Nothing better then a easy ride along the Central Coast. Beautiful ride yes, but not as easy as some are expecting. Many first time visitors who come to the Central Coast to take a casual ride along the coast line are generally not prepared for the rollers and occasional long climb. A 1,309 foot overall gain awaits them on the 33 mile one way ride from Morro Bay to the Piedras Blancas lighthouse. Nothing to brag about but for those not prepared for climbing it can put a damper on their ride. Add another 1,253 feet of gain if you want to return to Morro Bay.
If you keep going North from the Piedras Blancas lighthouse you soon enter the Monterey District of the Los Padres National Forrest and eventually into Big Sur. That's where the real climbing begins. If you keep going North ** another 57 miles to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park you can expect another 5.537 feet of gain.
** Hwy 1 is closed South of Gorda about 19 miles North of the Lighthouse and is expected to open late summer of 2018. In May of 2017 five million cubic yards of hillside went sliding down into the ocean at Mud Creek.
