Bay Area & Santa Cruz Mountains
Motorcycle rides in the Bay Area
1 mapped ride and 6 riding roads in Bay Area & Santa Cruz Mountains, each with what it's like to ride, what to watch for, this week's weather and the motorcycle crashes reported along it.
Rides
Riding roads in the Bay Area
- Skyline Boulevard (SR-35)Ridge-top road along the Santa Cruz Mountains, a Bay Area favourite.35.4 mi · 60 crashes
- Highway 9 (Saratoga to Santa Cruz)Tight, shaded mountain road through redwoods.40.7 mi · 141 crashes
- Mount Hamilton RoadHundreds of corners up to Lick Observatory.23.5 mi · 19 crashes
- Mines RoadQuiet, winding backroad from Livermore south through oak canyons toward Mount Hamilton.30.7 mi · 27 crashes
- Highway 84, Woodside to La HondaRedwood-shaded climb from Woodside over Skyline to La Honda and on toward the coast.21.8 mi · 71 crashes
- Highway 128, Sage Canyon & Lake BerryessaWinding road from Napa Valley through Sage Canyon and along Lake Berryessa.50 mi · 47 crashes
Common questions
- What are good motorcycle rides in the Bay Area?
- The rides we've mapped in the Bay Area: Highway 9, Skyline Boulevard and Highway 84 (26.6 mi from Saratoga). Riding roads in the Bay Area: Skyline Boulevard (SR-35), Highway 9 (Saratoga to Santa Cruz), Mount Hamilton Road, Mines Road, Highway 84, Woodside to La Honda, Highway 128, Sage Canyon & Lake Berryessa. We don't rank them; each page has the route, what the road is like, what to watch for and the crashes reported along it.
- Are the mountain roads in the Bay Area open?
- Mountain roads close for snow, rockslides, fire and roadwork. Our riding-roads conditions page lists this week’s Caltrans and LA County closures and chain controls for every riding road, and each road page lists the closures for today. Those lists don’t include every closure, so check Caltrans QuickMap (quickmap.dot.ca.gov) before you go.
- How many motorcycle crashes happen on these roads?
- 365 motorcycle crashes were reported along the 6 riding roads in the Bay Area from 2021–2025. Busier roads have more crashes partly because more people ride them, so the counts don't say which road is riskier.
Other regions
Routes and roads: © OpenStreetMap contributors; maps © Mapbox. Crashes: motorcycle crashes reported along each road or ride, 2021–2025, from the California Crash Reporting System (CCRS). How the data works.