Ferndale to Petrolia

Making the detour to Petrolia is well worth it. We headed this way to visit Uplift Co-Op but the scenery and climbs you’ll takle make it an epic adventure all on its own. We started in Ferndale, but it can also be approached from Humbolt Redwoods State Park.

From Ferndale, there is a killer climb from up over the North end of the King Range but you are rewarded with gorgeous green mountain meadows. The road traverses for awhile and then drops down into a valley, which means another steep climb out, before it reaches the coast where you get stunning views of the big blue Pacific and the rocky outcroppings that dot the shoreline.

Then you bike down ‘the wall’ as you quickly descend to sea level. Here, a paved road follows the coast and is thankfully flat for a few miles. Then the turn up the Mattole Valley leads you into the Mattole watershed and the houses of the tiny town of Petrolia peek up from among the hills as you wind your way inland.