San Juan Bautista is situated just off Highway 101 on CA-156; it’s halfway between Monterey and San Jose. The small town is home to Old Mission San Juan Bautista-the 15th of the 21 missions in California and a historic State Park. The downtown area is about three square blocks filled with antique stores, galleries, specialty stores and restaurants.

Incorporated in 1869 the general law City of San Juan Bautista is nestled in the heart of the noted San Juan Valley between the Gabilan Mountains and Flint Hills.  Rich with culture and history, San Juan Bautista offers her residents and visitors a refreshing small town atmosphere filled with the charm and character of the past. (http://www.sanjuanbautistaca.com/index.html)

This local cycling tour explores the back roads around San Benito County from the town of San Juan Bautista; the area provides a rich diversity of rides from the San Juan Valley. To the west: ride into Santa Cruz County and enjoy the Pacific coastline at Manresa Beach or head into Monterey County for a loop out to Elkhorn Slough Estuarine Reserve. To the south: climb up along one of the higher peaks in the Gabilan Range to Fremont Peak State Park and enjoy the magnificent vistas or head SE through Tres Pinos and Paicines for a beautoful loop around Cienega Valley along the San Benito Wine Trail. To the east: ride through Hollister to the quiet country back roads between Hollister Valley, Santa Ana Valley and Quien Sabe Valley. The week concludes with a historic walk around San Juan Bautista and and a self tour of the Old Mission San Juan Bautista.

• 02/10-SJB: Fremont Peak 22 Miles
• 02/11-SJB: Lone Tree-Santa Ana Valley-Quien Sabe-John Smith 70 Miles
• 02/12-SJB: Anzar-Carr-San Andreas-Manresa Beach 59 Miles
• 02/13-SJB: Southside-Tres Pinos-Cienaga Valley 46 Miles
• 02/14-SJB: San Juan Grade-Elkhorn Slough-55 Miles
• 02/15-SJB: Historic District Walk
• 02/15-SJB: Old Mission San Juan Bautista

Local Bike Shop: Off the Chain at 101 Mc Cray St #101 (Near KFC) Hollister, CA (831) 636-0802

For this fixed base tour, we stayed at the Mission Farms RV Park in San Juan Bautista.

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