Bald Hills Rd - Orick, CA
- Tim Mayhew
- Mar 29
- 2 min read
Bald Hills Rd is a hidden treasure of the California Far North. Found near the California-Oregon border, it offers a ride that feels like a discovery every time you twist the throttle.
Stretching 34 miles from Highway 101 near Orick (north of Arcata/Eureka) to the remote banks of the Klamath River at Weitchpec (north of Hoopa), this road serves as a vital artery for riders. The eastern end of Bald Hills Rd mates with Highway 96—one of the longest motorcycle roads in the United States, offering 150 miles of non-stop, deserted mountain twisties.
The ride begins with a "goaty" ascent up Holter Ridge, climbing through tight switchbacks to 1,200 feet. You’ll pass the iconic Lady Bird Johnson Redwood Grove—home to some of the world’s tallest coast redwoods—before the landscape undergoes a dramatic transformation. As you rise above the treeline, the dense forest gives way to expansive, "bald" ridge top prairies. These open meadows offer 360-degree vistas of the Redwood Creek valley and the distant Klamath Mountains to the east. On the clearest days, you can look west over the redwood canopy below, all the way to the Pacific Ocean horizon.
For years, the middle section of Bald Hills Road was a deterrent for street bikes due to several miles of gravel. However, as of 2025, those final three miles of gravel have been paved over. What remains is a mix of technical, "goaty" sections on both ends and a strangely smooth, six-mile curvy ribbon of fresh asphalt along the crest of the ridgeline.
Bald Hills Road is the perfect escape from the coastal fog into the high-country sun. If you want to see the emerald spring green and the peak lupine bloom shown here, don't wait—this color generally only lasts through the end of May.
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