Sunday, February 7, 2016

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This ride goes out along Franklin Canyon, Cummings Skywy and San Pablo Ave into the town of Crockett. It continues up Pomona St for a scenic jaunt along the Carquinez Shoreline on Carquinez Scenic Dr.

Exit Holiday Highlands and jog around the city streets to Alhambra Ave and Franklin Canyon.

Franklin Canyon Rd runs 4.4 miles from the SE end at Alhambra Ave to the NW end at Cummings Skywy between Hwy 4 and the Franklin Hills. The road begins with a short little bump from under the Muir trestle up to the wall of colorful murals.

Franklin Canyon drops down through a small community with horse and cattle ranches, vineyards and residential farm houses and ranch type homes. The terrain up through the wooded canyon has minimal to no traffic with an average grade of 2%.

The road kicks up to steeper grades of 6-8% for the last 0.4 mile to the top of Franklin Ridge at Cummings Skywy.

Cummings Skywy crosses over Hwy 4 and runs along the top of the ridge for 2.1 gentle miles to Crockett Blvd with great views of the soft rolling hills and west Contra Costa.

The road drops down from the ridge with fabulous views of San Pablo Bay and the Sonoma Mountains.

Cummings Skywy crosses over I-80 as it continues downhill to the T junction at San Pablo Ave. Keep an eye out for the wild horses!

Head east on San Pablo Ave for the short climb up towards the Zampa Bridge; it’s 0.3 mile with an average grade of 7.4%.

Gorgeous views from Carquinez Vista Point.

The road name changes to Pomona St as it drops through the town of Crockett followed by a climb; it’s a 0.4 mile with an average grade of 5%. It goes up through the residential neighborhoods to the Veterans War Memorial.

The road continues straight and becomes Carquinez Scenic Dr; this road winds above the Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline with gorgeous views of Benicia and the waters along Carquinez Strait.

Carquinez Scenic Dr twists and turns around the shoreline and gently climbs up to the high point of Bush Hill at Carquinez Strait Bull Valley Staging Area.

Carquinez Scenic Dr continues east on gentle ascending terrain to the next high point at the new trail gate. The road descends around the Franklin Hills to Little Bull Valley.

The new 1.7 mile trail segment begins at the Little Bull Valley trail gate; the twist and turns take you along the shoreline with spectacular views of Carquinez Strait! The road narrows at some sections with several blind curves and rolls through the oak woodlands to the trail gate in Martinez.

Enjoy the views!

Carquinez Scenic Dr continues on rolling terrain through the shaded woodlands before dropping down to the lower trail gate at John Nejedley Staging Area. There is a short 6-7% climb from the lower gate up towards the Alhambra & Catholic Cemeteries. The road descends onto Talbert St in Martinez.

Turn left on Escobar St for the short trek through Old Downtown.

Head SE on Court St to Pine St and Pacheco Blvd.

Take Morello Ave and Midhill back to Holiday Highlands Park on Fig Tree Ln.

This short scenic back yard ride has a decent amount of climbing; it gets you out for a few hours and still leaves plenty of time in the day to do other things.

Garmin Stats:
25.65 Miles with 1926′ of elevation gain
Max elevation: 683′
Max grade: 9%
Terrain: Flat-rolling with low hills

Weather: Plenty of sunshine and blue skies. Temps ranging from the mid 50’s to the high 60’s with brisk NE winds.

View the interactive RGPS route map & profile

Follow this route for today’s ride: