Palo Alto to the Sea
State: California
Location: Palo Alto
Length, Round Trip: 52.5 miles
Ride Type: Loop
Minimum Elevation: 150 feet
Elevation Change: 4300 feet
Best Season: Year-Round
Difficulty: 4
Traffic: Moderate
Trail Information
The ride from Palo Alto to the Pacfic is one of the best rides in this part of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Palo Alto to the Sea ride is an excellent introduction to peninsula riding. The climb up Page Mill Road is unshaded and can be very hot during the summer. And Alpine Road is a twisty, poorly paved descent so it can be tricky. Highway 84 is a fast, gradual descent down to the coast. Tunitas Creek Road may be the perfect example of Northern California riding. A narrow patchwork of pavement, it follows a stream through a redwood forest to the summit of the local ridges. King’s Mountain Road provides an exhilarating decent back to civilization. The sections of the Palo Alto to the Sea ride on Highways 1 and 84, Sand Hill Road and portions of Page Mill Road have good shoulders, which is good considering these are the busiest sections of the ride. But use caution as there are little or no shoulders for most of the rest of this ride. The road surface on Alpine Road and Tunitas Creek Road is very rough in sections. Sections of Alpine Road and Tunitas Creek Road are little wider than a single lane. Exercise caution when turning off of Sand Hill Road as traffic can be heavy and the immediate left turn onto Junipero Serra can be difficult.
Directions
From Interstate 280:
Exit at Page Mill Road. Start at the Page Mill Road Park and Ride Lot at the intersection of Page Mill Road and Interstate 280.
