Tarantulas & Wine Country
Alisos Canyon Road and Foxen Canyon Road feature charming scenery, relatively bike-friendly roads, and plenty of wine-country vibes, but we’d only recommend this route for families with older kids who are experienced road cyclists.
The rolling hills of Foxen Canyon Rd.
As we continued training for our upcoming 333-mile bikepacking trip, we started planning another long ride. After weeks of covering many of the same routes, we were ready for some new scenery, and Alisos Canyon seemed to be a favorite among local cyclists.
Our kids now have enough experience riding alongside vehicle traffic that we felt comfortable taking this one on.
Our adventure started at Los Alamos County Park, a delightful, quiet haven tucked along the edge of the quaint little town of Los Alamos. We packed a combination of sweet and salty snacks, along with plenty of bottles of water—or at least what we thought was plenty at the time.
We pedaled through the quiet streets of Los Alamos toward Alisos Canyon Road, which lay on the other side of Highway 101. Before we even reached the junction, Mountain Heart called out that she had a flat tire. Par for the course.
Part of the growing process for our family has been learning to take setbacks in stride and not allow them to deter us from the goal. We fixed the flat and kept moving.
Once we crossed under the highway, we took a right and pedaled along a rough and bumpy frontage road that paralleled Highway 101 for about two miles before meeting Alisos Canyon Road. The pavement became noticeably smoother and the riding easier once we hung a left and began climbing into the canyon.
Junction for Los Alisos.
The scenery featured row after row of grapevines, along with open pastures where horses and cows grazed beneath the California sun. We even spotted an adorable donkey along the way.
The climb grew hot as the day warmed up, so we were incredibly relieved when we came across a sprinkler spraying cool water near the road. Naturally, we took full advantage of it. After a proper soaking, we climbed back onto our bikes refreshed and ready to continue.
Cooling off in the sprinklers.
Not long afterward, the kids were thrilled to discover a tarantula slowly making its way across the road. The species most commonly found in Santa Barbara County is the black tarantula, and this one was likely a male. Male tarantulas typically leave their underground burrows between August and November in search of females. These incredible arachnids are sometimes described as the “Black Labradors” of the spider world because of their generally docile temperament, and females can live for several decades.
Fuzzy friends along the trail.
After a short but steep ascent on Alisos Canyon Road, we bombed down the other side, thankful for the reprieve for our aching legs. At the bottom of the hill, the road teed into Foxen Canyon Road, marking the beginning of the next leg of our trip.
At that point, we were just under ten miles into the ride. Hanging a left at the junction, we pedaled northwest and deeper into wine country. By then, we had collectively agreed to make this our longest ride yet and shoot for forty miles.
A curious donkey in a pasture alongside Foxen Canyon.
Unfortunately, the combination of the warm day and sustained physical effort had left our water supplies dwindling much faster than expected. We were extremely thankful to encounter a friendly gardener working near one of the vineyard entrance gates, who graciously offered to refill our bottles.
Our route took us another ten miles up Foxen Canyon Road before we finally reached the twenty-mile mark. We found a shady spot to rest, enjoy another round of snacks, and drink some of our freshly resupplied water before pointing our bikes back in the direction we had come.
Fixing our second flat of the day.
While the day was uncomfortably warm and the scenery was admittedly less dramatic than some of the other places we’ve ridden, we really enjoyed the experience. However, we all agreed that the least enjoyable part of the trip was the traffic.
Some of the drivers who passed us were polite and gracious about sharing the road, giving us plenty of space as they went by. Others passed at speeds and distances that felt much too close for comfort, especially with kids in our group.
Giving Huckleberry a boost on the final stretch.
For this reason, we would not recommend this route for younger children or for kids who don’t already have plenty of experience riding in traffic. Families considering this ride should be comfortable with road cycling and prepared for stretches where vehicles may pass relatively close.
Eventually, we rolled back into Los Alamos County Park with sore legs and that wonderful sense of satisfaction that comes from doing something difficult together. Forty miles was officially in the books.
Pizza and chocolate were just the ticket for finishing out an adventurous day.
Pedaling through the vineyards.
I’d love to do this ride again, especially during the spring when the temperatures are cooler and the surrounding hills and countryside are greener. While it isn’t the most relaxing or dramatically beautiful ride we’ve ever completed, the route through Alisos Canyon and Foxen Canyon is a solid option for experienced cycling families who enjoy wine-country scenery, rolling terrain, and the challenge of a longer road ride.