Written Directions
Highway 101 in Santa Maria, CA. Exit Betteravia Road heading East. Betteravia Road becomes Foxen Canyon Road. Foxen Canyon Road becomes Santa Maria Mesa Road. Santa Maria Mesa Road merges into Tepusquet Canyon Road. Head North on Tepusquet Canyon Road. Follow this all the way up the mountain and back down until you reach highway 166. Follow 166 West until you reach highway 101 again.
Scenery
This little loop is a great, one-hour detour from your trip on highway 101. You'll start the cruise through the open expanse of Santa Maria Valley's strawberry fields. As you curve gently past the tiny town of Garey, you're presented with a speedy, 3-mile straight that surrounds you with Cambria Winery's grapevines growing on both sides of the road. As you round the next bend, a few small homes and ranches begin to pass by. The next few miles begins the ascent of Tepusquet Canyon which hosts the traditional combination of Large Oak Trees scattered among the dry, golden brush. The next several miles include challenging but predictable twistys that any type of rider will enjoy. As you reach the peak and begin to descend across its backside, there's at least one soft shoulder near the top that's worth pulling off for. You get a fantastic look across the massive Los Padres range. Since this route is lightly traveled, it's a good moment to take a couple deep breaths and soak in the incredible stillness of this place before continuing on. The remainder of your descent includes a few more twistys before making the final dash to highway 166. You're on your way back to highway 101 and to the remainder of your journey. Enjoy!
Drive Enjoyment
Overall the road condition is good. There are some uneven bits near the farms where tractors and heavy machinery have done damage. The strait away through the vineyard has some dips. The road leading up and down the mountain is very smooth though.
Tourism Opportunities
Once you leave highway 101 there are no gas stations without diverting away from the route several miles. There are the few small wineries along the way but outside of that there won't be much.
Motorcycle Road Additional info
Sometimes the CHP use this route to quickly get between the valley and highway 166.
