13 day Best of California Motorcycle Tour

When it's too hot in the desert, the smart riding is along the coast and into the coastal mountains of Southern California. Starting in San Diego, we'll ride to Crestline/Lake Gregory, high in the San Bernardito Mountains. From there, we'll find our way around (NOT through) Los Angeles then ride the scenic California Coast on famous Highway 1 to San Francisco. Along the way, we'll overnight in Venice Beach, Santa Barbara, Cambria and Monterey.

After a layover day in San Francisco, we'll start a 5-day ride from San Francisco to San Diego that follows an inland route through the coastal mountains with hundreds of miles (smiles?) of great back-road riding. This part of the tour includes overnight stops in San Juan Batista, Paso Robles, Ojai and Big Bear Lake before finally returning to San Diego. In total, this tour combines 1,800 miles of scenic and fun roads.

The Best of California Tour includes:

14 nights hotel accommodation, double occupancy

13 days Harley rental including mileage and fuel

Welcome/get-acquainted dinner

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner each tour day

Departure/ farewell dinner on the last day

Professional guide

Daily riding itineraries and maps

Liability and physical damage insurance

Airport transfers

Taxes

Prices for 13 days:

Harley Sportster: $5,860

Harley Big Twin: $6,260

Passenger/companion: $3,025

Single room supplement - $1,420

Group discounts are available.

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1, Sunday. (San Diego to Lake Gregory/Crestline, 190 miles)

We start our adventure by exploring some of the San Diego County back-roads as we ride through Pauma Valley on our way to lunch in Old Town Temecula. After lunch, we'll stop at Diamond Valley Lake and Oak Glen before climbing more than 6000 feet (1800 meters) into the San Bernadito Mountains to the mountain resort of Lake Gregory/Crestline.

Day 2, Monday. (Lake Gregory to Venice Beach, 160 miles)

We ride past Lake Gregory and Silverwood Lake before crossing the Cajon Junction on our way through the San Gabriel Mountains. From the town of Wrightwood, we follow the beautiful Angeles Crest Highway to Tujunga Canyon. From here, we drop into the San Fernando Valley before riding famous Topanga Canyon to the pacific Ocean near Santa Monica. Venice Beach is just a short cruise south.

Day 3, Tuesday. (Venice Beach to Santa Barbara, 120 miles)

We follow the Pacific Coast Highway north through Malibu and Ventura on our way to Santa Barbara. This is a great day to cruise the beaches, or for those who want more "twisties", we can ride Mulholland Highway in the nearby coastal foothills. We may take the route through Ojai and a ride around beautiful Lake Casitas then through Montecito before arriving at our motel near the beach in Santa Barbara.

Day 4, Wednesday. (Santa Barbara to Cambria, 165 miles)

We ride through the Los Padres National Forest in the coastal mountains and stop in the Danish village of Solvang. We'll skirt around Vanderberg AFB before our lunch stop at the Far Western Tavern. After lunch, we'll return to the coast near Pismo Beach and take a break in Morrow Bay before continuing to the small town of Cambria on Highway 1.

Day 5, Thursday. (Layover day in Cambria)

Time to explore the beautiful inland valleys, go wine tasting in neaby Paso Robles or take a tour of the fabulous Hearst Castle.

Day 6, Friday. (Cambria to Monterey, 135 miles)

Ride the most famous part of Highway 1 through Big Sur and Carmel. From here, it's only a short ride to Monterey.

Day 7, Saturday. (Monterey to San Francisco, 125 miles)

We'll follow Highway 1 around Monterey Bay to Santa Cruz, then continue along the coast to the city by the bay, San Francisco. We'll cross the Golden Gate Bridge for a scenic view of the city before riding along the final leg to our hotel in the famous Fisherman's Wharf area.

Day 8, Sunday. (Layover in San Francisco)

A chance to rest, relax and maybe do a bit of sightseeing in one of the great cities of the world.

Day 9, Monday. (San Francisco to San Juan Batista, 150 miles)

We'll ride through the fabulous Santa Cruz mountains in the San Francisco peninsula between the beach and the bay before turning inland. There are plenty of back-roads to explore on our way to San Juan Batista and Hollister, birthplace of the American "biker".

Day 10, Tuesday. (San Juan Batista to Paso Robles, 190 miles)

Highway 25 south from Hollister is a terrific ride along the spine of the Diable Mountains. We cross the mountains once on a side-trip to Coaligna and again on our way to Paso Robles. There isn't a freeway anywhere.

Day 11, Wednesday. (Paso Robles to Ojai, 200 miles)

We ride the beautiful rolling hills east of Paso Robles before crossing the Temblor Range and dropping into the western part of the San Joaquin Valley near the historic oil well towns of McKittrick and Taft. From here we'll ride the scenic and entertaining roads through the Los Padres National Forest before arriving in Ojai. Ojai is a small town nestles in the foothills above Santa Barbara and home ot many of Hollywood's rich and famous.

Day 12, Thursday. (Ojai to Big Bear Lake, 220 miles)

We'll head east to Canyon Country and Bouquet Canyon before crossing the high desert near Palmdale. From here, we'll find our way into the San Gabriel and San Bernadino Mountains before ending our day in the quaint mountain town of Big Bear Lake.

Day 13, Friday. (Big Bear Lake to San Diego, 175 miles)

All good things must come to an end, but not before one last day of great riding. There are plenty more mountain roads before we stop for lunch in the historic mining town of Julian. From here there are even more scenic and challenging roads as we find out way back to the starting point in San Diego. Wow, what a great ride!

California Motorcycle Tours has several great tour guides on staff who love riding and sharing experiences with other riders. We know where to find the best roads and destinations in the mountains and deserts of California and the American Southewst, and we are eager to make your holiday/vacation a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. We are young at heart and adventurous individuals who love to ride and take people riding.

Fred started California Motorcycle Tours in 1999 as a way of sharing his enjoyment of the open road with riders from around the world. Fred designed most of the tours based on his years of exploring the back-roads of the American southwest. he hates freeways, and looks for twisty secondary and tertiary roads. Fred love to lead rides himself whenever possible.

We've worked hard to create tours that we would want to take ourselves. We are constantly looking to design new routes and improve existing ones.We have made our tours fun for a variety of people from different parts of the world and count many of our clients as new friends with whom we maintain contact long after the tour has ended. Almost 50% of our guests come back for another trip and we're very proud of that.

We admit that riding with like-minded guests is fun, but at the same time we take our responsibilities seriously. Your safety is our #1 priority - #2 is to do everything we can to ensure that your vacation/holiday is thoroughly planned so all you have to do is ride and have fun. No stress, no worries!

Fred and the staff have set up eight adventure tours, with many beginning and ending in beautiful San Diego. You will enjoy maginicent scenery as you ride through some of the most historically interesting areas in California, the American Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, and Mexico's Baja California.

California Motorcycle Tours has a goal - to take riders and passengers on a tour that is the adventure of a lifetime.