Distance: 25.3 mi. out and back
Elevation gain: 2988 ft
This is one of the many good foothill rides in the area between Fresno/Clovis and Shaver Lake. This short out-and-back has two features that make it stand out from the others:
1. A killer descent. It’s 9 miles of 30-45-mph rocket sled ride on near-perfect road surface through short straights and wide, lazy turns. Pretty much bliss.
2. The vista. For much of the climb, you can see forever to the west and north. A lot of it was hit by the great Creek Fire burn of 2020, and it’s pretty scrubby landscape anyway, but it’s big.
Of course that descent means the ride out is 9 miles of uninterrupted moderate climbing through the local roadside scenery, which, thanks to the Creek Fire, is nothing special—scrub, with the occasional low-rent ranch—and were it not for that descent and the view, it would be a fairly generic ride.
The Clovis valley sees 100-degree temps in the summer. This ride is just out of the valley, so expect summer temps well into the 90’s. Thanks to the fire, there is little shade. Ride in the spring or the morning.
Begin in the town of Auberry, which miraculously contains two automotive garages and a fine mom-and-pop grocery store, and almost nothing else. Ride to the end of Auberry Rd., then ride back.
If you’re looking for food after the ride, I recommend Velasco’s in nearby Prather.
Shortening the ride: Turn around anywhere on the climb. The further you ride, the longer the descent.
Adding miles: You can loop this ride by riding from the town of Auberry on Lodge Rd. to Toll House Rd. to the east end of Auberry Rd. back to Auberry. There’s an even bigger loop consisting of Auberry Rd. heading westward from Auberry to Millerton Rd. to Toll House Rd. to the east end of Auberry Rd. and back to Auberry. Just remember to ride any loop counter-clockwise, so you get the Auberry Rd. downhill.
From the town of Auberry, Power House Rd. is also worth riding.
For a more extensive discussion of riding the region’s foothill roads, see the Adding Miles section of the Million Dollar Road ride. For details on the unpleasantness of Jose Basin Rd., see again the Adding Miles section of the Million Dollar Road ride