Where To Vacation With Paved Bicycle Trails, E-Bike Rentals & Nearby Lodging?

[Jeremy McCreary]

I haven't been to Point Lobos since I was a kid....

I did see @smorgasbord's thread on his two Apollos for the first time today and saw they were able to ride into Pebble Beach along the 17-mile drive.

You really need to do something about that Point Lobos problem. Places where granite and water meet tend to be high on the scenic beauty scale. Somebody turned that knob to 11 at Point Lobos.

I can only imagine what the 17 Mile Drive would be like on a bike.

 

[rob feature]

Does REI rent E bikes??

The flagship store in Downtown Denver did last year. Probably still do.

 

[tomjasz]

Lanesboro Root River trail in Minnesnowta! For a great staycation.

No Californians!

 

[Elkman]

There are numerous places renting e-bike in the SF Bay area and one located in Pacific Grove that rents e-bikes for use in Monterey and riding 17-mile drive in Pebble Beach. The 17-mile drive road and others in Pebble Beach have little or no traffic on any day of the week. Tourist drive slowly to look at the ocean and they only are on 17 mile drive and never on the other roads in Pebble Beach.

 

[Ole's son]

As a former icehead from MinDak area, spent lots of time in Bemidji area. Lots of great trails there, almost all paved dedicated to bikes in summer and snowmobile in winter. Here in FL the rail to trails are pretty extensive. OP was correct too, when it gets below 60 here, no one ventures out, you have the place to yourself.

 

[Kayakguy]

Two places in WA that are good, even though neither technically has "trails":

San Juan Island, WA -- there are multiple locations renting e-bikes, there are multiple places to stay, and the roads are quiet and well-suited to cycling.
Stehekin, WA -- there is at least one venue renting e-bikes (I think Rad Rovers). There are only a few miles of paved road but there is quite a few more miles of accessible unpaved roads. The roads are very quiet as there is no direct vehicle access (all vehicles there have to come up via barge at considerable expense).

At both you can find decent and comfortable lodging or vacation rentals.

I noticed that cars and trucks around Stehekin had license plates dating back to the early 60s. Apparently the state has no interest in wielding its power there. I'm guessing the roads are maintained by the Forest Service or National Park Service.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I noticed that cars and trucks around Stehekin had license plates dating back to the early 60s. Apparently the state has no interest in wielding its power there. I'm guessing the roads are maintained by the Forest Service or National Park Service.

About that.

Every now and then the NPS (the National Park Service is the principal landowner there) would try to haul away abandoned old cars. What they discovered was that because so many of them were not licensed and were out of title (meaning they had no record of who actually owned them) it was an insane nightmare to even figure out how to haul them away legally. So they usually give up but ask residents to please not leave their old junkers at the landing for months on end, as it uses up the very limited parking there.

I don't know what the moral of that story would even be.

There have been a bunch of old car recycling drives there where the pool the money to hire a barge and haul a lot of the old cars away. There used to be a lot more old junkers there.

Stehekin is very weird in a lot of unexpected ways.

Fun related fact: in a lot of counties in Washington, if you have five or more vehicles on your property that do not start you need a junkyard permit.

 

[Brian-s]

Check out the Cincinnati Ohio area. Lots of paved trails. That's where I'm heading for next summer myself to do some biking there

 

[BryanG]

I am in the Coastal Wine Country north of San Francisco. There is a lot to do and see and the food is really good. You can do a day trip to San Francisco with bikes on the train and ferry. Or take the train with bikes up to Healdsburg. The coast is 20 miles west and the historic town of Sonoma is ten miles east where you can sip wine legally in the public park. There is a large range of accommodations including a KOA with cabins. In the heart of town you can rent small water craft. This is a very bike friendly area and I know someone who could rent you some classy bikes that do not look or feel like tourist rentals.

Second this one, and a reminder that Napa Valley is great for wine and scenery, but there are a lot of great small towns and small wineries and breweries in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Plenty of backroads to explore and various artists and artisans of all sorts.

 

[PedalUma]

There are plenty of Artists to visit. https://www.sonomacountyarttrails.org/2023-artists
With plenty of small farms doing interesting things. https://www.farmtrails.org/
And breweries. https://www.sonomacounty.com/activities/breweries
From Healdsburg to Jenner there really are a bunch of cute towns to visit. I like the one lane road on Sonoma Mtn. North that drops into Glen Ellen.

