The bike is ready, the GPS is loaded with all the local routes, your hotels are booked. All you have to do is show up and ride the best curvy roads in the USA. Ride when you want, with who you want. You’ve only got a week between June and October. Your schedule or budget mean an official guided tour is not possible. You and maybe some of your riding friends want to see the great sites and ride the great hidden roads only the locals know. You want bookings at comfortable accommodations with character not boring chain hotels. You want recommendations on great food. A Leod Escape Kit provides all of this to you or your small group. You don't just get good tips, you get a tried and true plan, put together from decades of experience. The California Curvin GPS self-guided tour gives you a taste of it all in a week. The City by the Bay, the vast inland farms, the high Yosemite peaks, the wild empty north, the deep redwood forests, the untamed coast. Averaging 230 curvy backroad miles a day with plenty of time to stop you'll experience the essence of each of these regions. This tour also includes California's best motorcycling road, Highway 36 “The Serpent to the Sea” 1811 curves over 140 miles. Leod Escapes makes it easy, just fire up the engine, follow the waypoints on the GPS and leave your cares behind.
GPS or Guided California Curvin at a Glance
Tour Days
> Day
1 -
Arrival San Francisco
> Day
2 -
San Francisco to Yosemite - (256 Miles/411km)
> Day
3 -
Yosemite to Tahoe - (204 miles/328km)
> Day
4 -
Tahoe to Chico - (216 miles/248km)
> Day
5 -
Chico to Fortuna - (206 miles/332km)
> Day
6 -
Fortuna to Gualala - (235 miles/378km)
> Day
7 -
Gualala to San Francisco - (139miles/223km)
Upcoming Tour Dates
Date To Be Determined
Ride when you want with who you want. Best between June and October.
Scenery:
Rugged High Mountains, Coastal Views, Ranch Country, Redwood Forests
Road Difficulty:
Some bumpy pavement, and challenging curves
Road Excitement:
Most Exhilarating Roads in USA
Food:
California Organic, BBQ, Mexican, diverse options
Hotels:
3 Star and Some Unique Boutique
Riding Days:
6
Riding Hours Per Day:
6
Airport:
San Francisco SFO
Quick Itinerary:
San Francisco - Sierra Mountains - Lake Tahoe - Chico - Redwood Coast - North Coast - San Francisco
We have ridden on the best roads on American soil and look forward to more epic rides.
Tour Cancellation Policy
Cancellations are rare but hotel and bike vendors are often not as forgiving as we’d like. If you must cancel Leod Escapes urges you to transfer your tour slot to a good friend whenever possible. It’s not in our benefit to operate at a loss but it is in our best interests that you feel you are treated fairly.
A deposit of around 30% reserves your bike(s) and rooms. Full payment is due 60 days before the tour.
If you cancel 60 days or more prior to the tour, your deposit will be held as credit towards another tour for the same or following year.
If you cancel between 59 and 31 days prior to the starting date of the tour you will loose the deposit. The balance will be held in credit towards another tour in the same or following year.
If you cancel 30 days prior to the starting date of the tour you loose 75% of the total amount. The remaining balance is held as credit towards another tour the same or following year.
GPS or Guided California Curvin - tour:
301 A GPS self-guided 7 Day tour on the great motorcycling roads between, San Francisco, the Giant Redwoods and the Yosemite High Sierra.
Includes
6 Days on the best curvy roads
San Francisco, Yosemite, Redwood
Forests, Sierra Mountain Pass Riding,
Highway 1 and 36
Transport to and from airport
7 Nights 3+ star accommodations
Rental bike with luggage
GPS with routes, and waypoints
Route guide and quality map
Base Model bike Upgrades Avaialable
Couples Bike Base Model Bike is BMW R1200GS
Does Not Include
Airfare
Meals not included but local dining recommendations included
San Francisco hotels are very expensive and space is always limited so book early. Our hotel outside the city gives you a much better value and is close to the local subway so you can enjoy the city if you want to. When you arrive at the airport take the hotel shuttle to your hotel and check in. Then ask the shuttle to take you to the motorcycle rental pick up place and get your bike. If you arrive early you can take the subway to the city. Just be back by 4pm and have the hotel shuttle give you a ride to pickup your motorcycle. You can take a warm up ride the local motorcycle hangout, Alice’s restaurant. That night pack up the motorcycle luggage and leave your suitcases in storage at the hotel. Take a look at your supplied roadbook and familiarize yourself with the GPS. Look over tomorrows route on the large detailed map supplied. Get a good night sleep, you have a wonderful adventure tomorrow.
Day
2 San Francisco to Yosemite - (256 Miles/411km)
Good morning it's time to get your adventure started. Then review your waypoints that are already loaded into your GPS and select the route for the day. Ride out of the city across the massive Bay Bridge and head towards the vast fertile fields of the central valley. Take these first few hours to get used to your motorcycle. Following your waypoints the curves begin in the California gold country just west of the mountains. Small hills get larger until you are climbing up the high sierras toward a recommended lunch stop in the small mountain town of Groveland. Riding east you'll head along the mountain ridge and dive down into Yosemite Valley. Pity the tourists trapped in roofed buses, the best view in Yosemite Valley is not left or right, but up. Then climb back out of Yosemite Valley and return to your gold country hotel. Mexican food? Bar food? How about fine California cuisine dining? These are the recommended options for you this evening.
