All-day on the coast today when cycling Humbug to Harris Beach! A rather quick 51 miles on the bikes, even with the 3,700+ feet in elevation gain! I suppose it’s good if our legs are getting used to that sort of elevation by now!!
Cycling Humbug to Harris Beach is the 13th of nearly 30 daily diaries of our cycle trip from Seattle to San Francisco.
If you’d like to read from the beginning, check out, getting to Seattle. Each post in this cycle series will contain our daily journal entries that we kept via Track My Tour, photos captured throughout the day, and the exact route, duration, and elevation gains for the given ride.
Read Our Complete Guide to Cycling the Pacific Coast Highway Here
Let’s dive into Biking the Pacific Coast Highway, Day 12, Humbug to Harris Beach State Park.
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Cycling Humbug to Harris Beach State Park
Lots of elevation today, but surprisingly we made the 51 miles at a really good pace! Feeling proud of being able to accomplish that much elevation in such a fast pace!
We took a detour just above Harris Beach and had a nice downhill ride into Wedderburn… Other than that, the ride was right on the coastline all day, filled with awesome views of just the ocean!
Up to this point, our friend Maarten from Holland had been riding with us, but the coastal route wasn’t really his jam, so today would be our last day riding together, and grandma would come to pick him up tomorrow in Brookings.
The hiker-biker camp at Harris Beach is a much more shared space than the previous camps we’d experienced, and we met lots of people doing the same bike tour. It’s interesting to see people’s goals of riding along the west coast. Many people talk about how fast they’re doing the ride, but for us, it was more about taking in the sites, and really stretching the ride over the entire month.
Biking Humbug to Harris Beach Day 12 Quick Facts
- Miles // 51.08 miles
- Saddle Time // 4 hrs 31 min
- Elevation // 3,745 feet
- Accommodation // hiker-biker site at Harris Beach State Park
- Water // We bought drinks in Wedderburn
- Food // Snacks in Wedderburn, restaurants in Gold Beach, not much right on the highway
Pacific Coast Highway Day 12 Journal Entry
Monday 17 Aug 2015 20:24
Day 12: This morning we all woke up from Humbug State Park after our rest day and got on the road earlier than we have the whole trip: 8:00 am. It was really cool getting on the road that early because we were done an hour and a half earlier than normal.
Because this day didn’t have much to see, we made the 51 miles go pretty quickly. Although there were 3,744 feet of elevation, we did it in 4.5 hours but by the end of the day, our legs were pretty sore.
Luckily, tomorrow will be a shorter day for a pseudo rest day.
Once we arrived at camp (Harris Beach State Park) around 1:30, we quickly set up camp and took a shower before heading into Brookings to get our provisions for the night. After dinner, we met some older gentlemen who were retired and were cycling the same route as us.
They have done it a few times and a few other routes as well and had so much wisdom and insight that they could shed onto us to help us later down the road. One of the guys gave us a spreadsheet of all the different hiker/biker camps all the way to San Diego. A huge help when California doesn’t provide much info online like Oregon does.
After all the conversations, it was time to go to bed for one last night. This would be Maarten’s last night with us. He decided that road bike touring wasn’t his thing and that he would rather mountain bike in Bend. So, this was our last night all together. In the morning Grandma Frankie will be picking him up along with the bike and trailer to take him and the stuff back to Grants Pass.
The final distance for the day was 51 miles of the tour plus 4 miles going into town and back. Our overall distance is 594.61 miles.
Cycler’s Tips for Humbug Mountain to Harris Beach | PCH Day 12
- Lots of elevation today, in fact, more than double yesterday! But it’s not as bad as it sounds!
- Harris Beach is a lovely hiker-biker site! You’re guaranteed to meet other cyclists, but just be wary of homeless people in the area too!
- Brookings has a free campsite right on the water, but there has been reports of people getting swept out to the ocean, so we wouldn’t advise staying there.
- Cycling into Brookings is a good bet for getting good food, however, the harbor adds quite a bit of elevation for the day, so we suggest stopping at the harbor tomorrow instead!
- Be sure to have snacks and water with you today! We were both really thirsty and hungry when we came across the market at Wedderburn.
More on Cycling the Pacific Coast Highway
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Our complete list of all the bike gear we took on our trip from Seattle to San Fransisco. Ideas of where to get your bike gear so you don’t spend an arm and a leg, and a printable checklist for ensuring you pack all the gear you need!
Cycle Rules in Oregon | A Bicyclist’s Manual
Did you know, in Oregon, as a cyclist you’re technically considered a car and must oblige by vehicle road rules? Use that knowledge as confidence to take over the lane when there’s not a safe shoulder and really own the road!
All There is to Know About the PCH Bike Route
This post contains our gear list, all our daily journal entries, FAQs on cycling the PCH, and downloads to make your PCH cycle trip easier!
Next Daily Journal Entry on our Pacific Coast Highway Bike Tour
Completing the Entire Oregon Coast Bike Route and into California!!! Big day for the two of us!
Previous Daily Journal Entry on our Pacific Coast Highway Bike Tour
The hottest day yet.. cycling inland from Bandon to Humbug State Park. And our first day with absolutely zero saddle time!
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Have questions about day 12, cycling Humbug to Harris Beach? Need a bit more information about the trip as a whole? Or just want to share your experiences? We’d love to hear from you.. start a conversation below!