Twisty Skaggs Springs Road Between Hwy 101 and Hwy 1 in Sonoma : MotoSFO

April 10, 2012 Posted by Carla in North Bay, Rides

Twisty Skaggs Springs Road Between Hwy 101 and Hwy 1 in Sonoma

If you love the twisties then ride Skaggs Springs Road which extends from Lake Sonoma not far from Geyserville (get gas there) in Sonoma County to Stewarts Point on Highway 1 at the coast. It is a curvaceous, newly-paved road through rolling hills with oaks, madrones, manzanita to the east and pines, firs, redwoods to the west, almost all natural landscapes along the way.

Daylong

This can be the northernmost point of an all-day loop from San Francisco, using Skaggs Springs Road to cross between Highways 1 and 101. (Especially useful if it's one of those foggy summer days on the coast, and you want to head east to the sun.) There's gas at the west end of the road in Stewart's Point on the coast at Highway 1.

This is also a nice ride if you're staying in the resort town of Calistoga north of Napa.

Weekender

You could zoom up Highway 1 a few miles to stop in Point Arena and say hi to the nice folks at the Zen House Motorcycle Shop. Then keep going north to spend a night or two in Mendocino or Fort Bragg.

Farther Flung

Motorcyclists heading up to the Pacific Northwest often spend their first night in Mendocino, which you can reach via ether Highway 1 or Highway 101 and 128 from either end of Skaggs Springs Road. If you just can't get enough twisties, and you want to cross back over to or from 101/1, check out Mountain View Road between Booneville and Point Arena, 30 miles takes about an hour. A $20 Pashnit subscription will get you the whole description and a video and lots more.

Maps and Photos

Below is a map and a video that cycles through some still photos of Skaggs Springs Road.

View Larger Map

Carla King is a San Francisco Bay Area adventure travel writer who chronicles her adventures in her Motorcycle Misadventures series of realtime online dispatches and books. She has motorcycled all around the USA, in Europe, Africa, China, and India. Carla is the author of American Borders: Breakdowns in Small Towns All Around the USA, and the upcoming China Road Motorcycle Diaries. No matter where she is, you can always find her at CarlaKing.com.