Cycling

SCOUT OUTINGS

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Troops 493/494 or Crew 494 Past or  planned outing

The following guidelines and procedures apply to all BSA units, councils, and national program activities involving bicycling.

Practice:

1. Qualified Supervision
2. Physical Fitness & Clothing
3. Helmets & Clothing
4. Buddy-Up
5. Keep Right
6. Be Smart
7. Turns & Intersections
8. Right Bike
9. Accessories
10. Maintenance
11. Race Right
12. Planning
13. Discipline

Link to bike safety details. https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/biking/

Road Cycling

2004 Cycling Trek- Hale's Grove to Cupertino, a 270-mile trek

The scouts from T494 voted to take a major bike ride this year. We started near the junction of US 101 and Highway1 at a picnic area along highway 1. he group was escorted by a sag wagon and stopped at several parks along the way. The trip covered 7 days and ranged in rides from as short as 22-miles to 60 miles. Some of the places we camped include Manchester, Salt Point, Bodega Bay and the Presidio. Trip Report

Alameda Creek Regional Trail The Alameda Creek Regional Trail runs for nearly 12 miles from San Francisco Bay to the mouth of Niles Canyon in Fremont. The south side of the creek is paved and is intended for bicycles and pedestrians. The north side of the creek is a gravel road and is intended for equestrians, though bicycles and pedestrians can use it. http://www.ebparks.org/parks/trails/alameda_creek

Alum Rock Park The track begins at Penitencia Creek Park on Jackson Avenue. The route is 17.29km (10.74 miles) round trip with an elevation gain of around 800'. http://www.sanjoseca.gov/?nid=2819

Angel Island Cycling Hop a ferry from Alameda, San Francisco or Tiburon to Angel Island. There are miles of hiking and biking trails, which offer some of the best ways to explore the island's 740 acres of diverse terrain, as well as take in the breathtaking views from all sides of the island and the loop is around 5 miles. Comments: The bike around the island on Perimeter Road takes about one hour. Most of the ride is rolling, but there are a couple of steep but short hills. Areas may have gravel and the road is worn in spots so a mountain or hybrid bike would work better.

Aptos Creek at Nisene Park This 18-mile out-and-back ride is located just South of Santa Cruz and east of Aptos in the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. The trail avoids cars and stays in the park on an old logging road that climbs gradually.

Bay Area Trail Overview of Bay Biking Trail from Sunnyvale to Palo Alto including proposed trails. For more details, go to: Trail Plan PDF Online Map of the overall trail: Bay Area Trail Map

   Maps of the Bay Trail are in print or electronic formast. http://baytrail.org/get-on-the-trail/map-by-number/

Coyote Creek Parkway This scenic parkway meanders along Coyote Creek for 15 miles. The Santa Clara County Council sponsors the annual Coyote Creek Classic every October with 15, 25 and 50 mile rides. Link to map; Link to Coyote Classic Map (This is the '03 map. The '04 map will be issued by SCCC.) Comments: You can park near the trail off of Silicon Valley Road to avoid park fees at Hellyer.  The ride is very easy and only has a couple of slight grades.

Golden Gate Bridge to Marin Headlands This ride begins on the San Francisco side of the Golden Gate Bridge. After crossing the bridge, the route takes you up the main paved road toward the bunkers at the top and then down the other side to Fort Cronkhite and Rodeo Beach. After a short stop at the beach, you hit the trails, climb over a hill on fire roads and then descend into Tennessee Valley, a major jumping-off point for visitors to the area. (Crew 494 outing) We actually took our bikes on CalTrans and to the city near the ballpark and rode to Fisherman's Wharf, Crissy Field to the Presidio then up and over the Golden Golden Gate to the road for Fort Baker and Marin Headlands. Stayed overnight at a hostel there.

Golden Gate Bridge to Tiburon. This ride begins on the San Francisco side of the Golden Gate Bridge. On weekends, cyclists must use the west side of the bridge. Once across the bridge, descend down into Sausalito. Use caution going into Sausalito as the road is narrow and there is no designated bicycle lane and traffic is very heavy on the weekend. The hill descends sharply and riders should be spaced out to provide adequate stopping distance. On the north end of Sausalito, there is paved multiuse trail. Another area of caution is when the trail crosses over US 101 where cars are merging and traffic is heavy. You pick up the trail to Tiburon where you can catch a ferry to Angel Island or to Fisherman's Wharf. It's 21 miles from Fisherman's Whart to the ferry dock at Tiburon.

