Mattole Road & Cape Mendocino
Ferndale to Petrolia · near Ferndale · North Coast
Gravel & Bikepacking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Best season
- Late spring–fall (fog & storms otherwise)
What is here
- Terrain
- coastal
- Amenities
- Westernmost point in the lower 48 · Victorian Ferndale base · Empty coastal ranch roads · Dramatic Cape Mendocino scenery
- Best for
- A dramatic, quiet coastal adventure loop
- Features
- Reach the contiguous US's westernmost point · The wild 'Wildcat' over Cape Mendocino · Empty coastal ranch country · Charming Victorian Ferndale
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Remote, minimal services · Strong coastal wind & fog · Steep 'Wildcat' grades · Cattle & ranch gates
- Good for a first timer
- No
Gravel & Bikepacking detail
- Ride types
- day-gravel · adventure
- Surface
- mixed
- Remoteness
- 4
- Riding
- A wild coastal loop to the westernmost point in the contiguous US — quiet paved-and-dirt ranch roads over the 'Wildcat' with the Pacific stretching empty below
- Terrain note
- Sea level to ~1,800 ft; exposed, windy coast; minimal services beyond Ferndale/Petrolia
- Camping
- Yes
- Intl tip
- A wild coastal loop from Victorian Ferndale over the 'Wildcat' to Cape Mendocino — the WESTERNMOST point in the lower 48. Mixed pavement and rough dirt; empty ranch country and black-sand beaches. Remote and exposed: fierce wind, fog, steep grades, few services. Base in charming Ferndale. Ride it in dry, clear weather. Dramatic, quiet, and unforgettable — real edge-of-the-continent riding.
- Trip lengths
- day
The guide
The Mattole Road loop out of the storybook Victorian town of Ferndale is one of Northern California's great coastal rides — a q…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Mattole Road & Cape Mendocino — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 40.35, -124.36