Baja California has a special allure for travelers, and cyclists are not immune. Since its inception in 2017, the Baja Divide bikepacking route has captivated off-road cyclists with the promise of pristine ocean shores, grand desert crossings, friendly cultural connections, and up-close encounters with weird and wonderful plants that grow nowhere else in the world. How could we resist? After traversing the urban sprawl of San Diego, we were thrown into a new world of adventure. Each day brought fresh challenges and surprises as we cycled through remote mountain passes between colorful, laid-back towns on the backroads of Baja.

The road from Big Sur to Southern California took us through a series of transitions - from wetter to drier, mountains to beaches, and wilderness to one of the largest metropolises in the world. Landslides and storms slowed our progress. But each day of cycling yielded more farms and pasture. And those eventually gave way to tourist-friendly shops, waterfront villas, and the 150 miles of white sand beach of surfers’ dreams that followed.

Cycling southward into California, we entered the realm of the coastal redwood forests. Dark, wet, awe inspiring, and infused with an ancient majesty, these temperate rainforests are a highlight of any journey on the Pacific Coast Bike Route. We pedaled through groves of trees as tall as skyscrapers, and trunks big enough to drive through. But the scenery was not all forest. The route passed sea cliffs, sandy coves, and even the metropolis of San Francisco, ensuring that each day was an adventure.