La Honda  Ride information on La Honda. It's a popular ride and does involve some climbing.

Los Alamitos Creek Trail The trail begins at the southeast corner of Almaden Lake. It follows the creek and the paved section ends at Greystone Lane.

Los Gatos Creek Trail  Length: The entire trail from Campbell and Lexington Reservoir is about 25 miles round trip. The paved section from Campbell to Forbes Mill is slightly more than 20 miles round trip. The most scenic portion of the trail between Campbell Park and Vasona Lake is about 14 miles round trip.
Hours: 7:00 A.M. to sunset; Trail Conditions: The paved section is mostly level with occasional hills. The gravel section from Forbes Mill to Lexington Reservoir is mostly inclined with significant climbing the last 1/2 mile to the top of the Lexington Dam. All trails are two-way.
Cost: $4 vehicle entrance fee at Vasona Lake and Los Gatos Creek County Park. Free elsewhere.        

       Los Gatos Creek Trail Part 1 [pdf] Combined Los Gatos Creek Trail is 7.4 miles

       Los Gatos Creek Trail Part 2[pdf]

Old Coastal Road Monterey This energetic 18.7-mile loop, which starts just south of Monterey, California, links the Old Coastal Road, a gravel highway, and the newer Pacific Coast Highway http://www.gorp.com/gorp/publishers/menasha/bik_mont.htm

http://www.mtycounty.com/pgs-parks/bike-path.html

http://www.seemonterey.com/things-to-do/parks/coastal-trail/

Monterey Bay Coastal Trail

Seven days a week the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail is alive with activity. A linear urban park, it snakes its way along the Monterey Peninsula shoreline for 29 miles.

The most striking feature of this trail is the spectacular coastal views and numerous shoreline access points afforded to users. Whether walking, jogging, biking, blading, or lorrying, the opportunity to experience a rare moment of serendipity abounds.

Mountain View/Shoreline/Baylands  From Shoreline Park, you can cycle through the Baylands trail to Bixby Park in East Palo Alto   https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/baylands-bike-path-loop

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San Francisco Outer Limits Ride

This classic, urban road-warrior bike adventure is accessible, yet challenging. Nearly continuous bike lanes grant 35-40 miles of stunning scenery around the circumference of town.

Sawyer Camp Trail an easy 12 mile round trip ride. Located along Crystal Spring Reservoir.  http://parks.smcgov.org/sawyer-camp-segmentl The troop rode this as part of their Summer 2004 Cycling Trek. The Sawyer Camp Trail is part of the planned Crystal Springs Trail.

Stevens Creek Trail

The Stevens Creek Trail follows Stevens Creek. Beginning on the flanks of Black Mountain in the Santa Cruz Mountains, it flows through Stevens Canyon and then through Cupertino, Los Altos, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View, on its way to join the San Francisco Bay. The long-range goal is to extend the Stevens Creek Trail all the way up the creek to its headwaters in the Santa Cruz Mountains. There, it will intersect the Bay Area Ridge Trail . Like the Bay Trail, the Bay Area Ridge Trail is a 400-mile proposed trail network that runs around the Bay Area, except it runs along the Bay Area's ridge tops. The Stevens Creek Trail can thus form a connector between these 2 huge trail networks, which together will form over 800 miles of recreational trails.

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City Bicycle Routes

These trails are paved and open to bicyclists and pedestrians.

Please remember to share the trails.

The San Mateo County Bicycle Route This downtown route runs the entire north- south length of San Mateo County and connects to bicycle routes in Santa Clara and San Francisco Counties. Most of the route parallels Caltrain and is relatively flat with a moderate amount of traffic. The goal of this route is to provide a bicycle commuter route, which is safe, easy to follow and provides good bicycle access to transit, business and residential areas in San Mateo County. Interactive San Mateo Bike Map

Mountain Biking Santa Clara County Parks

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Mountain Biking Rides and Parks

Almaden Quicksilver Biking was permitted on a trial basis in 1999 at Almaden Quicksilver Park and in 2001, the county officially sanctioned bicycling in the park.

