Monday, August 17, 2015

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This out & back hilly ride climbs up Broadway to Tunnel Rd and travels through Grass Valley along the ridge on Skyline Blvd. Reverse route back to Lake Temescal parking lot.

This hilly route begins with an immediate climb from Lake Temescal on Broadway to the Fwy Overpass; it’s 0.7 mile with gradient ranges of 5-7%. The Fwy Overpass takes you over Hwy 24 to Caldecott Ln.

Tunnel Rd up to Skyline Blvd at Grizzly Peak Blvd is 3.3 miles with an average grade 4.3%; it’s a nice steady climb that winds its way up through the hillside neighborhoods with multi-level homes.

The climb offers fantastic views of the East Bay and its surrounding hills.

The upper section of the road runs along the ridge through the eucalyptus groves to the intersection at Grizzly Peak Blvd.

Make a brief stop at Sibley Park before continuing on Skyline Blvd for the next 5.4 miles; the rolling terrain takes you through the residential neighborhoods to the redwoods surrounding Redwood Regional Park, Joaquin Miller Park and Roberts Recreation Area.

Descend Skyline Blvd and continue SE along the ridge towards Redwood Rd.

The speedy descent brings you to a series of climbs with gradient ranges of 6-11% and short downhills for the next 4.6 miles. This less traveled section of Skyline Blvd is one of the most gorgeous roads in the Oakland Hills! The first 2.5+ miles is a four lane road with a beautiful median strip filled with towering coniferous trees.

This area is home to Skyline High School and ridge top estates with magnificent sweeping views of the Bay Area and beyond!

As you near Keller Ave, Skyline becomes a 2 lane road all the way to the turnaround point at the Anthony Chabot Regional Park–Clyde Woolridge Staging Area. You can sometimes hear the loud sounds of gunfire from the Chabot Gun Club.

Turn around and climb Skyline Blvd; it has gradient ranges of 6-11%.

You’ll pass the Chabot Park equestrian center and stables before reaching the top at Skyline High followed by a drop back down towards Redwood Rd.

Climb up Skyline Blvd from Redwood Rd to Joaquin Miller; it has gradient ranges of 6-11%

Turn right and continue climbing up to the summit at Robert’s Park; gradient ranges of 6-9%.

Roll back through the Oakland Hills neighborhoods for the climb up to Sibley Park from Huckleberry Preserve; gradient ranges of 5-7%.

The twisty descent on Skyline Blvd and Tunnel Rd leads back down to Caldecott Ln and Broadway.

This short hilly ride gets you up through the residential neighborhoods around the Oakland Hills to Grass Valley. You’ll enjoy the beautiful less traveled segment of Skyline Blvd and the fabulous ridge top views!

Garmin Stats:
29.13 Miles with 3050′ of elevation gain
Max elevation: 1363′
Max grade: 11%
Terrain: Extremely hilly

Weather: Sunny & hot with hazy smoky skies. Temps ranging from the low 70’s to the high 90’s with NW winds

View the interactive RGPS route map & profile

Follow this route for today’s ride: