A route from Richmond to Petaluma

[William Monsen]

Yesterday I rode from Richmond counterclockwise around the top of SF Bay. The purpose of the ride was to scope out a route for a credit card circumnavigation of the by on our tandem. My route went through Vallejo, up the I-80 bike path, down to Américain Canyon, to Napa, then west to Sonoma on CA-12, then to Petaluma on Ca-116. While this was a utilitarian route, it involved lots of fast roads and fairly heavy traffic. 

Does anyone have suggestions for a more scenic route? I was thinking CA-121 to Napa from Fairfield but then got stymied about getting to Petaluma. Hills are ok but we are trying to keep mileage less than 50-60 miles per day. 

Thanks!

Bill 

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[Jake Hobbs]

I’ve done Berkeley to Petaluma a few times, always going over the RSR bridge. 

I think this is the most direct route. If I remember correctly, it’s almost entirely on roads with bike lanes or paths, plus a couple of roads with very low traffic.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32502426

This is a more scenic route without much traffic, from my experience (if you reverse it):

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32502502

Hope that helps. 

Jake

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[William Monsen]

Jake,

Thanks for the note and advice. 

My reason for asking about the route is to enable my wife and me to circumnavigate the Bay. If we go across the RSR Bridge, we wouldn’t “circle the Bay,” which is the goal of the ride.

Thanks again.

Bill

William A. Monsen

22 Waterline Place
Point Richmond, CA  94801
(510) 235-9807 (h)
(510) 813-9685 (m)
(510) 443-5768 (f)
wamo...@gmail.com

[Metin Uz]

Bill,

We have used the route shown in Max's "Dome to Dome" permanent for a couple of Dart rides: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/6932076. You would need to reverse it.

--Metin

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[Scott Cowan]

Best of luck with your circumnavigation. 

Similar to going farther west in Sonoma and Marin Cos to avoid car traffic/increase scenic beauty on what will be the return on your counterclockwise loop (if I understand correctly your plans) I find that going farther east in the east bay, south of the bridge crossing avoids the blah, the blech, and the particularly increased incidences of bad car driving  of the southern approach to the Carquinez/Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge.  I like that bike line on the bridge itself a ton,* as I do the roadway over the two miles just south of it — but the rest of the way between there and The Bay Trail Bikeway along the water feel like “junk miles” one puts up with for the “real treats” on other parts of a long route. 

I feel the same way (Blech, blah, hypervigilence to deal with motor more vehicle operators who dislike cyclists) about riding through Vallejo and American Canyon. It could be that there are bike paths or a collection of local roads to take instead of the main routes through those towns. If so, I would love to learn what and where!  It adds plenty of miles and elevation, both, to go the long way ‘round from, say, Lafayette to Martinez and then over the Bridge there to Benicia from whence one can take Lopes and Red Top to Hwy 12. Hwy 12 has a wide shoulder with nice hills to the right, but it’s not pleasant to ride in the afternoon when people are impatient to get home or wherever they’re in a hurry to go. 

*  this is my fave Bay Area bridge to cross at all hours; the GGB is equally wonderful between 5pm and 9am, but so crowded 9am-5pm, the majestic experience of biking the icon that I’m lucky to call “my hometown span” then turns into a “pedestrian” and pragmatic necessity to access better things.

KTRSD,

    Scott

Scott Cowan 

On Aug 1, 2020, at 17:40, Doug Simpkinson <doug...@gmail.com> wrote:



If you don't mind longer, you could go further north from Napa and head over to Glen Ellen  from Oakville Grade, or head over to Santa Rosa from St. Helena or Calistoga. Once in Santa Rosa there's a trail to Sebastopol or you can do roads, then you can head through Valley Ford and Tomales and down 1 all the way?

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[William Monsen]

Metin,

Thanks. The route that you provided is just about the same as the route that I rode (except I was riding from Napa to Petaluma).

Best regards,

Bill

 

William A. Monsen

22 Waterline Place
Point Richmond, CA  94801
(510) 235-9807 (h)
(510) 813-9685 (m)
(510) 443-5768 (f)
wamo...@gmail.com

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[William Monsen]

Scott,

Thanks for the note and thoughts. I agree that getting from Richmond (I live in Point Richmond) to the Zampa Bridge involves either some not great roads (i.e., the most direct route) or a lot of extra miles (San Pablo Dam Road, Alhambra Valley, Franklin Canyon, McEwen, and such to get to the Zampa Bridge from the north). Once across the bridge, you have to work your way through Vallejo one way or another but I am thinking that the bike path along I-80 to Red Top. I have not ridden on the new CA-12 from Fairfield to Napa and will give it a shot. The alternative is to keep going north and then take Woodens Valley Road to CA-121 to Napa…again, lots of extra miles but much prettier than CA-29.  

I would also be interested in finding out the local roads from Vallejo to Napa!

Thanks again.

Bill

William A. Monsen

22 Waterline Place
Point Richmond, CA  94801
(510) 235-9807 (h)
(510) 813-9685 (m)
(510) 443-5768 (f)
wamo...@gmail.com

[William Monsen]

Doug,

Thanks for the note. I was considering the Glen Ellen route (kind of like picking up the SF to Davis 300k (in reverse) starting in Fairfield). I will check it out!

Thanks again!

Bill

 

William A. Monsen

22 Waterline Place
Point Richmond, CA  94801
(510) 235-9807 (h)
(510) 813-9685 (m)
(510) 443-5768 (f)
wamo...@gmail.com

On Aug 1, 2020, at 5:40 PM, Doug Simpkinson <doug...@gmail.com> wrote:

If you don't mind longer, you could go further north from Napa and head over to Glen Ellen  from Oakville Grade, or head over to Santa Rosa from St. Helena or Calistoga. Once in Santa Rosa there's a trail to Sebastopol or you can do roads, then you can head through Valley Ford and Tomales and down 1 all the way?

On Sat, Aug 1, 2020 at 9:21 AM William Monsen <wamo...@gmail.com> wrote:

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