Roads/Routes to Drive your BRZ/FR-s - NorCal
 

Since most of us are planning on taking our BRZ's/Fr-S's to some nice twisty roads, I thought, why not share your local favorite routes (this one, in particular, is focused on NorCal)

After a long day of work today, I got inspired to go for a drive (in my Tacoma for now ;)). I only had about an hour and was running out of daylight so I decided to take one of my shorter routes I call "Chabot Circle". Used to take this one during my lunch breaks back when I still had my bike.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=...03732,0.077162

Nice, short, semi-twistys that go around Lake Chabot in the East Bay. Can be easily extended East towards San Ramon via Crow Canyon or North towards Oakland via Pinehurst Rd.

If you're from around the area, what's your favorite route?

I'm a bicyclist so I have a general idea of where to take it on weekends (when I'm not riding of course) the Portola Valley Mountains are great, highway 84 is pretty bomb also. Pescadero has some nice roads too. I've always wanted to try Highway 1 and the roads in Santa Cruz and Monterey.

I always like Mt. Hamilton roads from San Jose to Livermore. Great drive with some nice scenery.

Mines road near Livermore is 1 of the best roads on the westcoast if you have the balls to drive it with some conviction. Me and my buddy with our miata's and a guy with a mrs used to drive this road nearly every Saturday morning. It has hairpin after hairpin ..so it takes a well setup car to drive it aggressively heavy cars dont need to apply the road is about 18 miles halfway up the road is a motorcycle club where people chill at...its a hairpin lovers dream!

All very nice suggestions. Mines Rd. looks insane! might have to try that next time. I'd like to keep this going, so here's another I just did last weekend, on my way to a friend in Tracy. Headed East via Patterson Pass Rd. and back via Tesla Rd., passing the Carnegie VRA. It was raining all day Saturday, so it was actually good that it was not quite twisty. Nice sweepers and awesome views of those green Livermore hills. Both can be connected to a nice short loop, with a little freeway (580) intermission in the middle.

Going down to Alices restaurant from San Francisco via the HWY1
then backroads...

I have an MR-S (might be replaced soon by FR-S) so I've been driving all the twisties in the Bay Area for the last 12 years. Mines Rd./Mt. Hamilton is one of my favorites. I've also done all the other routes mentioned, including Hwy 35, Hwy 9, PCH from Santa Cruz up to Mendocino, Calaveras Rd., Redwood and Pinehurst Rd., Skyline to Grizzly Peak, etc. One of my current favorites because it's so close for me is the short but sweet Palomares Rd that runs from 580/Castro Valley to Niles Canyon Rd in Fremont. I think of it as my own personal test track.
:burnrubber:

Just found this from another ft86 thread (thanks nate89!): http://www.motorcycleroads.us/regions/ca_bay.html

A few of the routes they show have already been mentioned by others on this thread, but there are a few I wasn't aware of. Planning on trying the Bolinas Rd. and Panoramic Highway in a couple of weeks (in my tacoma, with all my camping stuff :thumbup:)

(source: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4024)

The loop encompassing Pleasanton, Milpitas, Mt Hamilton, Mines Rd, Livermore is great fun. Mines Rd has never been too busy when I have been down it. It really is cracking fun and perfect for the FRS/BRZ as power isn't needed here.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3.../roundtrip.png

I also went out towards Patterson at the 1/2 way point of the loop one time and then took I5 and 580 back around. It is busies because of the campgrounds and also has some 'free range' cattle to deal with.

^Very nice loop, I'm definitely planning on doing this loop. It looks like the SoCal guys are planning to do a meet in the future. Anyone interested in a get-together+drive once we all get our cars?

That last loop is GREAT. I've been on it before.

I'd be down for a meet even if only some of you have you cars. I'll try not to drool on your car too much if I don't have mine yet.

if you plan to drive Mt. Hamilton/Mines Rd, remember 2 things:

1) the road is incredibly twisty, narrow, and has many steep dropoffs. Lots of dumb people and riders have done stupid stuff and gotten severely hurt or killed as a result. This road is no joke and you should always drive at your own limits. If you know the route you can have fun but there are definitely spots you do not want to be pushing too hard.

2) perhaps as a result of #1, there is frequently law enforcement waiting at the top of the hill near the observatory. They like to wait for groups of cars like a car club to come up and then bust people for reckless driving, or lame stuff like no front plate. To some extent you can't blame them, they're probably tired of medevac-ing all the foolish drivers and riders off the mountain. So be careful or be ready to face consequences.

sorry i probably sound old, but i didn't make it this far by being overly reckless. I also drive a mid-engine car that is much more sensitive to throttle lift in mid-corner.

Can I offer a route on Hwy 84, La Honda, San Gregorio with stop either at Half Moon Bay port Princeton Cafe or Apple Jacks bar: http://www.yelp.com/biz/apple-jacks-la-honda-2

Mountains, ocean, beach, what can be better?

If you're going through La Honda, surely you stop at Alices for pancakes ;)
84 is a nice route to get to the Ocean on a Sunday with your GF, but eff me I have yet to go through in the daylight when its been anything less than full of cars and bikes.