These are some of my favorite weekend rides based out of the Santa Barbara California area.
- Hwy 33, Lockwood valley, Cerro Noroeste loop
This is a great afternoon ride that traverses over pine mountain summit above Ojai then drops down into the Cuyama Valley. There’s plenty of twisties as well as some sweepers and long straights. - Jalama Beach Ride
Another great Saturday ride! I caught up with Craig and the rest of his BMW posse in Santa Barbara for their monthly street ride, this one demo-ing the new BMW 1300GT. This was a fun ride. Craig and I designed this ride to go through the back roads of Santa Ynez and Lompoc. Weaving our way past the acres of vineyards and wineries inland then head west towards the Pacific and Jalama beach. These are some great roads the scenery is stunning and the traffic minimal! The hills were all a vibrant green from the recent rains and the air had that fresh taste and feel to it. Thus it was hard to keep your focus on the road, ahh the perils of riding in Southern California in February.
- Lake Hughes
A fun ride from Santa Barbara to Lake Hughes in the Mountains above Santa Clarita. Taking the back roads through the small towns of Ojai and Santa Paula then a little slab until you get to Lake Elizabeth road. - Hwy 166 Loop
This is a great 200 + mile loop ride. Heading out of Santa Barbara over the Santa Ynez mountains and into the rolling hills and ranch’s of the Santa ynez Valley we work our way into the small town of Solvang, a great place to stop for breakfast. From there we head North through wine country passing by many great local vineyards. rolling past acres of grapes we wind our way up and over to the Cuyama Valley which follows the Cuyama River this sparsely inhabited area contains two significant towns – Cuyama and New Cuyama – and is largely used for ranching, agriculture, as well as oil and gas production. We will follow state route 166 which runs along most of the length of the valley until we reach route 33 which takes us South to the small town of Ojai. Rte 33 is one of the premier motorcycling roads in this area. It passes over the Transverse Ranges at Pine Mountain Summit, and follows Matilija Canyon past the easternmost extremity of the Santa Ynez Mountains, before dropping down towards the Pacific Ocean. We branch of to the West on Route 150 to Hwy 101 and back to Santa Barbara. - Newcombs Ranch, Angeles Crest
Angeles Crest. Newcomb’s Ranch for lunch. The highway climbs from around 1,500 feet at one end in La Canada, to7,901 feet at its highest point at Dawson Saddle. Many travelers consider the drive the most scenic in Southern California. Mt. Wilson and the Mt. Wilson observatory are accessible from the byway, offering fantastic views of the Los Angeles Basin on those rare, clear days. The byway also provides access to many trails and camping areas in the forest. For the traveler who has yet to experience the many natural wonders around Los Angeles, the Angeles Crest Scenic Highway offers rewarding proof that wilderness and natural beauty are only minutes from the Los Angeles metropolis. For more info on Newcombs Ranch check out this report.
- Lake Isabella
Some great roads await you as well as some awesome scenic vistas. It takes a little bit of super slab from Santa Barbara to get to the good stuff but once you get there you’ll see it’s worth it. This is an all day ride with a stop for lunch in Kernville. - Hwy 58 Loop
This is a fantastic day trip with almost everything you could want. Over mountains, through flatlands and along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean. All whilst enjoying twisty’s, see thru sweepers and long straights. This ride won’t disappoint!
