shbox
Seasoned Member
On my first (and so far only) trip to the west coast, just by chance I ended up on Del Puerto Canyon Road from Patterson and then ended up at Lick Observatory, then went down the other side (very memorable!) . I had no itinerary and was just picking roads on the fly to get me to the Pacific. Now I see that is a favored drive by many. I can't believe the coincidence.If you're not already west of the Continental Divide it is a hike to get out here, but if you do a few 'must' roads for your BW (or carefully selected rental) - as mentioned above, pretty much any road in the hills/on the coast in Northern California can be fun, but a couple do stand out for the 4BW and 5BW (if you've really got your eye in in regards to dimensions):
HWY84 (San Gregorio to Alice's)
In between driving down Hwy1 and then Skyline Blvd is this most well known and traveled route amongst gearheads/pistonheads. Complete your W->E run to time it with Alice's 8am opening and watch all the cool cars and bikes start to roll up. Finish breakfast and take it back down to the Pacific.
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HWY89 (Topaz Lake to Hwy 4 Junction)
This road is brilliant. Seriously, if someone said this was their favorite stretch of tarmac to 'fun drive' on, I wouldn't question their choice. You climb up the high plains into the mountains, but never in a 'We're going to fall to our deaths if I sneeze' way. Sight lines are largely excellent and you get a collection of pacey sweepers and tight switchbacks. I think it's perfectly sized for to include every type of driving without ever getting too narrow or too long and straight. When you get to the top, turn around and drive it back down or take a right. Taking a left will lead to roads you'd rather not be trying to squeeze onto. If you are in the Sierras, Tahoe, Reno, you must drive this road.
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Mines Road/130
This combo is the longest of the 3 options at ~35 miles and it does have a 3 or 4 mile stretch in the run up 130 to the Mines Rd junction that is narrow and not that great, but otherwise this is another road where you can stretch your legs and get all the cornering challenges you want. It doesn't favour a direction so definitely do both! New tarmac on a lot of 130 means and good cement on the Santa Clara County section of Mines mean why not give Track mode a go.
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I had no idea the road led to the observatory and this was before in car nav. We got there before open hours and were sitting in the parking lot above the clouds overlooking the area when a guy came out to put up the flag for the day. We told him we were passing through and where we were from. He lamented that they did not open up for another couple of hours and went on with his duties. He came back minutes later and invited us in for a private tour. Unexpected and fabulous. That was a highlight on our west coast trip.