 

[lexfurther]

where did you actually go?

 

[rob feature]

How about Palm Springs CA? I'm headed that way soon & have been wondering what the bike scene is like. Doesn't look terribly bike friendly from looking at Google Earth, but maybe it'll surprise me?

 

[Extreme1]

How about Palm Springs CA? I'm headed that way soon & have been wondering what the bike scene is like. Doesn't look terribly bike friendly from looking at Google Earth, but maybe it'll surprise me?

Palm Springs is awesome. Not sure about biking around there, but I’m sure it will be fine. There isn’t much traffic and lots of desert roads to explore. Tons of great restaurants and bars and the Aeronautical Museum is spectacular.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

How about Palm Springs CA? I'm headed that way soon & have been wondering what the bike scene is like. Doesn't look terribly bike friendly from looking at Google Earth, but maybe it'll surprise me?

Just check the temperature forecast before you go. Made the mistake once of including it in a June motorcycle tour of SoCal. Discovered that when it's 120°F outside, moving through the air makes you even hotter. Think blow dryer.

Palm Springs seemed an "if you've got it, flaunt it" kinda place on several visits in the 1980s and 1990s. Maybe it's less ostentatious now.

 

[rob feature]

Just check the temperature forecast before you go. Made the mistake once of including it in a June motorcycle tour of SoCal. Discovered that when it's 120°F outside, moving through the air makes you even hotter. Think blow dryer.

Palm Springs seemed an "if you've got it, flaunt it" kinda place on several visits in the 1980s and 1990s. Maybe it's less ostentatious now.

Going in late March or early April, so should be good. This is gonna be mainly a hang out by the pool and try some restaurants/bars trip, but the option to rent a bike & ride around would be nice.

I was in Vegas for the July 4 weekend last year & experienced an official 120F - which was probably north of 130F out on the street. Yeah, the breeze didn't help much. Lots of pool time that weekend.

 

[Extreme1]

Going in late March or early April, so should be good. This is gonna be mainly a hang out by the pool and try some restaurants/bars trip, but the option to rent a bike & ride around would be nice.

I was in Vegas for the July 4 weekend last year & experienced an official 120F - which was probably north of 130F out on the street. Yeah, the breeze didn't help much. Lots of pool time that weekend.

Late March or early April will be good there. Take lights with you if you have them, the nightlife in Palm Springs is great too. It would be fun to tour around some of the main streets at night and see everything all lit up.

 

[Taylor57]

How about Palm Springs CA? I'm headed that way soon & have been wondering what the bike scene is like. Doesn't look terribly bike friendly from looking at Google Earth, but maybe it'll surprise me?

I live in PS and there are plenty of bike paths, trails and bike friendly places to ride. There are very flat options, but if you need a challenge, you can ride up to our Aerial Tram station departure area. As long as you come between now and mid May you will experience delightful weather. This is the high season so be prepared to pay a premium for lodging. (250+ per night. ) Food scene is much better than it was even 5 years ago as many top chefs have moved here to open restaurants. If you do come, I can DM you a list of my faves. Lastly, Palm Desert is only about a half hour bike ride down the road and it also offers plenty of great places to ride...

 

[rob feature]

I live in PS and there are plenty of bike paths, trails and bike friendly places to ride. There are very flat options, but if you need a challenge, you can ride up to our Aerial Tram station departure area. As long as you come between now and mid May you will experience delightful weather. This is the high season so be prepared to pay a premium for lodging. (250+ per night. ) Food scene is much better than it was even 5 years ago as many top chefs have moved here to open restaurants. If you do come, I can DM you a list of my faves. Lastly, Palm Desert is only about a half hour bike ride down the road and it also offers plenty of great places to ride...

I wound up booking a house up by Joshua Tree for 10 nights. Probably not much riding but looking forward to the hiking. Has a pool & hottub too, so stargazing is gonna be epic!

 

[Taylor57]

I wound up booking a house up by Joshua Tree for 10 nights. Probably not much riding but looking forward to the hiking. Has a pool & hottub too, so stargazing is gonna be epic!

Pioneertown and Red Dog Saloon are right down the street if you need a cool refreshing beverage. Pioneertown usually has good live music this time of year as well. Paul McCartney made a surprise appearance 5 or 6 years ago. (might be 10!)