Avenue of the Giants
When We Like to Ride This
Our preference, is outside of the tourist season when the Avenue of the Giants is quiet. During the winter you may not see anyone on Dyerville Loop Road. However, during the summer tourist season expect to share the road on Avenue of the Giants.
Terrain & Riding
The first 7 miles of the route are along the powerful Eel river. The road rolls up and down, with little traffic. The Eel River is the third largest watershed in the state of California, with flows that vary by a factor of 100 from summer to winter.
At mile 7 you come to the gravel section. It is steep! You gain 1100 feet in just over 2 miles, with short pitches up to 15%. At the right onto Dyerville road, you reconnect with pavement. The lands are farming and orchards. And … he climbing for the day is done! The next mile is rolling. Turn onto Elk Creek road and it is a quick descent to the Avenue of the Giants.
At Myers Flat, a bit over half way into the ride, you will find a coffee shop and several other stores. Make the stop. From here, it is some of the most majestic redwood forest in the world. Stop often. Explore. Take pictures.
The Start
Founders Tree parking area. Restrooms.
Food & Water
- ~ Mile 13: Myers Flat. About the halfway point.
Route Notes
Only 20% of the routes is gravel and that is completely doable on 28 mm tires. We did this route on road bikes, not gravel bikes.
For safety, we recommend that you use a red blinky light. Bring a lock for your bike and good biking / walking shoes.
This is one of the first gravel routes we mapped, explored and documented at Dirty Freehub (2014). It is a 5 Star route, but our picture documentation above is more in line with we that of a Training Route. Thus, if you do ride the route and have some pictures you would like to share with us, send us an email. The address is below.
Route Options
You could do the Avenue of the Giants as a simple out and back, but we like loops. This loop routes you along the Eel river, up into farming / orchard country, back to the redwoods, and then onto the Avenue of the Giants.
If you’re looking for a longer ride, consider the Dyerville Giant.
Have you ridden this route? Got a question? Join the discussion!