Why this ride
A 294 km one-way ride from near Alamo, about 5 h 22 of riding. It goes by way of Boyes Hot Springs and near Inverness.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Mount Hamilton and Mines Road · part 1
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 294 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 22
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Fuel stop near Alamo
Planning note
Mount Hamilton and Mines Road is where the day begins. Next is San Francisco Bay Area return.
2. Near Boyes Hot Springs, on the way back
This is wine country in its quieter, older form, with small family vineyards on the lower slopes, oak savanna on the hills and old stone wineries, and it is far less crowded than neighbouring Napa. Sonoma itself, the historic town at the southern end, has a Spanish plaza, an old mission and an easy, unhurried feel.
Read the complete Near Boyes Hot Springs, on the way back write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
San Francisco Bay Area return comes up about 103 km into the recorded legs. Next is Food stop near Inverness.
3. Food stop near Inverness
The San Andreas Fault runs straight up Tomales Bay, and in the 1906 earthquake the land on the western side lurched several metres north in a matter of seconds. Inverness sits on that western side, on the shore of the bay, a small village of wooden houses among the trees, at the gateway to the Point Reyes peninsula. It is a quiet, slightly eccentric place, with a general store, a few restaurants and a lot of bird-watchers.
Read the complete Inverness write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
A break here. Next is Mount Hamilton and Mines Road photo pull-off.
4. Moss Beach
Moss Beach clings to a low bluff above the Pacific, a scatter of houses, cypress trees and fields on the San Mateo coast between Montara and Half Moon Bay. It is a small, quiet place, often wrapped in fog, where the sound of the surf is constant and the air smells of salt, seaweed and eucalyptus. For many riders, it is a first taste of the wild coast just south of San Francisco.
Read the complete Moss Beach write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mount Hamilton and Mines Road photo pull-off closes the day.
Leg by leg
Fuel stop near Alamo to Near Boyes Hot Springs, on the way back
Fuel stop near Alamo → Near Boyes Hot Springs, on the way back is 103 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Food stop near Inverness to Moss Beach
Food stop near Inverness → Moss Beach is 105 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.