Santa Cruz, CA: Empire Grade and Swanton Loop

Santa Cruz, CA: Empire Grade and Swanton Loop

Cruise past gigantic redwoods, rugged coastline, and seasonal wildflowers on this 37-mile ride.

Author:	Bicycling Magazine
Date:	17 Apr 2008 10:42:21 AM
Activity:	Bicycling ActivitySearchBicycling
State:	California (CA)
Distance:	36.84 mi (Change units)
Elevation:	Total Gain: 5071 ft Total Loss: 5082 ft Net Change: -11 ft
Difficulty:	7 / 10
Tags:	California, Davenport, Highway 1, Santa Cruz Mountains
Rating:	Unrated Rate it

This 36-mile road ride links up two loops: 1) a 17.3-mile local favorite on CA 1 and Swanton Road 2) a secluded loop on the rural roads in the Santa Cruz mountains. Separately these are great rides; together they make a five-star afternoon of riding.

Start high, just above Felton at the 4-way intersection with Empire Grade and Bonny Doon Road. The first 11 miles on Empire Grade and Smith Road are mostly downhill, plunging riders in-and-out of dense redwood forests and sandstone moonscapes to CA 1. Turn right on CA 1 and grind north along some of Northern California’s most pristine coastline to Davenport, a small fishing town. Continue to Swanton Road and turn right. Ride a short but beautiful 7-mile loop past fields of Golden Poppies before turning left back onto CA 1. Head south to Bonny Doon Road. Now the hard part: Turn left onto Bonny Doon and climb 1,700 feet back to your car on Bonny Doon, Martin Road and Ice Cream Grade.

-Mapped by Russ Stevens

Position Format:	Datum:

Tracks

Santa Cruz, CA: Empire Grade and Swanton Loop

Dist: 36.84 mi	Points: 879	Calories: none
Time: none	Speed: 0.0 mph	Pace: 0:00 / mi

Distance	Instruction		Distance to next
0.00 mi	Start	West on Empire Grade	Then go 3.31 mi
3.31 mi	Turn Right	Smith Grad	Then go 5.33 mi
8.64 mi	Turn Left	Bonny Doon Rd	Then go 3.23 mi
11.87 mi	Turn Right	Highway 1	Then go 1.46 mi
13.33 mi	Turn Right	Cement Plant Rd	Then go 1.08 mi
14.41 mi	Turn Right	Highway 1	Then go 0.39 mi
14.80 mi	Turn Right	Swanton Rd	Then go 6.77 mi
21.58 mi	Turn Left	Highway 1	Then go 7.69 mi
29.26 mi	Turn Left	Bonny Doon Rd	Then go 3.88 mi
33.14 mi	Turn Right	Martin Rd	Then go 1.71 mi
34.85 mi	Turn Right	Ice Cream Grade	Then go 1.99 mi
36.84 mi	Stop

Points of Interest

Start

Location: 37.058020°, -122.122822°
Start out from the 4-way intersection with Felton Empire and Empire Road. Park in the dirt lot and head west for a quick downhill along Empire road.

Riding along Smith Road

Location: 37.016809°, -122.114754°
Quiet and hardly used, Smith Road envelopes riders in a calm quietness only Redwood forests can provide.

Several homes with long twisting driveways line Smith Road.

Location: 37.018111°, -122.126770°

Davenport, El Jarro Mexican Restaurant

Location: 37.013245°, -122.197838°
Big enough for fifteen peddle strokes, this small coastal town has several options for a mid-ride snack. El Jarro, just off the main highway, is a local favorite.

Looking down the start of Swanton Loop

Location: 37.032330°, -122.218738°

Seasonal Wildflowers at the start of Swanton Loop

Location: 37.032330°, -122.218738°
Seasonal Wildflowers and idyllic farmland line Swanton.

View from Swanton

Location: 37.081818°, -122.258863°
Top of Swanton Road looking down. Just before you head back down to Highway One, the view opens up and the Pacific Ocean shines in the distance.