San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara - Cycling

Review

Intro

If you're looking for an epic day on the bike, with stunning views of all the best that southern California has to offer, plan a ride between the mid-sized city of San Luis Obispo and the beautiful Santa Barbara. The best way to do this is to take an early morning train ride (cost is $34) from Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo, and then ride the century back to beautiful SB.

What Makes It Great

Doing it north to south like this allows you to avoid most of the headwinds you'd encounter in the opposite direction.  Along this 100-mile route you'll be treated to some excellent views of the Central Coast of California- full of wineries, beaches, and beautiful rolling hills. There are also plenty of places on the way where you can stop and find some good food and drink to refuel. This is a difficult route due to its high mileage, but if you're an experienced and conditioned cyclist, then this is a great route for a long weekend ride. 

Who is Going to Love It

This is a great century route for strong riders. Strong intermediates who are ok with a long day will also have fun on this ride. The rolling terrain is nothing all that difficult, but the 100 mile distance will be a challenge for casual riders. Avoid doing this ride on hot summer days. 

Directions, Parking, & Regulations

The bus runs from the Amtrak station in Santa Barbara. The address is 209 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. You can look at the schedule for bus rides here.