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One of my favorite roads. Tight turns on the west end. Open sweepers to the east. Great views. Elevation changes. Covered by trees on a lot of it. One lane historical bridge. Sometimes dirty. Watch for slides. West to east is my favored direction. Highway 1 north of Jenner (116) getting there is superb. The general store at Stewart's Point is worth a stop.
I rode it on a motorcycle many years ago. My overall thought was "this is a lot like the Tail of the Dragon, but narrower, and with lots of loose rocks here and there". It was a great ride, but you have to keep your head about you at all times.
I had gone up Hwy 1 from San Francisco to Stewart's Point, then cut inland across Skaggs Springs, then took 101 back to SF, with some great views of wine country. I want to do it again sometime.
Curvature helps those who enjoy twisty roads (such as motorcycle or driving enthusiasts) find promising roads that may not be well known. It works by looking at the geometry of every road segment and adding up how much length of the road is sharp corners, broad sweeping curves, and straight areas. The most twisty segments can then be viewed on the web or downloaded as KML map files that can be viewed in Google Earth.
This is an excellent source of info on Left Coast sports car roads. https://www.pashnit.com/
(Audience is motorcycle riders, but provides in depth descriptions and even history of the routes.)
From the site:
Stewarts Point
Stewarts Point is a fast clip 12 miles to the north of Timber Cove. The ocean is forever blue to the west of the road and for the photographers in the bunch, one of the best photo backdrops lies immediately south of Stewarts Point in the long straights along the water at Rocky Point. The well-known Stewarts Point Skaggs Spring Road is found directly across from the Stewarts Point store. There is gas here, but you don’t want it unless you have to have it. It’s expensive and there is less expensive gas in Gualala 12 miles to the north. The Stewarts Point Store makes to-order sandwiches and offers sticky buns for a quick snack. Due to the proximity of Skaggs across the highway, it’s often a rally point for motorcyclists and bicyclists.
Stewarts Point Skaggs Spring Road is a well-loved road by motorcyclists in this region. If you do decide to ride it (as mentioned above), the western half is a goaty backroad, one lane at times. But it is paved throughout. The temperature may easily rise 20 degrees as you make your way inland from the ocean. Stewarts Point Skaggs Spring Rd meets Annapolis Rd after 6.5 miles at a one-lane steel girder bridge. Annapolis Rd can be ridden to pop back out at Hwy 1 on the south side of Sea Ranch for a paved loop.
At the halfway point of Stewarts Point Skaggs Spring Rd, is a concrete bridge over Warm Springs Creek 24 miles from the coast. The forest dissolves into grassy hillsides as Skaggs Springs Road cuts its way east across several ridge lines and changes character completely. Temps in the region can easily be 100 degrees on the eastern half during the height of summer. The eastern half is incredibly smooth; the road is wide, and the pavement is delicious. This 40-mile-long thrill ride can only be truly experienced on a motorcycle. The catch is the speed limit is 35-40 mph and there are Botz Dots lining the middle of the road. Law enforcement is intermittent and unpredictable. A decade ago, enforcement went to extremes with helicopters said to patrol it on the weekends. On the far west side is Lake Sonoma.
Last edited by Liste-Renn; 08-06-2022 at 03:07 AM.
Drive it all the time, just did it again two days ago.
The first half from Rockpile Road to the bridge is the widest and smoothest part. Note that the speed limit is 30 mph. lol The second half is very narrow and tight with some sections going to one lane with brutal drop-offs if you leave the pavement.
About 3/4 of the way to Stewart's Point you'll come across the intersection of Skaggs Spring and Annapolis Road. It's worth a quick stop here to check out the bridge, an old train trestle that's been moved (from Michigan, IIRC) and converted to carry car traffic. There's another one a bit further down Stewart's Point, and both are fascinating with details not seen in modern bridges. Both of these bridges are relocated train trestles and are more than 100 years old.
If you turn here and take the road to Annapolis you'll be rewarded with another great, very remote drive and you'll come out at the coast at Sea Ranch, just south of Gualala. I like to continue north along the coast to Stornetta (great hiking and Thule Elk), then take Mountain View Road back to Boonville, turn right on 128, then back to Cloverdale and the 101.
FYI you'll lose cell service not far after Warm Springs Dam and it will be very spotty for the entire run. The Sonoma and Mendocino Coasts have very little cell coverage. Beware of logging trucks.
One of my favorite roads. Tight turns on the west end. Open sweepers to the east. Great views. Elevation changes. Covered by trees on a lot of it. One lane historical bridge. Sometimes dirty. Watch for slides. West to east is my favored direction. Highway 1 north of Jenner (116) getting there is superb. The general store at Stewart's Point is worth a stop.
I remember the first time that we drove Skaggs: it was incredibly thrilling and exhausting and all we could think about was doing it again...good times!!!
And as Wayne mentioned, CA-1 north of Jenner is outstanding and should not be missed.
08-03-2022, 06:58 PM