Day
3 Yosemite to Tahoe - (204 miles/328km)
Your map and GPS will take you on the curvy road less traveled today. It's going to be a long day, but possibly your favorite. First your GPS will guide you to the best breakfast restaurant in the gold country. Then take a local backroad to begin your ride up over the Sierras. Traffic thins the higher you go into this curvy empty wilderness. This long challenging curvy road is quite different than anything you can ride in the Alps and goes on for hours. Up through the snowy peaks, you'll ride over 9000 feet and begin your decent into the eastern Sierras. This is lonely cattle country with wide open spaces. The eastern Sierra remains a tough place to find good food. Follow your waypoint to the best BBQ lunch stop within 300 miles. It is in an outpost little town with some friendly folk. Cruise north until the GPS routes you onto a local motorcyclist favorite, Monitor pass. Through the empty alpine river country you'll go, until you reach your stop for the night in the middle of the resort town of South Lake Tahoe. The hotel here loves motorcyclist so enjoy a free drink at the bar. Your “Roadbook” has some tips concerning dining options as there are many interesting choices here.
Day
4 Tahoe to Chico - (216 miles/248km)
Your road book gives you recommendations for breakfast and the hotel staff can direct you to it as well. Review the waypoints and map at breakfast then select the route on your GPS. This morning you will ride around the largest alpine lake in North America, lake Tahoe. Heading north you'll ride into the empty Northern Sierras. This wild country is sparsely populated with the odd cattle ranch or logging town. Follow the GPS points to mountain river roads into the high country and stop for lunch where the locals go. After lunch you head to a locals road that’s loaded with great curves. The twist continue as you ride down into the university town of Chico. There's plenty of upscale restaurants here but you might want to join the local students for decent bar food at The Bear.
Day
5 Chico to Fortuna - (206 miles/332km)
Look at the map over breakfast, review your GPS waypoints and select the GPS route listed in your road book. Today you ride California's best single motorcycling road, highway 36. A short run up the main highway takes you to the town of Red Bluff. You top off your fuel here and follow your GPS to the simple sign that warns you, curves for the next 140 miles. Yes of course you'll stop for pictures. After a great section of turns high in the mountains you'll ride up highway 3 to grab some food at the locals spot in the village of Hayfork. Highway 36 continues west, over mountains and down into the river valleys. Coming down the final set of mountains you'll sense the rich misty smell and fresh oxygen generated by ancient redwood trees. Ride through the redwoods and out towards the coast to the small road stop town of Fortuna. It’s time to celebrate at the local brewery.
Day
6 Fortuna to Gualala - (235 miles/378km)
Mount up and ride to a fresh local breakfast. Review your map and road book over coffee. Then ride south on the highway until the GPS guides you to Ave of the Giants. This detour is popular with visitors and should not be missed. The giant trees induce an air of peaceful comfort. It may be the definition of a tourist trap but who cares, it's still fun, follow the waypoint to pay a few bucks and ride your motorcycle through the middle of a giant redwood tree and pick up some goofy souvenirs. Next comes the twistiest part of the road everyone wants to ride, Pacific Coast Highway 1. The winding road takes you through the forest and out onto the coast high above the Pacific Ocean. You'll ride down the the wild coast to the town of Mendocina for lunch. After lunch you’ll be rewarded with the route to the local redwood grove. It’s an amazing road no tourist bus can get to and a short hike that puts you in a grove of giant 3000 year old redwoods. This is the special spot that’s off the tourist trail. Then head further south and take a road through the mountains back to the sea and arrive at our favorite hotel on the tour. Even though you'll have dining options, the superb local BBQ spot leaves you little choice. Your room overlooks the sea so fall asleep to the sounds of the waves.
Day
7 Gualala to San Francisco - (139miles/223km)
Walk to a great breakfast review your route for the day, tank up the bike and head south. Riding down the coast you’re on the best section of Pacific Coast Highway 1. Ride high above the waves and look down along the coast line. It’s there that the birds play with the updrafts of the coastal winds and often float along beside you as you dive into turns. Your GPS will guide you to the best beach on the wild north coast to take in the view and watch the seals bob up and down in the waves. Continue south and get gas in iconic but heavily touristed Bodega Bay. Further south we route you to a great open air dinning spot that pulls local oysters right out of the bay and prepares them right there. A nice array of other lunch options are available as this is the home of Northern California’s organic meat country. A hidden back way across the ranch country brings you to the final stretch of super curvy roads high above the sea. Follow the GPS as it takes you to the best Golden Gate Bridge viewing spot in the afternoon for that great end of tour photo. Ride across the bridge itself and skirt the edge of the city before returning safely back to South San Francisco. That night take the subway into the city and celebrate with a fine dinner, there are so many great places to choose from. You’ve done it. You’ve ridden the over 1000 miles of curves, and the many varied landscapes of Northern California. Now you understand why riders want to live here.
Cancellations are rare but hotel and bike vendors are often not as forgiving as we’d like. If you must cancel Leod Escapes urges you to transfer your tour slot to a good friend whenever possible. It’s not in our benefit to operate at a loss but it is in our best interests that you feel you are treated fairly.
A deposit of around 30% reserves your bike(s) and rooms. Full payment is due 60 days before the tour.
If you cancel 60 days or more prior to the tour, your deposit will be held as credit towards another tour for the same or following year.
If you cancel between 59 and 31 days prior to the starting date of the tour you will loose the deposit. The balance will be held in credit towards another tour in the same or following year.
If you cancel 30 days prior to the starting date of the tour you loose 75% of the total amount. The remaining balance is held as credit towards another tour the same or following year.