United StatesCalifornia Nacimiento-Fergusson
Nacimiento-Fergusson Bike Climb - PJAMM Cycling

16.9
PDI
6.6 mi
DISTANCE
2,627 ft
GAINED
7.3 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
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Page Contributor(s): Dan Razum, San Jose, California; Don Baty

INTRO

This is about as epic a climb as you'll get between Monterey and Pismo Beach along Highway 1. 

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ROUTE MAP

MEMBER RATING

Difficulty: Strenuous
3.5
Road
5
Traffic
5
Scenery

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May 4, 2022
difficulty: Strenuous
scenery: 5
traffic: 5
road: 4
May 4, 2022
scenery: 5
traffic: 5
road: 4
The road is currently closed to traffic from highway 1. The road is in surprisingly great condition. Beautiful views of the ocean and spectacular redwood groves. The ride feels like a 9 percent grade for most of it. I only encountered three cars on the ride. I always wanted to do this ride.
Jun 6, 2021
difficulty: Strenuous
scenery: 5
traffic: 5
road: 3
Jun 6, 2021
scenery: 5
traffic: 5
road: 3
Can't get better views of the Pacific and rustic Big Sur coastline. Once you top out descend down other side for a rollercoaster 3 mile descent. Well worth the return ride back up.
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CLIMB SUMMARY

Climb summary by PJAMM ambassador Dan Razum, San Jose, California.

We start at Highway 1, along the Pacific coast. As of Sept 2022 Nacimiento-Fergusson Road is closed to cars.  There is a sign saying that the trails are still open, so presumably it is ok to hike and bike the road.  

The road is closed due to damage from forest fires and it will probably be closed until 2024, at the earliest.  There is some debris and rocks  scattered on the road in some sections, but nothing too bad, the road is in good condition throughout, even in a couple of places where it is reduced to a single lane. Government and official vehicles still use the road, so it is maintained enough to be functional.  We did not encounter any traffic during our ride, although we passed a couple of hikers.

Highway 1 below.

The road is narrow with sharp dropoffs in some places, so it is nice to ride when there are no cars.  Due to its remote location, there would probably be very little traffic anyway, if the road were open. For the first couple of miles there are awesome views of the Pacific ocean, but as we climb higher the views disappear, we can no longer see the ocean.

Amazing views of the Pacific Ocean for the first part of the climb.

Ocean views disappear after a bit of climbing.

After about halfway up we can see the damage from the forest fire, many burned out and dead trees. A few trees did manage to survive and are growing again, which is encouraging.

Sadly, very few areas of California have been immune to forest fires over the past decade.

Although it's a little out of the way, this climb is definitely worth doing for the spectacular ocean views in the first couple of miles.  The road is exposed most of the way but it isn't likely to be too hot, due to the cool air coming off the ocean.  Early morning fog is a possibility  so you may have to climb later in the day if you want to see the views.

Start of the descent down the backside of Nacimiento-Fergusson Road.