Bike Ride to Happy Valley from Santa Cruz

With the promise of continued beautiful weather (70 degrees Fahrenheit) in Santa Cruz, I planned a Saturday morning cycling trip around Happy Valley (using Komoot as my guide).

When Alex arrived at 09:00, we loaded his bike into my Toyota Sienna and headed to Gateway Plaza in downtown Santa Cruz, where our ride would start.

On arrival there, we unloaded the bikes and started the ride. At first, we encountered a few homeless people on the bike trail, but none appeared for the rest of the ride.

We really enjoyed the varied scenery, including the Santa Cruz boardwalk, multiple beaches, surfing at Pleasure Point and The Hook, and the long stretch of road along the forest. The elevation gain was moderate, with only one steep section. For lunch, we stopped by for pizza at Pizzeria La Bufala and cappuccinos at Cat & Cloud Coffee.

Here is a Google Map of the ride:

Here are the statistics I captured on my iGPSport BiNavi device.

Happy Valley from Santa Cruz

Road ride · October 24, 2026

22.55 miDistance

1204 ftElevation gain

2:04:55Moving time

Not recordedAvg power

10.8 mphAverage speed

1,333 kcalCalories

Elevation-2–187 m

Elevation gain 1204 ft / 367 mMax elevation 619 ft / 189 m

Speed2–36 km/h

Avg speed 10.8 mph / 17.4 km/hMax speed 29.4 mph / 47.3 km/h

Heart rate44–182 bpm

Avg heart rate 136 bpmMax heart rate 183 bpm

Cadence0–98 rpm

Avg cadence 77 rpmMax cadence 109 rpm

Temperature13–20 °C

Avg temperature 16 °CMax temperature 20 °C

Charts use 30-second averages across the full elapsed time (2:20:22), so horizontal gaps reflect stops. Session totals supply the headline and chart statistics.

Links:

• Happy Valley GPX