Pack The Coast
A social bike packing adventure along the central coast.
August 23rd – 25th, 2025
Pack up your bike and join us for an overnight getaway! This is perfect for the adventurer who wants to slow down and enjoy the beautiful coastline and sleep under the stars. Join us as we bike pack up the coast and camp 2 nights along the California Coast! Never bike packed before but interested? No worries, reach out to us so we can talk you through it. Bike packing can seem intimidating till you try if but if you give it a chance you’ll have a blast!
Morro Bay, CA – San Simeon, CA
The Route – Approx 25mi – 1,000ft/Day
The route takes us north from Morro Bay up to San Simeon. We will be rolling along the Pacific Coast Highway and will take in the sights of the local coastal towns as we go. The trip up to San Simeon on Friday is approx 25 miles of rolling hills with approx 1,000ft gain. On Saturday we will have optional adventure rides to explore the area. Our return trip on Sunday will be the same as Friday but in reverse.
Route GPS will be sent out a couple weeks prior to the event.
Timeline
- Day 1 - Friday August 23rd
- 8:30am Check In & Gear Check at Morro Bay Maritime Museum Parking Lot
- 8:50am Group Photo & Safety Brief
- 9:00am Ride Starts - Don't Be Late!
- Early - Mid Afternoon Arrive in Cambria for Lunch & Supplies
- Mid Afternoon Arrive at Campsite and setup Camp
- Happy Hour at Campsite
- Dinner at Campsite
- Day 2 - Saturday August 24th
- Morning Coffee/Breakfast Ride
- Optional Adventure Rides
- Dinner in Cambria
- Day 3 - Sunday August 25th
- Breakfast at Campsite
- Mid morning break camp and Return to Morro Bay
San Simeon
“The historic Highway 1 is arguably one of the most iconic coastal biking routes on the West Coast and the 20 mile stretch from San Simeon to Ragged Point is made for cycling enthusiasts. Avid riders will be greeted with dramatic and unspoiled shoreline views and ocean breezes. Whether you are a spandex-clad cyclist or beginning rider, this beautiful stretch of coastline will make you want to explore on two wheels and experience the gorgeous coastal views, secluded sandy beaches and … zebras? While it sounds like an unlikely sight, the coastal town of San Simeon is home to a herd of zebras. As you travel along Highway 1, keep your eye out for their black and white stripes east of the highway where they can be seen grazing upon the rolling hillsides that overlook the Pacific Ocean. With scenic views, breezy ocean air and stunning vistas, San Simeon is guaranteed to take your breath away.”
Camping
San Simeon Creek Campground is a beautiful campground tucked into coastal trees offering a relaxing experience a walk away from the water. This campground offers hot Showers, flushing Toilets, Picnic Tables, filtered Water, Trash collection, Payphones (reception is hit & miss) and Fire Pits. We will purchase firewood for each campsite each night.
Suggested Bike Setup & Gear
Bike
We recommend using a touring, gravel, or cx bike for larger tire capability. Make sure brakes are serviced and brake pads have plenty of pad life left. Some of this route may put us on dirt roads so having a sturdy and all surface road bike will be best.
Gearing
If you haven’t bike packed before you might be surprised how hard it can be to ride the bike you’re used to but loaded up with 20-40 extra lbs of gear. Having your bike properly geared for the hills will be very important. Make sure your bike has a low gearing, recommend at least a 1:1 ratio or lower.
Tires & Puncture Protection
- Recommend using tires ranging in size from 700x32 - 700x47 with a touring or gravel style tread (Specialized Pathfinder, Teravail Washburn, Panaracer Gravelking are some good choices) .
- Recommend using tubes with puncture protection such as high quality sealant or a tubeless setup (Orange Seal, Muc-Off, or Stans).
- Bring 1-2 spare tubes, and patch kit.
Bags/Gear
- Touring rack and pannier bags which sit off to each side of the bike are the most common system. Pros for this is usually cheaper and higher volume of gear you can pack, cons are the weight, balance of the bike and ride gets thrown off and the handling can feel sluggish and cumbersome.
- Bike packing inline bags are our personal favorite style. These bags can go in the main triangle of the frame, on your seatpost, handlebars and toptube. These are our personal preference as they help maintain a better ride quality. Pros are better balance and handling, cons cost a bit more than touring bags and give you slightly less room for gear.
Suggested Packing List
- Bike
- Gravel Tires
- Cycling Bags
- Spare Tubes 2x
- Sealant
- Patch Kit
- Tire Boot
- Tire Levers
- Hand Pump
- Chain Lube
- Missing Link
- Multi Tool w/Chain Breaker
- Headlight & Taillight
- Water Bottles 2x +
- Nutrition/Snacks
- Water/Hydration
- Chamois Butter
- Sunscreen
- Chap Stick
- Toilet Paper
- Hand Sanitizer
- Zip Ties
- Bungie Cords
- Tent
- Tent Footprint
- Lightweight Sleeping Bag
- Sleeping Mat
- Lightweight Air Mattress Pump
- Lightweight Pillow
- Camp Shoes/Sandals
- Layers/Jackets
- Change of Clothes for Camp
- Change of Clothes to Ride In
- Lightweight Camp Towel
- Hygiene Kit
- Cooking Stove & Pots
- Stove Fuel
- Cooking Utensils
- Eating Utensils and plates/bowls/cups
- Zip Lock Bags
- Food for Meals & Ride Nutrition
- Camp Chair
- Battery Bank
- Camp Headlight
Final Thoughts
We are super excited to be putting this event on! Bike packing is a great way to merge a love for Backpacking, Camping, AND Cycling in the great outdoors! There is a huge sense of freedom getting on your bike and knowing you are going to ride till you get to where you are going to camp. Bike packing like backpacking forces you to simplify your life down to just the bare essentials and to just enjoy your surroundings without the distractions of our busy lifestyles. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or if you need help outfitting your bike with the gear you need! If you can’t tell, we ourselves can’t wait!
