Granite Rd, Bakersfield, CA
- Tim Mayhew
- Jun 1
- 1 min read
Granite Rd north of Bakersfield, CA ticks all the boxes. Leaving the flat, sun-baked oil fields of Oildale behind, Granite Road immediately sweeps you into a different world. For a motorcyclist, this northward run toward Glennville is pure, unfiltered backroad bliss. The Central Valley fades in your mirrors as the tarmac begins to rise and ripple into the foothills of the Greenhorn Mountains.
The road accurately earns its name. As you lean the bike through sweeping curves, the landscape transforms into dramatic oak-studded range land heavily littered with massive grey granite boulders. The pavement follows the natural contours of the rolling foothills, undulating and flowing through smooth sweepers delivering an addictive mix of tight twisties, sudden elevation dips, and rhythmic rollers tossing out left-right-left aplenty.
Traffic out here is minimal at best, leaving you alone with the mechanical hum of your engine and the occasional cattle guard. The higher you climb, the more technical the corners become, demanding precise throttle control. By the time Granite Road merges into Highway 155 near Glennville, your tires are scrubbed to the edges, and you’re faced with a fork in the road.
Where to next? Twisty Highway 155 up and over Alta Sierra to Wofford Heights or north onto Jack Ranch Rd to Old Stage Rd towards Porterville. You’ve just experienced one of the finest easily-missed apex-carving ribbons in the Southern Foothills.
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