Bear River Ridge

Distance: 35 miles
Elevation: 3514 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Start: Ferndale, CA

This ride has a lot to offer including low traffic, beautiful scenery, and 7 miles of gravel.  You can park at the Ferndale fairgrounds where there is free parking, camping, and bathrooms.  For a small fee you can also take a shower.

After leaving the fairgrounds, or downtown Ferndale, head east on Blue Slide road where you will ride through dairy land before hitting the “Three Sisters” which are short climbs.  Along the way you will have views of the Eel River.  In Rio Dell you will turn onto Pacific Avenue to bypass downtown before starting up Monument Road.  This is a tough climb with some steep gradients and eventually gravel.  Make sure you have good gearing.  The real fun starts when you hit the gravel of Bear River Ridge Road.  This section can easily be ridden on a road bike, but a cross/gravel bike will make the descents more fun!  Depending on the weather, you may be able to see the ocean as well as a 360 degree view of Humboldt County.  The descent on the Wildcat/Mattole road is fast and fun.  The route can be ridden counterclockwise, but clockwise is the most popular because you finish on the paved descent capping off a fun ride into Ferndale.

Make sure to visit downtown Ferndale for good food and shopping opportunities.

You can link below to RidewithGPS where you can download the file and/or create a cuesheet.  Gone are the days when I have to create these on my own :)