Tour de los Padres – Proper Point-to-Point Route

A true test of physical endurance and mental fortitude, the Tour De Los Padres is a rugged and challenging long distance mountain biking route that leads riders through condor country into forested single-track, scenic canyons, riparian corridors, natural hot springs, hillside potreros, high meadows, awe-inspiring rock formations, and through some of the most remote backcountry California has to offer.

There are two routes offered: the Proper Route (longer and more technical) and the Tour Route (shorter and less technical).

The Proper Route starts at Arroyo Seco Campground in Monterey County and heads southwest into Big Sur and along Pacific Coast Highway to Cayucos, a cozy little beach town. From there, the route climbs back up into the mountains following some classic single track and gravel roads with another resupply option in Atascadero. After some epic trails above San Luis Obispo, the route heads southeast into the Carrizo Plain National Monument, where riders should keep an eye out for rare animals such as the California Pronghorn Antelope, San Joaquin Kit Fox, Tule Elk, Kangaroo Rats, and more.

Load up on food in New Cuyama, this is the last resupply before the route becomes very remote. Another big climb on pavement and narrow singletrack takes you up to the Sierra Madre Mountains. The high meadow and amazing rock formations at Painted Rock, which is a sacred area to the Chumash Tribe, will inspire you for the next big climb up to Big Pine Mountain, which is the highest peak in Santa Barbara County and has been bikepacked by locals for at least the last 40 years. You have the option to summit Big Pine Mountain on foot (it is located in wilderness), then the riding gets rough and rugged with rock slides, wash-outs, etc., so please use caution and take your time through this section as you travel mostly downhill. Enter the San Ynez River watershed with multiple creeks, rivers, and hot springs.

The last big climb takes you up to Divide Peak in the Santa Ynez Mountain range and then down Ocean View trail, which is a 16-mile historic singletrack that was brought back to life after the last decade by the Get It Done Trail Crew out of Ojai, CA. Get some well-deserved resupply in Oak View before riding the paved bike path to the Ventura Pier!

• Paved: 44%
• Smooth Gravel: 15%
• Rough Gravel: 15%
• 4×4 Road: 10%
• Singletrack: 16%

• This is a mountain bike route! The route has been completed by a variety of bike types ranging from fat bikes to hard-tails or full suspension mountain bikes. Rigid and gravel bikes are not recommended due to the technical and chunky riding conditions.
• The route is not rideable due to mud during or a few days after a significant storm event. Please don’t try.
• Be sure to check out the POIs in the RideWithGPS file for further information on resupply, camping, and water sources.
• Having a means to treat water is suggested for this route.
• There are limited but adequate services along the route.
  • The last resupply is in New Cuyama where most riders will need to carry about 2 to 3 days of food to reach Ojai.
• There are abundant camping opportunities along the route since much of the route is located on public national forest lands.
• There is plenty of free street parking in downtown Ventura, at the end of the route and not far from the pier and train station.
• However, if you are looking to access this route from LA, there are relatively easy ways to get to the start and end of the route:
  • The Greenfield On-Call is one shuttle option
  • Grayhound Bus stop in King City
  • Return to LA from Ventura via the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner

• Visit www.tourdelospadres.weebly.com for more important information to help you plan a successful trip on this route. This website also contains the Tour de Los Padres blog, which has many blog entries from past rides on the route.
• Bikepacking.com also has some great recaps of past events. See the 2024 recap here and search their site for other past write-ups.

The Tour de Los Padres (TDLP), originally designed in 2013 by Erin Carroll (Santa Barbara, CA), is one of the longest-held bikepacking events in California. The route is currently stewarded and coordinated by the TDLP Collective, a group of dedicated bike packers and trail advocates who scout the route annually and also participate in organized trail work to maintain and improve the many trails the route incorporates.

The northern half of the route was originally designed by Brian Lucido and Janet Wagner of Atascadero, CA, and the southern half was originally designed by Erin Carroll.

2025 Route updates by Ben Van Der Kar of Carpinteria, CA, Ian Graham of Santa Paula, CA, Taylor Mihelic of San Luis Obispo, CA, Drew Taylor of San Luis Obispo, CA, and Braden Lloyd of Cayucos, CA.

Trail organizations that regularly do trail work on portions of the TDLP routes are Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers, Los Padres Forest Association, Montecito Trails Foundation, Ojai Land Conservancy, The Get It Done Crew, SAGE Trail Alliance, and Ventana Wilderness Alliance.

The Tour de los Padres logo and artwork were created by Hallie Silva.

Photo credits: Alissa Bell, Alex Broekhof, Ian Graham, Scott MacDonald, Taylor Mihelic, and Erin Carroll.

Please get in touch with any updates on route conditions that may be relevant to other riders.

Please submit your questions and comments on the route via the contact form below.

• This route traverses the traditional lands of the Chumash and Salinan.