Right after you left Redway behind you, you have to ride on Hwy 101. The highway has a wide shoulder and riding is OK. Soon enough you exit the highway and ride under towering redwood trees at the Avenue of the Giants. Along the road you find a few selected services.
Eventually you will cross a fork of the Eel River and turn into Mattole Rd. First you cruise through the redwoods of Humboldt Redwood State Park (passing by various camp sites) and then you start climbing. It's a substantial climb up to Panther Gap, it's not too steep nor too long, but you still get a pretty good workout, specifically if you ride with all that gear needed for a multi-day journey.
Overlooking Honeydew and Mattole River Valley - 2/3 down from Panther Gap
Once you descended down to Honeydew, it's rolling along the Mattole River. In Petrolia you will find a well stocked general store. A few miles further you will get down to the coast and riding along the beach for a little while.
Lost Coast
At the end of the bay, the wall is waiting for you. A climb up the coastal ridge has grades around 15% for the first 2 km, afterwards you still climb, but it's getting easier.
The Wall
While you descent into the next valley, Capetown, and you already see the hills on the other side, you need to climb up again. It's a couple of big switchbacks with about 11% for the first 2.3 km. Eventually you roll down into Ferndale and from there it's all flat to into Eureka.
Part III features a total elevation gain of about 6000 feet (2000 m).
Services
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Redway |
Lodging:
Campground:
Stores: various on Redwood Dr Restaurants: various on Redwood Dr Laundromat: Redway Laundromat |
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Avenue of the Giants |
Lodging:
Campground:
Stores:
Restaurants:
Laundromat:
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Mattole Rd |
Campground:
Stores:
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Ferndale |
Ferndale is a mid-size town offering many options for lodging, stores, restaurants and other services. |
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Eureka |
Eureka is the business center of the region
offering many options for lodging,
stores, restaurants and other services.
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