Comptche-Ukiah Rd , Comptche, CA

Comptche-Ukiah Rd is regarded by several of my ride buddies as one of their favorite motorcycle roads in the state.

This ride starts at the junction of Highway 1 and Highway 128 along the Pacific coastline north of Point Arena, CA. Head inland from Highway 1 along the Navarro River, following fresh, meandering pavement through the redwood forest for 12 miles, then turn north onto Flynn Creek Rd for another 9 miles to the Comptche General Store. A stop in Comptche is mandatory for snacks, and they have fuel here in case you didn't heed your tour guide's stern warning to top off earlier in the day.

Few years back, the canyons & valleys around Comptche were filled with ancient, old-growth redwoods. Logging camps were established throughout the area, and the Big River was used as a literal highway—logs were floated downstream during winter floods to reach the coastal mills. As the easiest timber was cleared, some land was claimed by homesteaders for ranching and farming, creating the "hamlet" feel that the town retains today.

Orr Springs Rd makes up the eastern half of this route back to Ukiah, but the westward run from Comptche is easily one of the best redwood roads in the Coast Range.

Starting in the forested hamlet of Comptche, the westbound 14-mile downhill run toward the Pacific is a perfect symphony of repetitious S-curves. The ride delves into the cathedral-like canopy of the redwoods. This section demands your total focus; the shadows are deep and the corners come at you fast as the road follows the natural contours of the Big River watershed.

Eventually, the redwoods give way to coastal pines and a long, long straight where the scent of salt air begins to replace the smell of damp earth. The finale is another quick S-curve descent that drops you right onto Highway 1, just south of Mendocino. And... just 9 miles north of where you pulled away from the ocean on 128. One moment you are deep in the woods; the next, you are staring at the vast, blue expanse of the Pacific Ocean. It’s a rhythmic, sensory-heavy ride that perfectly captures why we ride the Pacific Coast Range.