Best during: Spring and Fall
Note: This bicycle ride involves long climbs on winding mountain roads. It’s best undertaken by only experienced road riders.

Description: An 85 mile bike ride from the San Joaquin Valley into Sequoia National Park on scenic mountain roads to see the earth's largest tree. This ride involved an elevation gain of nearly 7000 ft. Bring food, plenty of water, and warm clothes. It can get pretty chilly at the top of the mountain. We did the ride in May and the temperature dropped from 90F degrees near the airport to under 60F degrees at the top.

Airport:

Land at Woodlake airport (O42). The runway is in pretty bad condition and the "Taxi at your own risk" sign didn't inspire confidence. Otherwise it’s a nice little airport. The airport's cafe, The Outpost, is open from 6am to 2pm. Avgas is sold during those hours. Just ask your waitress. After 2pm you'll need to track down the airport manager for gas. We spoke to him, and he said the town has submitted an application for FAA funds to improve the airport. Let's hope they get it. Plenty of tie-down space is available. There isn’t much in the town of Woodlake and no rental cars are available. Other than the near-by national park, the $100 hamburger, accompanied by a few stories from the airport manager, is the leading attraction of this airport.

Unload the bikes, jump on, and take a left out of the airport driveway. The starting elevation is about 400ft. Ride a mile into town. At the first stop sign turn right on Rt 216 and ride about 5 miles. After passing the local handgun shop you’ll ride through orange groves typical of the valley. When the road Ts into Rt 189 take a left and climb through the rolling hills along Lake Kaweah. (Look for the houseboat town).


The road near the lake has gorgeous views of the terrain you're about to enter.

Continue riding along the Kaweah River. Past the town of Three Rivers look for a small store on the right with an Indian sitting in front. This is a good place to stock-up on food and water for the long climb. About 16 miles from Rt 216 you'll come to the entrance to Sequoia National Park at about 1700ft elevation. Even cyclists pay an entrance fee, so be prepared with some money or, better yet, your national parks pass. Rt 198 (now called the General's Highway) continues along the Kaweah River through the oak and brush forests of the foothills before it heads up toward the big trees. From here on out (the turn-around is at 42mi) it's a long, often steep climb. Unless you’re using this ride to prepare for the Tour de France we’d recommend a triple chainring or a 39x27.

Be sure to stop at a switchback or two on the way up to take in the magnitude of the rocky peaks of the Great Western Divide. The occasional passing car didn't bother us, as the winding road and 25mph speed limit seemed to keep traffic to a leisurely pace. However, we rode in the spring and during the park's busy summer months traffic can increase significantly.

About 12 miles past the park entrance, at an elevation of about 6000ft, the Giant Forest starts. Riding through the dense forest you'll soon begin to see trees that dwarf the already large evergreens around them - these are the giant Sequoias. Keep an eye out for wildlife here.

We saw a beautiful young black bear. At about 6500ft you’ll find the Giant Forest Museum, open until 4:30PM in the spring. After the long climb you can fill your bottles in a bathroom to the side of the museum, open all the time. Continue 2 miles past the museum (about 42.5 miles from the beginning of the ride) to the General Sherman tree, the largest tree and living thing on earth.

The tree, at 275ft, is not the tallest or, at 103ft, the largest in circumference, but the largest in terms of total wood volume with 53,000 cubic feet. At this point, put on your extra clothes and prepare for the descent. The ride down is twisty and fun; just be cautious in the hairpin turns. Descending to the park entrance should take less than 1/3 of the time it took to get up from there. If you have managed to build an appetite on the way down, past the town of Three Rivers we found a nice little restaurant that serves good, standard American food. The atmosphere is relaxed, the wait staff is friendly, and seating is right on the river. From there, it's 15 miles back to the airport. The runway is lighted in the event it’s dark by the time you take off. Our ride time was 6 hours and with some stopping to eat and check out the sights our total ride took 8 hours. It's one of the most beautiful rides in the country, and makes a great adventure.

Alternate ways to enjoy this trip: Fly into Visalia (KVIS), rent a car, and drive into the park. Or rent a car and stay overnight in one of the numerous motels in Three Rivers, and use that as a starting point for the ride.

Key information:
http://www.threerivers.com/
http://www.airnav.com/airport/O42
http://www.nps.gov/seki/