California Wine Country biking guide published.

January 4, 2010

The 24 page biking guide to California wine country, including Sonoma and Napa County has been published.

IMG 1443 California Wine Country biking guide published.

Napa Valley Wine Train

California wine country has been on the map of serious oenophiles since California wines beat out French wines in a blind tasting at the Paris Wine Tasting Competition of 1976. About five million visitors visit the region each year. Wine is the focus but food comes a close second with a huge choice of excellent restaurants, lots of farmers markets and culinary courses available. You will be pleasantly surprised by the interesting pastoral and hilly vistas.

IMG 1506 California Wine Country biking guide published.

Castello di Amorosa Winery

Wine country is located about 1 ½ hours by car north of San Francisco. It encompasses Napa and Sonoma County and includes a number of small cities and towns. Best known is the city of Napa with a population of 75,000. You will also find the towns of Sonoma, St. Helena, Calistoga, Healdsburg and Santa Rosa and the hamlets of Yountville, Glen Ellen, Rutherford and Geyserville.

This is close to perfect cycling country. Rural roads take you by internationally famous wineries, first class restaurants and luxurious accommodation options. The cycling is easy and the distance between towns is very manageable. There are always options for hills and more miles. Drivers are for the most part very considerate. We recommend getting one of the road maps available detailing the safest roads on which to travel. A circular route is laid out herein that loops through wine country and can include a ride to the Armstrong Redwoods Park and over to the coastal highway along Highway 101.

IMG 1469 California Wine Country biking guide published.

Pretty backroads cycling

Seven to ten days is about the ideal amount of time to allot for this trip. A longer stay allows you to explore beyond wine country to the wild beaches of the Pacific Ocean and the giant redwoods in Armstrong Woods Park. The weather is best between April and October. Summers are hot and very busy whereas winters are rainy and should be avoided altogether. Early April and late October can be unpredictable but will reward you with green hills in the spring and fall colours later in October.

There are many tour companies offering one day to one week tours but this is an area to contemplate a self supported ride. Bike rentals are available in Santa Rosa, Napa, St. Helena and Healdsburg so any of these spots could be the start of your loop. Bringing your own bike offers you familiar comfort but the airlines are making this a get rich quick scene. The biggest downside to a self supported trip is that you can’t carry much wine and dinner options are fewer, especially in the fall with darkness setting in early. The roads are unsafe to ride any distance at night and taxis are a rarity. However, touring on your own can also be almost half the cost of what a guided tour might cost.

IMG 1666 California Wine Country biking guide published.

Along the California coast

Outside of riding and wine tasting you can look forward to an eclectic mix of activities including cooking classes, mud baths and spa visits, ballooning, bird watching, canoeing and wonderful dining.

Leigh McAdam

founder, www.hikebiketravel.com

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Posted by Hike Bike Travel | Filed Under Biking, Restaurants and Food, United States, Wine Tours and Tips 

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