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4.88 out of 5 Rider Rating 4.88
8 Reviews

Hwy 299 from the coast to Redding, CA

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By tjharley762 (5 McR Points) on Jul 08, 2012

Rider Reviews

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Guest
May 22, 2013
great road, lots of great 70 mph banking curves…
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GJRonK
2629 McR Points
September 5, 2014
Beautiful ride. Little traffic. Much of the route…
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Written Directions

Hwy 299 begins at US Hwy 101 in Arcata, California, 15 minutes north of Eureka, in Humboldt County (100 miles south of the Oregon border). From Hwy 101 to Redding is about 150 miles. Gas up in Willow Creek and/or Weaverville, as there's little or no gas anywhere between towns on this ride. The first 30 miles heading east will be colder than the rest, since the coast here is usually overcast and chilly, even in the summer. Once you get over the hill to the town of Willow Creek (about 30 miles inland) it warms up considerably, eventually reaching upwards of 100F in July and August. The road from Willow Creek east, parallels the Trinity River for almost 50 miles, eventually leaving the river and passing through Weaverville, past Whiskeytown Reservoir, and eventually reaching the city of Redding, CA, on I-5 in the north end of California's great central valley. Total ride distance- 150 miles.

Scenery

The 150 miles between Redding and the coast are among the most beautiful 100 miles of riding roads on the planet. Highway Patrol runs radar on both dashboards, but along the river, you can often see a mile or more ahead of you. In the winter, they sand the roads because of winter weather conditions, but in the summer and fall it's dry, well paved, and generally wide open. Fewer cars during the weekdays, as this is a traveling road for tourists heading between the valley and the coast.

Drive Enjoyment

The road is generally in great shape, although there are old landslides upon which the road was built that slip a bit, requiring repaving annually. It's a great mixture of high-speed straightaway and tight, well-banked curves, with many high-speed curves along the Trinity River, and if you're an advanced rider, the road between the coast and Willow Creek (30ish miles) is full of great relatively high-speed curves.

Tourism Opportunities

From the coast til the Trinity River you're riding in the Redwoods. It's gorgeous. Along the Trinity, it's dry, hot, and scattered pines on really steep terrain along a beautiful mountain river. The Straw House restaurant 95 miles in from the coast has amazing lunches, misters on the patio during hot weather, and is motorcycle friendly, despite a small gravel parking lot. Food in Weaverville is average, with pizza and breakfast places, as well as a few bars and fast food on the roadside.

Motorcycle Road Additional info

We take the 90 miles from the coast to the Straw House every week for a "lunch ride", it's that beautiful. Please feel free to email me with questions. We love this ride, even when there's road construction, repairing the few bad spots on the road.
 

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Guest
May 22, 2013
0 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Touring
great road, lots of great 70 mph banking curves and beautiful scenery
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2 riders found this road review useful
GJRonK
September 5, 2014
2629 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Cruiser
Beautiful ride. Little traffic. Much of the route is through scenery, rather than just seeing it from a distance. Loved the flavored shake at the Strawhouse Cafe'--just right on a hot day!
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1 riders found this road review useful
Big_Mike
November 4, 2016
517 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Touring
Truly a wonderful ride with great scenery. I've ridden this twice, both times west to east and both times was blessed with great weather though pretty chilly early on as I started in the morning on each ride.
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1 riders found this road review useful