malibu is cool as is Santa Monica. Stick by the coast.

North of SF you have Marin which is great and then of course you have Yosemite.

Go visit Roaring Mouse Cycles Chris and the gang are super cool.

And if you do go to Yosemite, make the effort to get up to Tuolumne…the high meadows are special.

Pigface how do you know Chris & the vermin?

Sarah built a bike for me when she worked there, Chris sorted it all out. I am just a happy customer. Really nice people.

Go to Santa Cruz and ride Wilder (fantastic views) and Demo Forest (Braille/Tractor/Sawpits trail combo is best I’ve ridden). Bike shops in town (Another Bike Shop or Family Cycle Centre) won’t do hire bikes, but ask for a demo bike and you’ll probably get a Blur for about $50 per day.

You’ll need a car to get to Demo Forest (but you’ve probably got one to get there from SF).