This loop ride covers almost all parts of the 3,977-acre park. The climbs and descents are for beginners and are moderately steep. Almaden Quicksilver Map

American Discovery Trail The California segment of the trail that stretches from New Jersey to California. California's portion runs between Lake Tahoe and Point Reyes. The troop hiked along part of the trail during their Sacramento outing. http://www.discoverytrail.org/states/california/index.html

Angel Island  http://www.angelisland.org/  

      (also Angel Island State Park http://bayarearides.com/rides/angelisland/

Arastradero Preserve (Palo Alto) http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/6049/

Bay Area Ridge Trail http://www.ridgetrail.org/ Trail Maps

Big Basin Redwoods State Park  http://mtb.live.com/rides/BigBasin.html 

            (including Waddell Creek  http://trailroller.com/index.php/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8&Itemid=151

Black Diamond Mines EBRP http://mtb.live555.com/rides/BlackDiamondMines.html

China Camp State Park (San Rafael) http://www.bikemapdude.com/chinacamp.html

Coyote Hills (Fremont) http://trails.mtbr.com/cat/united-states-trails/california-trails/california-bayarea/trail/coyote-hills/prd_165241_4519crx.aspx

De Laveaga Park Santa Cruz http://www.mnn.net/delaveaga.htm

Eldorado A number of trails on the Eldorado National Forest are open to cycling. From paved trails to single track, diverse opportunities for adventure await. El Dorado Mountain Biking Trails

El Sereno OSP  Regional Open Space Biking Guidelines

Estero Trail, Pt. Reyes Mountain Biking @ Pt. Reyes

Folsom-Auburn Trail Riders Action Coalition ("FATRAC")http://www.fatrac.org/

Henry Coe State ParkIn general, Henry Coe State Park is a very challenging area for mountain biking because it is so hilly. However, this five-mile out-and-back ride is an easy one, suitable for the intermediate mountain biker.

Henry Cowell State Park This seven-mile loop through the redwoods is an easy novice ride with some short, steep challenges. Trail conditions vary from pavement to sand, so expect to walk some brief stretches.

Joseph Grant County Park Grant Ranch County Park has some beautiful riding but is hilly and can get very hot in the summer. Two loops are suggested: a  2.5 or 9.6 miles long, but many combinations are possible.

Loma Alta Open Space Preserve http://www.marincountyparks.org/depts/pk/divisions/open-space/loma-alta

Long Ridge http://www.openspace.org/preserves/pr_long_ridge.asp

Mammoth Mountain The nation's premiere mountain bike park featuring 70 miles of single-track trails, lift access, bike rentals, clinics and tours.Mammoth Mountain Bike Park

Marin Headlands (Golden Gate NRA) http://www.bikemapdude.com/headlands.html
Midpeninsula Open Space link to preserve biking maps

Montebello Open Space Preserve http://www.openspace.org/preserves/pr_monte_bello.asp#regs

Monterey Bay Coastal Trail A 29 mile trail from Pacific Grove to Castroville http://www.mtycounty.com/pgs-parks/bike-path.html(A crew 494 outing)

Mt. Burdell Open Space Preserve Mountain biking Map http://www.marincounty.org/~/media/9a76112ff635493ca143c7bb5e8e33d2.ashx

Mount Diablo State Park (east of Walnut Creek) Trail map: http://www.bikemapdude.com/diablo.html

Mount Tamalpais State Park http://www.gatetrails.com/mounttam.html

Pacheco State Park (http://www.cal-parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=560)

Pleasanton Ridge (Pleasanton) http://www.ebparks.org/parks/pleasanton

Redwood Regional Park (Oakland) http://www.ebparks.org/parks/redwood.htm

Russian Ridge  and Coal Creek  Open Space Preserves http://www.openspace.org/preserves/pr_russian_ridge.asp

Shell Ridge OSP (Mt Diablo)http://www.gatetrails.com/midpeninsula.html

Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve  http://www.gatetrails.com/midpeninsula.html

Soquel Demo Forest (near Aptos)  http://www.bikemapdude.com/soquel.html

Stevens Creek Dam and Fremont Older OSP http://www.openspace.org/preserves/pr_fremont.asp http://www.sccgov.org/sites/parks/parkfinder/Pages/StevensCreek.aspx

St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve  http://www.openspace.org/preserves/pr_st_josephs.asp

Sugarloaf Ridge State Park http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=481

Sweeney Ridge, San Bruno return Sweeney

Upper Stevens Creek CP http://mtb.live555.com/rides/UpperStevensCreek.html

Wilder Ranch State Park  http://www.bikemapdude.com/wilder.html

Southwest San Francisco Bay Area Cycling Climbs http://www.westernwheelers.org/main/resources/BA_Climbs.html

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