Angeles Crest Highway

Alice's Restaurant at 17288 Skyline Boulevard in Woodside, CA has been the Bay Area's premier motorcycle gathering spot for decades, perched at the intersection of Skyline Blvd (CA-35) and La Honda Road (CA-84). The diner serves classic American breakfasts and burgers and is surrounded by redwood forests at roughly 1,460 feet elevation. On any given weekend, the front parking lot is packed with bikes representing every style. The location makes it a natural hub for riders coming up from San Jose, down from San Francisco, or looping Skyline and Alice's to the coast on Highway 84.

CA-96 follows the Trinity and Klamath Rivers through 150 miles of remote Northern California wilderness between Willow Creek (Humboldt County) and Yreka (Siskiyou County). The federally designated Bigfoot Scenic Byway covers the Willow Creek–to–Happy Camp segment — roughly 88 miles of river-canyon riding through Klamath National Forest, Hoopa Valley Tribal lands, and the fringe of the Marble Mountain Wilderness. The road alternates between mile-long sweepers and tight 20-mph canyon bends near Hoopa. Traffic is thin, towns are tiny (Orleans, Weitchpec, Seiad Valley), and the Klamath River corridor — one of California's last free-flowing river systems — frames every mile. Best ridden April through November.

Bixby Creek Bridge on Highway 1 is one of the most photographed concrete arch bridges in the world, spanning a dramatic coastal canyon 13 miles south of Carmel. The north-side turnout offers the iconic view of the bridge with Pacific cliffs and ocean beyond. Built in 1932, the single-span arch rises 280 feet above the creek. For motorcyclists riding the Pacific Coast Highway through Big Sur, this is the defining photo stop — the curves of Highway 1 approaching from both directions are themselves a highlight. Park in the turnout on the north side of the bridge; do not stop on the bridge itself.