Cycling Eureka to Burlington brings one killer hill that would have left us walking at the beginning of our cycle trip, but it also brought some of the best riding through an old-growth Redwood forest! Day 16 on the bikes was sure a treat!
Cycling Eureka to Burlington is the 17th 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 16, Eureka to Burlington.
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Cycling Eureka to Burlington, California
Google Maps failed us today with the elevation gain, although now with the updated Google Maps, you can actually see how much elevation you’ll have on a bike ride. Nevertheless, we didn’t know, and were hit hard with a massive extremely steep climb in a very short distance!
The best thing about climbs though is always the views and the downhill you get after the climb! This climb was no different! We all may have hated it on the way up, and second-guessed turning back a number of times, but the reward was maybe a bit worth it!
I distinctly remember this climb as we didn’t have service to determine if we should just go back down and head a different route instead. We all decided to just keep going, as we didn’t want to have to redo any of the climbing we had accomplished at each breaking point.
Avenue of the Giants along this ride is just amazing! Riding through the old-growth of trees with only a little bit of cars you can really take in how tall the trees really are!
Even with the hiccup of the hill that would have dropped us had it been at the beginning of our cycling journey, there is no way we could have made it up the hill!
Biking Eureka to Burlington Day 16 Quick Facts
- Miles // 53.97 miles
- Saddle Time // 4 hrs 52 min
- Elevation // 2,333 feet
- Accommodation // hiker-biker in Burlington State Park
- Water // fill up before leaving!
- Food // bring food or plan for lunch at Rio Dell, few farm shops along the way also
Pacific Coast Highway Day 16 Journal Entry
Friday 21 Aug 2015 17:59
Day 16: This morning we woke up on the Blue Blossom Organic Farm in Eureka, CA at an early time of 6:30. We all ate breakfast and drank coffee before the whole wolf pack decided to take off down the road.
We only had a few miles of going down the 101 until Google maps had us leave Highway 101 to go on an alternate route that would allow us to have fewer cars and be more scenic. The one thing that Google doesn’t do is have you go on the flattest sections. Therefore, we would most likely be seeing some hills with unknown elevations.
As we hit this hill in the farmlands outside Eureka, figuratively speaking, we were about to be hit upside the head with a cast-iron pan, the hill was a mountain with a straight-up 700 feet vertical ascension.
Our friends riding tandem couldn’t make the steep grade so they had to walk, and Heather and I had to take more breaks than usual to get ourselves up it. Once we made it to the top, the views of rolling grasslands of Humboldt County were amazing. Totally worth not being around cars and being able to see some pretty scenery.
With only a few miles more, we stopped in the small town of Rio Dell to make lunch and rest before entering the Avenue of the Giants.
Avenue of the Giants
This place was amazing.
It’s basically a small road that runs right through the middle of an old-growth redwood forest. Some of the most fun riding we have done. Halfway through we stopped at an organic farm to get fresh veggies, walk through the sunflower garden, and eat blackberry popsicles. Afterward, we only had about 8 more miles to camp.
We camped at Burlington State Park within the redwoods. The overall day was good, hot, but not too intense.
We cycled 53.9 miles with an elevation gain of 2,333 feet. Our overall distance is 768.47 miles.
Cycler’s Tips for Cycling Eureka to Burlington | PCH Day 16
- Jumping off Highway 101 and taking the route Google gives is risky business. That climb at the 20 mile mark is just as steep as it looks in the image above! Obviously, we can’t speak from experience, but the highway route may be better than this!
- Don’t miss the Avenue of the Giants today! And Be sure to take your time going through this part of the ride! It’s Amazing!
- Stop at the wee farm shop along the Avenue of the Giants to get some great homemade popsicles!
- Don’t be afraid to eat at the random little shop/restaurants in the tiny towns along the way! These produce some great cycle food, and they’re used to cyclists coming through!
More on Cycling the Pacific Coast Highway
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All You Need to Know About Biking The Pacific Coast Highway
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
Another tough day of climbing, before the all too dreaded day of Leggett Hill — the toughest day on the PCH! Confusion Hill made for a great stopping point today, and Standish Hickey the perfect rest day location!
Previous Daily Journal Entry on our Pacific Coast Highway Bike Tour
A beautiful ride through the Redwoods, amazing savory waffle cones, a soak in proper Finnish baths, and ending the night with some homemade ice cream at our Warm Showers stay in Eureka!
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Have questions about day 16, cycling Eureka to Burlington? 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!