Is this one of the best bike rides in Southern California? We think so.
It includes some of our favourite roads in the region; quiet lanes take you into the middle of nowhere.
You see acre upon acre of vineyards, wild open pastures, gorges, forest and arid mountain peaks. There are scurrying ground squirrels, soaring buzzards and sun-weathered trees. The roads are quiet, and you feel like you’ve seen behind the scenes of the Santa Ynez Valley.
With 112 km and nearly 1,300 m of climbing, you’ll end your ride with a deep sense of satisfaction.
For a shorter ride, look at our wine country cycling route 1 and route 2. For an alternative wine country ride, look at our route 4.
All metrics in this article are approximate.
Highlights
Do we have to pick? It’s tough as this route includes our favourite roads in the region. But if you push us, we’d say Drum Canyon Road and Cat Canyon Road are the stand-out sections.
Drum for its sense of splendid isolation.
Cat for its vineyards, swooping descent and random oil field at the bottom. Cycling through that was not exactly beautiful, but it was certainly unusual and memorable.
Empty roads on Cat Canyon 
At the bottom of Drum Canyon Road
Views across the Santa Ynez valley from Drum CanyonRoute notes
1. Santa Ynez to Ballard Canyon to Drum Canyon: 0-42 km
It’s an easy warm up between Santa Ynez and Los Olivos. You then head south down glorious Ballard Canyon Road, with its quiet fields and pretty vineyards. 10km on the unremarkable 246 (there’s traffic but also a hard shoulder) before the fun commences and you turn up Drum Canyon Road. The opening kilometres of Drum are at a gradual 2.5% average gradient, past farms and between the valley sides.
Gradients increase as you hit the switchbacks and averages sit at around 5% to the top. Sadly there’s no spectacular view to greet you.
Take care on the descent: the road surface is cracked, broken and potentially dangerous.
2. Drum Canyon to Cat Canyon to Sisquoc: 42-67.5 km
You pass through the little lost-in-time village of Los Alamos (call in at Bob’s Well Bread (you can read more about it, here) if you’re feeling peckish) and it’s on to Cat Canyon. There’s a 3.5km ascent at a sedate 3.3% average followed by a great descent to Sisquoc.
Ballard Canyon Road
Bob’s Well Bread in Los Alamos
Pumpjack on Cat Canyon Road3. Sisquoc to Foxen Canyon to Santa Ynez: 67.5-112 km
Coming into Sisquoc, you pick up Foxen Canyon Road, the road you’ll be riding for the next 35km. Luckily it’s a great ride, right through the heart of wine country. It’s a gradual climb until just past Zaca Mesa Winery and then a nice descent with wide sweeping turns and long straight sections.
The only trouble will be resisting temptation and not dumping the in favour of a tasting room… But if you can wait until you finish the ride and you’re back in Santa Ynez, there are a few places to choose from in town.
Union Hotel Los Alamos
Zaca Mesa winery and the wide open road
Horse grazes on Foxen Canyon RoadCafé stops
Enjoy a stop at 47 km at Bob’s Well Bread in Los Alamos (read more, here). Or you could push on to tiny Sisquoc (67.5km) and pick up something basic at the historic General Store there.
A final option would be to take a 6km diversion (3 km each way) down Forest Rite 10N06 to Rancho Sisquoc Winery. It’s a beautiful spot, and there are picnic tables you can use. The owners also kindly refilled our water bottles.
Accommodation
We rode from the wonderful Farmhouse at MK Ranch, midway between Santa Ynez and Los Olivos. The 20-acre ranch is home to over 40 horses and other animals. There are plenty of facilities including a pool, play area, rose garden and fire pit.
Or take a look at our other accommodation suggestions in our ultimate guide to Santa Barbara County for cyclists.
If you’re not sure which town you want to stay in, our take on the best towns for cyclists in Santa Ynez valley might help.
Tips
Foxen Canyon Road features on the well-known Solvang Century ride. It gets busy at weekends, due to people visiting vineyards. Watch out for traffic. Likewise, take particular care on Drum Canyon and the 246.
Take a look at our tips for cycling in Southern California before you set out.
Click here for our complete guide to planning a cycling holiday in Santa Barbara County.
Found this guide useful?
We’d love to hear from you – comment below or drop us a line.
Don’t miss our other ride guides on Santa Barbara County: see the related rides section above.
Check out our ultimate guide to cycling Santa Barbara County and other articles on the region, below.
Please support Epic Road Rides
A huge amount of time and effort goes into the article you’ve just read, all with the aim of helping you!
If you found what you’ve read useful, I’d really appreciate it if you dropped something in the tip jar here.
It’s a way you can say thank you and help us carry on creating top quality content with no annoying ads and no pay wall.
Looking for an organised cycling trip?
If you want someone to help you plan and book your cycling holiday, fill out this form. We aren’t a tour operator/agent but we work with lots of people who are and will do our best to put you in touch with someone that can help (within 24 hours wherever possible)!
Clare Dewey is a cyclist with a passion for travel. She set up epicroadrides.com in 2018 to help make it easy for cyclists to explore the world by bike. Today her mission is still inspiring cyclists to discover new places on two wheels – and doing what she can to make sure they have the best possible time while they’re there. Clare has visited 50+ destinations around the world, many of them by bike.
The contents of this website are provided for general information purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on it. You should carry out your own due diligence and risk assessments and take professional advice. Views expressed by interviewees or other users of this website do not necessarily represent our views. We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content on our website is accurate, complete or up to date. If you use any information or content on this website, download from, or otherwise obtain content or services through our website, it is entirely at your own discretion and risk. Epic Road Rides Ltd disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the information and content on this website. Find out more here.
this was a full epic ride. agreed. stopped at bob’s breads. GREAT call. i also stopped at rancho sisquoc winery and fess parker. both super tasty wines (:
thanks!
nk
Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to let us know!