Pacific Coast Bike Tour

The "LA to LA" ride: Los Altos to Los Angeles.

Day 7 · Friday, September 11

Solvang → Ventura

Distance
82.4mi132.6km
Elevation gain
2779ft847m
Elevation loss
3218ft981m
Max elevation
950ft290m
Solvang → Ventura Switch basemap (elevation / vegetation / plain) top-right; click any point for Google Maps, Apple Maps or Street View.
Download GPX — Day 7 Open in Google Maps Open in Apple Maps

The day at a glance

Leaves the Santa Ynez Valley and runs the Gaviota coast, which is cattle ranchland and largely undeveloped — a rare stretch of open California coastline. From Goleta onward it turns to lemon and avocado groves on the slopes above the road, and Carpinteria is cut flowers and nursery glass, an industry that has been there for a century.

Worth looking up for

  • The coastal miles are the prettiest of the trip: Gaviota, Refugio, El Capitán, then Santa Barbara and Carpinteria.
  • Best-served day by far — 35 water points and the shortest dry stretch at 19 mi.

What to watch for

  • Longest day of the trip at 82.4 mi, but the climbing is front-loaded: the hardest pitch is mi 4.4–5.2 at 5.9%, and it eases after.
  • Sections through the Gaviota corridor are ridden on the US-101 freeway shoulder. It is a wide shoulder — noisy and fast alongside, but there is room.

Towns along the way

  1. 1 Solvang
  2. 13 Las Cruces
  3. 39 Isla Vista
  4. 45 Hope Ranch 1.0 mi off
  5. 48 Las Positas Meadows
  6. 53 Santa Barbara 1.0 mi off
  7. 57 Montecito 0.9 mi off
  8. 61 Toro Canyon
  9. 64 Carpinteria
  10. 67 Shepards 1.6 mi off
  11. 71 Mussel Shoals
  12. 76 Faria Beach
  13. 82 Ventura

Stops along the way

Mapped in OpenStreetMap and carried in the GPX as waypoints, so they show on a head unit too. Distances are miles from the start. Tap a name for Google Maps, or the arrow for Apple Maps. Not verified on the ground — opening hours and whether a tap actually runs are anyone’s guess.

Water 12

Shops & markets 8

Food & coffee 9

Tasting rooms & bars 5

Parks 6

Restrooms 12

Historic 3