California Redwoods

Bike and Hike Wine Country, Redwood Forest, and Lost Coast

This hiking and biking tour combines the fabulous Sonoma County wine country with majestic redwood forests and the “Lost Coast” for a fantastic sampling of some of California’s most beautiful natural features.

We meet on a Sunday morning in Santa Rosa, in the heart of the wine country, and head to the Russian River near the coast, where we start cycling.  We’ll visit Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve, where we’ll hike among these red-skinned giants before pedaling down a secluded canyon through more redwoods near the Russian River.  We emerge in the vineyards of Sonoma County, where you may want to visit Rabbit Ridge Winery, Korbel Champagne Cellars, or several other wineries we pass by.  We have lunch at Hop Kiln Winery and spend the night at the elegant Hotel Healdsburg located right on the plaza in Healdsburg.  “The attention to detail is striking, from the sleek, modern décor to the six-foot-long bathtubs and the wide, uncarpeted hallways,” raves the New York Times.  You’ll enjoy strolling through Healdsburg’s plaza, fringed by fine boutiques, art galleries, and wine tasting shops.

Day’s Activities Culminate at World Class Benbow Inn

On Monday we enjoy the vineyards of the Dry Creek Valley as we cycle north to Cloverdale.  After a picnic lunch at a park, we van north past Ridgewood, the sprawling 17,000 acre ranch made famous by the racehorse Seabiscuit.  Our lodging is the Benbow Inn in Garberville, a luxurious country inn that has been a favorite of Hollywood’s elite since the 1920s.  You’ll enjoy swimming  in the adjacent Eel River and dining at the hotel restaurant.

Mystical Giant Redwoods and a Magical Town

On Tuesday we cycle north along the banks of the Eel River on the old highway, now maintained as a scenic road through the redwood forest.  As you pedal through this old growth forest you’ll see that the road’s name, Avenue of the Giants, is most appropriate.  Coast redwoods can live more than 2,000 years and are the tallest living things on earth, reaching heights of more than 350 feet — taller than a football field is long.  To give you a sense of their enormity, you can ride your bike through the trunk of one living redwood, on a path big enough for an SUV.  We spend the next two nights at the Hotel Carter, a Four Diamond award winner in Eureka.  “Best B&B/Small Hotel in Northern California,” says San Francisco Focus magazine.  Travel and Leisure magazine agrees:  “Dramatic…you’re in for a treat.”  And that’s just the lodging.

As for the food, Bon Appetit magazine found the dining at the Hotel Carter’s Restaurant 301 “delightful, remarkable.”  The restaurant has won the Wine Spectator Grand Award for each of the last seven years.  This prestigious honor has been bestowed on only 88 other restaurants in the world.  With more than 3,800 wines in the cellar, Restaurant 301 is the foremost wine and food destination between San Francisco and Seattle.

Kayaking and the “Lost Coast”

Wednesday is a layover day.  In the morning you’ll have the chance to go sea kayaking in Humboldt Bay.  We’ve hired a local outfitter to supply equipment, guides, and instruction.  We’ll see lots of birds as we paddle near a wildlife preserve.  In the afternoon you’ll want to explore historic Old Town Eureka with its many shops and beautifully restored Victorian homes.

Thursday finds us cycling to the “Lost Coast,” so named because it’s the only section of the California coast that doesn’t have a major highway near it.  You’ll marvel at the beauty of this area as you cycle through redwood forests and beautiful, remote valleys.  As you round the last bend, the ocean suddenly appears — a shimmering, blue vista, and a white sandy beach to reward the end of your ride.  Though most riders will choose to finish at the beach, very strong cyclists may want to try tackling “The Wall,” a hill that has an average grade of 18% for one mile, and whose first quarter-mile stretch appears to go straight up.  “The Wall” stares you in the face for several miles as you cycle straight toward it along a flat road with no traffic beside the ocean.  From the top, you get a sweeping view up and down the coast as you follow the road back to Ferndale.  This optional ride is only 18 miles, has fantastic vistas and no traffic, but includes another 8-mile climb up the “Endless Hill.”  Riders who do it will understand why the “Tour of the Unknown Coast” is billed as California’s toughest century ride. 

We spend the night at the Victorian Inn in Ferndale, a town known for its Victorian architecture and art galleries.  “A magical town in redwood country,” says Travel Holiday.  Hollywood picked Ferndale as the ideal 1950s town for the movie “The Majestic,” starring Jim Carrey.

Though most riders will choose to finish at the beach, very strong cyclists may want to try tackling “The Wall,” a hill that has an average grade of 18% for one mile, and whose first quarter-mile stretch appears to go straight up.  From the top, you get a sweeping view up and down the coast as you follow the road back to Ferndale.  It’s only 15 more miles, has fantastic vistas and no traffic, but includes an 8-mile climb up the “Endless Hill.”  When you arrive in Ferndale, you’ll know why the “Tour of the Unknown Coast” is billed as California’s toughest century ride. 

We spend the night at the Victorian Inn in Ferndale, a town known for its Victorian architecture and art galleries.  “A magical town in redwood country”says Travel Holiday.  Hollywood picked Ferndale as the ideal 1950s town for the movie "The Majestic," starring Jim Carrey.

2,200-Year-Old Trees Cast Giant Shadow on Hikers Far Below

On Friday, we cycle through the flat dairy country out of Ferndale to a hike through the largest remaining stand of ancient redwoods in the world.  The oldest recorded coastal redwood tree, more than 2,200 years old, is found here.  After lunch in the heart of the Rockefeller Forest in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, we shuttle back to Santa Rosa.

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