Being a new Ferrari owner, I am looking for "excuses" to take out my 360 and experience the absolute thrill of being behind the wheel. What are your favorite driving roads in Northern CA?
sign up at pashnit.com for a full review of the best roads in norcal. My fave? Thunderhill and Laguna Seca other than those... Wentworth Springs Road, 128 from 101 to 1, 20 from Willits to Fort Bragg.
+1 (weekdays, or weeknights better than weekends!) Photo by Martin aka diablo_roadster Image Unavailable, Please Login
Absolutely! And trust me, I've been on MANY roads in the Bay Area and there is none quite like Skyline Blvd. (aka Hwy. 35)
Driven a lot of roads this year and Skyline is definitely high on the list. Here are a couple others. A group of us enjoyed this Napa area drive: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=136084&highlight=berryessa and if you venture out to Sonora you'll find this: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=152670&highlight=road Enjoy the 360!
I recently took an amazing drive...details here: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=160307
+1 Really an amazing road. Weekends get a little crazy with traffic and motorcycles, but I've found most cars will pull over to let me by as I come up behind them. I've never experienced anything like this with any other car before, it's really great. Frank
Also try 101N to Lucas Valley Rd towards Pt. Reyes - Hwy 1. Optional Tomales Rd towards Petaluma or continue north towards Sea Ranch and beyond. The further north you go, the less traffic there is. Weekday hwy 1 loop South to Santa Cruz and up hwy 9 to 35 is a good ride.
I would take a day off from work and enjoy it on a weekday. It is indeed too "crazy" on weekends. You get some nuts out there...
Reviving this thread from the dead. How about NorCal roads in the Sierras? I haven't tried it yet, but on the map Hwy 26 and Hwy 104 from Hwy 49 (Mokelumne Hill) to Hwy 88 (Pine Grove) looks pretty great. It takes you through Glencoe and West Point. Any opinions on this road or any others?
Highway 29 from Calistoga going north can be epic, depending on the traffic. I also second the Lucas valley road to Highway 1. Northwest Marin is gorgeous before the cyclists are out and about.
Glad this thread was given the "Lazarus" treatment. I'll toss one in and see if anyone has been there recently. The Mormon Immigrant Trail....off Highway 50 and starts at Sly Park and cuts straight over to Bear River Reservoir. 30+ miles of wide open mountain road, wide lanes and ZERO traffic. It might not have the curves that most people lust over.....but it would be easy to test out your top speed capabilities. It gets shut down during the winter months, though. With this in mind.... I'm not sure how hammered the road surface is. I know that it's maintained, but I'm not sure how often the road needs attention. Might need an advance scouting party before committing to an all-out Italian assault. When I checked last week, there were some areas still affected by black ice.....but come summertime, that won't be an issue (just Google it and current road conditions pop up). It's been entirely too long since I've driven it so my memory could be hyping up the true reality of what the road actually was. I just remember that this highway would be awesome to drive, given the proper car. Matt
......plus, there's a "Ferrari Mill Road" close to the beginning of the drive (next to Jenkinson Lake) so if THAT'S not a sign from Enzo himself, I don't know what is.
Has anyone driven SR 130 from San Jose to Patterson? I'm thinking of driving it this weekend, but want to make sure the road is in decent condition and not full of potholes or gravel, etc.
So I just read a review that said SR 130 is REALLY bumpy and in poor condition from San Jose to the San Antonio Valley, so I'm now thinking of driving Mines Rd from Livermore to Del Puerto Canyon Rd down to Patterson. Any thoughts on this circuit?
This is a very fun road. Basically follows the bottom of a canyon with a lot of tight esses and a few long sweepers. I’d rate the road surface a B, with some sections rather choppy but overall it’s a fun road. Gas and food out in Patterson. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
So, I ended up driving Marsh Creek Rd between Clayton and Brentwood because it was closer to my destination. It was pretty bumpy, but otherwise some good turns. I’d rate the surface condition a C-, but give the twists and turns a B-.
SR130 is pretty nice. Coming from San Jose, you can continue on 130 towards Patterson or north on Mines road to Livermore. When I went in the summer, some patches of the roads were covered in a small layer of dust and gravel. Not too bad as they weren't as frequent or heavily soiled.
The SFMC just went out Lucas Valley to Nicasio Valley to Point Reyes/Petaluma road to 37 to 121 to 12. It was a wonderful drive, great roads, nice blend of fast turns and longer straight runs. The earlier you drive, the less bike and car traffic. Great route.
More Central California but I have had some epic runs on Hwy198 between Coalinga (Interstate 5) and King City (101). It's been a while, but my experience is a wide 2 lane about 50 miles, in pretty decent shape. I can't attest to current conditions though. Used to ride with some motorcycle buddies coming up from socal on the way to Laguna Seca. There are some decent wineries in the area as well (central coast Pinots anyone?)