Cañada Road
The first weekend of summer begins this weekend and summer outdoor adventures can be found right here in San Mateo County. One inexpensive way to get out and about is by dusting off the bicycle and peddling over to Cañada Road for Bicycle Sunday. Bicycle Sunday is sponsored by the San Mateo Department of Parks sponsors every Sunday from 9:00am until 3:00pm. It’s not just a summertime activity because the Department of Parks opens Cañada Road every Sunday between Highway 92 and the entrance to the Filoli center to non-motorized traffic. This 3.5 miles section of road is closed to motorists and only open to non-motorized activities, which includes walking, jogging, roller-skating and cycling. Bicycle Sunday is free of charge and it takes "three staff people to manage the road closure," said Pamala Noyer, San Mateo County Parks, South County District Supervisor. "It seems to be really popular with the public. Alot of people come out and enjoy it."
Cañada Road runs along side Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir and offers spectacular views of the Pulgas Ridge Open Space Reserve, Edgewood County Park, Pulgas Water Temple, Filoli Estate and the Santa Cruz Mountains.
For cyclists looking for a longer cycling activity, Cañada Road can be the starting and ending points of a series of rides up into the Santa Cruz Mountains along Skyline Boulevard. There are many options from rolling hills to steep climbs depending on the ability of the cyclist. One option is to ride beyond Edgewood Road and into the nearby town of Woodside where there are multiple stops for lunch or a snack and a water bottle refill. The ride from Highway 92 along Canada Road to Woodside Road is approximately 7.3 miles long.
San Mateo County’s highest point is Sierra Morena, which sits 2,417 feet above sea level and is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains right off of Skyline Boulevard near Kings Mountain and Tunitus Creek Road. "Alot of cyclists into hill climbing like long hill climbs. Tunitus Creek is a 6 mile hill climb" and starts near the coast and ends at the top of Skyline Boulevard said Chris Hermoso and employee of Summit Bicycles in Burlingame. A ride down Kings Mountain can ultimately take a rider to Cañada Road and Bicycle Sunday.
Multiple Bay Area cycling clubs ride on Cañada Road as part of their weekly training rides. Ron Burrows, Associate at Performance Bike of San Mateo said, "From our shop we have a Saturday morning ride. We do go out to Cañada Road."
CyclePath of San Mateo has a Saturday group ride that leaves from the bike shop at 8:30AM and "we use Cañada Road" said Arkadiy Drannikov, Owner of CyclePath of San Mateo.
Bicycle Sunday brings out all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts of different ages with various levels of exercise commitments. Because Cañada Road is closed to motorized vehicles, families can ride together at their own pace. "We get an additional boost with families that ride within the closure sign", the area that is closed to traffic, said Noyer. It is not uncommon to see parents walking while their children are riding bikes with training wheels. "We recommend that families come out to th park at the North end" of Cañada Road close to Highway 92, said Noyer. "This is where Bicycle Sunday begins."
Parking is available at the intersection of Cañada Road and Highway 92 as well as the intersection of Cañada and Edgewood Road. There are also restrooms at Edgewood Park and Preserve and the Pulgas Water Temple.
Bicycle Sunday
3.5 Miles of Cañada Road
Sundays 9:00am-3:00pm
Bicycle Sunday Hotline (650) 361-1785
Supervising Ranger at (650) 851-1210
Cycle Path of San Mateo
1212 South El Camino Real San Mateo, CA 94402
(650) 341-0922
Performance Bike
http://www.performancebike.com
2727 South El Camino Real San Mateo, CA 94403
(650) 212-7321
Summit Bicycles Burlingame
1031 California Drive Burlingame, CA 94010
(650) 343-8483
More pictures from Cañada Road
http://robertdaleiden.smugmug.com/Nature/canada/23701576_mTdxRG
