Today was like a rollercoaster! Cycling Van Damme to Gualala Regional Park goes in and out of inlets for miles and miles down the coastline, making lots of descents followed by climbs back out of each nook.
Cycling Van Damme to Gualala is the 21st 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 20, Van Damme to Gualala.
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Cycling Van Damme to Gualala
“We’re off to Gual-lala-laland” … picture us, or rather just Heather, singing that over and over on the ride! Yep, that’s what was happening as we left Van Damme to head south! How can you not add a couple of extra lalalalas when saying Gualala?
This ride was an interesting one! We had a lot of elevation, but if you look at the map below it was very much so up and down like a roller coaster! And that’s just what it was in real life too!
The highway flows in and out of little water inlets all the way down the coast, and we would cycle down into the corner and then have to cycle uphill out of the corner. It was a really fun, but tiring ride!
While we had over 4,000 feet in elevation gains for this ride, we maxed out at just over 300 feet above sea level! This was fantastic because that meant we were down along the water for the majority of the ride, and it was a beaut of a day!
Ending the day at Gualala Regional Park was perfect! It’s a nice park with really pretty views of the sunset and a lovely visitor center too!
Biking Van Damme to Gualala Day 20 Quick Facts
- Miles // 49.18 miles
- Saddle Time // 4 hrs 45 min
- Elevation // 4,349 feet
- Accommodation // hiker-biker at Gualala Regional Park
- Water // fill at camp and places along the way
- Food // many places along the way, Point Arena good place for lunch
Pacific Coast Bike Tour Blog Day 20
Wednesday 26 Aug 2015 20:07
Day 20: Heather sang many times of “Gual-lala-laland” or Gualala, CA. We made it to this town and then the county park where the campground was, just before 5 pm.
During the day we stopped and had lunch in the small town of Point Arena. We shared a sandwich and a salad.
There we hung out for a little while because there were some nice seats to relax in and make more plans for what’s to come after the cycle trip. After our day on the bikes, we restocked in the town of Gualala then made it to camp.
After we set up camp, we checked out the river, or better, the lack of the river. Then we went up to the visitor center because they had free wifi so we could chat with the kiddos. While we were up there, we attempted to make dinner, but I forgot the can opener at camp. So we ended up just making berries and cream for dinner. It was so good. Thanks to the wolf pack for blowing our minds with this treat!
Overall our day was good. But my legs were still feeling it. This was one of the only days on the whole trip that my legs were dead, and that other day was yesterday and the day before that.
We didn’t peak out too high, just 322 feet, but we sure did have a lot of elevation gains.
We had a total of 4,349 feet all within 49.1 miles. Our total distance for the trip is 937.32 miles.
Cycler’s Tips for Cycling Van Damme to Gualala | PCH Day 20
- While you don’t cycle too high in elevation for any given climb, today you have a lot of elevation gains and losses! The ride today is like a rollercoaster, and it’s a fun one!
- When cycling into a corner, you can kind of pick up on if the road is going to be too sharp of a turn to gain much speed or not.. if it’s not too sharp, try and gain momentum heading into each corner!
- With that said, be careful, some corners are super sharp and you don’t want to was out on the bike! We both almost did at least once!
- Stick to your side of the road, and as close to the edge as you can.. way too many people cut the corners!
More on Cycling the Pacific Coast Highway
Cycle Packing Gear & Where to Purchase it All
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!
Pacific Coast Bike Tour Blog | Gear + Sleeping + Route Information
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
Day 21, cycling Gualala to Bodega Dunes — Dolphins, hairpin turns, and coffee in Jenner!
Day 19 Pacific Coast Highway Bike Tour Blog
Cycling Mac Kerricher to Van Damme — a pseudo rest day, though still with nearly 1,500 feet in elevation!
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 20, cycling Van Damme to Gualala? 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!