Dry Creek Valley Out & Back- #1 recommended moderate ride |
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Sonoma, California Bike Tours & Rentals
The perfect Wine Country Bike Ride- quiet roads, beautiful views, great wineries and a wonderful lunch stop. The Dry Creek Valley is home to many small production, family owned, award winning wineries so it's difficult to decide on just a few-solution- visit the area often. This ride starts in the "Culinary Town" of Headlsburg, in northern Sonoma County, California. This is always the first ride we recommend and the further up valley you travel the quieter and prettier it gets. We now offer pedal assist E-BIKES so you can cover more ground during your day BUT still get a work out because that's what's really important. GROUPS PLEASE SEE INFO BELOW "PLANNING YOUR RIDE" and or give us a call for bike preference and winery info. Upload this easy to follow route to your phone or device so you can access turn by turn voice navigation.
**We suggest you follow this link on your phone to create a free Ride With GPS account and automatically become a member of the Wine Country Bikes RWGPS Club. Installing their free app will then allow you to use turn by turn voice navigation on any Wine Country Bikes routes and download our routes and maps to your phone for offline usage.
The Dry Creek Valley Out & Back is the perfect ride for a casual day trip exploring the Healdsburg area! The region is home to many small production, organic, family owned & operated wineries, many with regular tasting room hours. We have included a number of the "stand outs" as "points of interest" on our Ride with GPS custom, downlodable routes. For GROUPS of 6+ PLEASE VIEW OUR PLANNING YOUR RIDE page and we've noted which wineries are open to group appointments on the map.
Overall, the ride is considered "flat" with small rolling hills (equivalent to about 2 flights of stairs) with just a little traffic the first mile getting from our Wine Country Bikes Touring Center out of town. We decided to make the ride an out & back simply because the road you'll travel-West Dry Creek Rd-has beautiful views in both directions, many places to stop and explore and is one of the most popular bike routes in the country- you’ll often see many more bikes than cars! The road itself is a small, newly paved country road with no shoulder; however, the speed limit is low and you may also see people running and walking.
The full ride is about 25 miles, but even beginning riders should be able to make the "Mid Valley" shorter trip of 11 miles on basic hybrid bikes. If in doubt or you only have 1/2 day, check out our E-bike selection for a little extra assistance to get further up valley to the cave at Bella or Zichichi Winery. Once you reach the mid-valley at approximately 5 miles from our Touring Center, you can take a short trip across the bridge at Lambert Bridge Rd to pick up lunch at the Dry Creek General Store- an old Stage Coach stop frequented by the infamous outlaw and poet Black Bart- which is now a gourmet deli with fresh local foods.
Enjoy your lunch in a picnic area at one of the surrounding wineries such as Dry Creek Vineyards which is one of the oldest in the area or perhaps you wish to travel further up valley in which case, we suggest picking up lunch and continuing up to Bella Winery at the most northern end of the Valley where you can visit the wine caves and enjoy gorgeous views as you picnic. You may also like to visit Zichichi Winery and taste some of their award winning zin and chat with their friendly, knowledgeable staff.
During peach season, for a sweet treat & jams, visit Dry Creek Peach & Produce (on Yoakim Bridge Rd)-June to September/Saturdays only.
On your return trip, just before you get to town, you'll pass by Davero on Westside Rd. If you're wine enthusiasts or interested in joining Davero's wine club you may wish to visit (by APPOINTMENT ONLY)- in addition to wine they offer olive oil tastings. Finally just a block or two from our Touring Center you can live the California dream at Longboard- the cool surfer’s winery lounge.At the completion of your day in the valley we offer shower facilities if you wish to dine at one of our small farm to table restaurants located on the square. Check out Campo Fina, Valette or Willi's Wine Bar for a memorable meal or grab a local brew & burger at Healdsburg Bar & Grill.
NOTE: If you choose to return via Dry Creek Rd you may encounter more traffic and the speed limit is higher than West Dry Creek Rd, however, there is a bike lane. Also, along Dry Creek Rd, you'll find a couple more stand out wineries like Comstock & West Wines (West Wines will drop off wine purchases in Healdsburg for cyclists!).
NOTE: For groups of 6+ RENTERS we recommend arranging appointments at a few of the wineries listed below:
Please contact Wine Country Bikes- for more information or bike rentals & tours from the Town of Healdsburg in northern Sonoma County California.
Dry Creek General Store-Gourmet deli & store.
Black Bart- The outlaw & poet
SUGGESTED WINERIES:
Dry Creek Winery- Oldest winery in the area (May accept 6+ Bike Renter Group upon Appointment)
Michel Schlumberger Winery-Pinot,Syrah (May accept 6+ Bike Renter Group upon Appointment)
Rafanelli Winery-Wine enthusiasts-APPOINTMENT ONLY (No groups)
Zichichi-Zin, barrel tasting, great folks.(No groups)
Martorana Family Winery-(May accept 6+ Bike Renter Group upon Appointment) Living roof cave, small family owned organic winery, amazing olive oil.
Amista Winery-(May accept 6+ Bike Renter Group upon Appointment)"Sparkling House of Dry Creek Valley"
Comstock Winery-Great for group appointments, amazing winery. Ask about their food program.
West Wines-(Accept 6+ Bike Renter Group upon Appointment)Cab & red blends- will deliver wine purchases into Healdsburg for cyclists!
Bella Winery- (No Groups)Tasting in the cave-great Zinfindel
Davero Farms & Winery- *by APPOINTMENT ONLY.Wine and olive oil tasting, a unique experience
Longboard Winery-Great for Group Appointments. Surfer lounge,local wine makers known for their Syrahs, great boutique winery.
Geyser Peak Winery-Accept group appointments, offer wines not distributed anywhere else.
**We suggest you follow this link on your phone to create a free Ride With GPS account and automatically become a member of the Wine Country Bikes RWGPS Club. Installing their free app will then allow you to use turn by turn voice navigation on any Wine Country Bikes routes and download our routes and maps to your phone for offline usage.
Visit Wine Country Bikes to choose your equipment. Our Specialized Sirrus Lightweight Hybrid bike is the first choice for this route but the Specialized Crossroads bike is also an appropriate choice. Our Electric Assist is appropriate for beginner to advanced riders.
Riding under the influence of alchohol is illegal and unsafe!
Swirl, Sniff, Sip & Spit- All the same laws apply to bicyclists as do cars therefore we recommend using the spit bucket provided in every tasting room and purchase a few bottles to enjoy later.
Always ride single file, stay on the road and obey all traffic laws!
***Rescue a puppy from your local shelter!