Holy smokes, cycling Crescent City to Elk Prairie has some massive climbs. But boy, is cycling through the Redwoods worth the effort! Today we met a group of friends we’d ride with for a number of days, and some of whom we’re still friends with to this day!
Cycling Crescent City to Elk Prairie is the 15th 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 14, Crescent City to Elk Prairie.Â
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Cycling Crescent City to Elk Prairie
Holy smokes, we came off an easy day of riding yesterday to a day of major climbs! But, with those climbs came some epic downhills making the hills worth it.
We knew we had big climbs today, so we were able to mentally prepare ourselves for the ride, much different than day 5, when we got blindsided by a major climb!
Absolutely beautiful day of cycling today into the Redwoods, and just so freeing being just the two of us and our bikes!
The end of the day brought nearly 5 miles of downhill riding, talk about a great way to end a hard day of cycling!
We nearly started a forest fire today when our camp stove malfunctioned and spewed flames everywhere. We were lucky enough to have water nearby and the ability to stomp out the burning grass with our shoes! But still, a scary couple seconds that seemed like an eternity.
Setting up camp at Elk Prairie State Park, we met a couple of other cyclists and decided to ride with them the next day, which turned into multiple days of riding together as the WolfPack. 🙂 We are still friends to this day the other couple in the WolfPack, and even met up with them in Prague while we were living abroad!
Biking Crescent City to Elk Prairie Day 14 Quick Facts
- Miles // 36.02 miles
- Saddle Time // 3 hrs 39 min
- Elevation // 2,972 feet
- Accommodation // hiker-biker camp at Elk Prairie State Park
- Water // fill up at the church and businesses along the way, we filled at Trees of Mystery too
- Food // stop at the Smoked Salmon shop on the side of the road in Klamath!
Pacific Coast Highway Day 14 Journal Entry
Wednesday 19 Aug 2015 11:17
Day 14: Today we woke up early to plan the rest of our trip down to San Francisco. We only have 11 days of cycling left. That’s nuts.
We set off from the church in Crescent City around 10:30 and began our huge accent up into the redwoods. It was a crazy road, no shoulders, but we made ourselves wide by owning the road and making vehicles go around us instead of zooming right past us.
The accent was tough but the downhill was definitely rewarding. The ride overall was good, mostly cloudy/foggy but it made for a cool relaxing ride. We had three big hills and one last downhill that lasted for almost 5 miles before getting us into camp for the night.
In the town of Klamath, we found a super energetic man selling smoked salmon. He was a good salesman and we bought some very flavorful smoked salmon from him. For lunch, we stopped halfway up our second mountain, and put pieces of salmon on a bagel with cream cheese. It was so good, just the thing we needed to get us up the second half of this mountain and the last one just a few miles down the road.
Elk Prairie State Park
As we were entering Elk Prairie State Park, we coasted in and were just enjoying all the amazing redwoods that lined the road. Heather coasted for more than 5 miles while I rode with no hands and took pictures of everything that was cool.
Just about a half mile before the campground, we stopped at Big Tree; it’s a tree that’s estimated at being 1,500 years old and over 350 feet tall. Of course, we had to get a picture with our bikes under it, even though the trail sign said no bikes permitted on the path (we walked them, that’s ok, right?).
As we rolled into camp, we met up with a girl we chatted with in Humbug State Park and recognized two other cyclists from Humbug as well. In the evening, both Rachel and I had a fluke with our alcohol stoves, they both kinda exploded on us within 20 seconds of each other at two totally different tables. After everyone made their own dinner, we had all ate together and chatted.
We all decided that Arcata/Eureka was all our next destination so, we decided to all ride out in the morning together and camp at a WarmShowers farm the following night.
For the day we rode 36 miles with an elevation of 2,972 feet. We ended with a total distance of 664.28 miles.
Cycler’s Tips for Cycling Crescent City to Elk Prairie | PCH Day 14
- You have absolutely massive climbs today… and multiple climbs at that! Get yourself in the mindset for a hard day of cycling before hitting the road to make the ride easier!
- This section of the Pacific Coast Highway does not have much of a shoulder. Be sure to own the road and claim your space so you don’t get pushed off the edge! People will be mad at you and speed around you, and even give you the middle finger a time or two, but that’s better than getting shoved off the road!
- This ride is absolutely beautiful! Take your time and enjoy it! Stop for photos, or just simply to take in the views!
- You’ll be cycling through a National Park today! The Redwoods are amazing! Stop at Big Tree, said to be over 1,500 years old!
More on Cycling the Pacific Coast Highway
All The Bicycle Gear You Need to Complete a Cycle TourÂ
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!
Total Guide to Cycling Seattle to San Francisco
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
The Best Waffle Cone Around, Finnish Baths, And Homemade Ice Cream
Previous Daily Journal Entry on our Pacific Coast Highway Bike Tour
Saying goodbye to our cycle buddy, Maarten, and finishing the entire length of the Oregon Coast by bike!
Camping for Free on your Bike Tour
Interested in learning more about camping for free on your bike tour? We’re sharing ways to find free camping, what you need to know about free camping, and even our favorite places!
Have questions about day 14, cycling Crescent City to Elk Prairie? 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!