Nacimiento-Fergusson Road - need advice

I'm going to be in San Luis Obispo next Tuesday morning on my way back to the Bay Area. I was planning to ride up CA 1 (PCH) - which I have done before and like. However, I was wondering if this is the time I should ride the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road?
And if so, what is a good/enjoyable way to get there?
Do I go past Paso Robles on 101 to Jolon Road?
Do I get off 101 in Paso Robles, ride to Lake Nacimiento, then Interlake Road west of San Antonio Reservoir?
I understand that I have to enter and go through Hunter-Liggett. Where is the entrance? I need ID and insurance, is that all?
I've read that the road is all paved, but has many tight/blind curves and steep drop-offs. And no services till the coast. Anything else I should know or plan to do?
Thanks,
-ceej

The most direct route is Jolon Road, which is the way I went to get to the National Forest this past fall. I ended up doing an extra loop in the FHL base because Mission Road seems to go 3 directions and I missed my turn, but got straightened out in less than 5 minutes. If you take a closeup map of the FHL roads you won't get lost. Speeding is a big no-no on the base, so you may as well go straight through.

The day I was there, nobody checked ID, hunting weapons, or anything else. I hear that is normal when there isn't any training exercises going on. You don't need to go into secure areas to get to Nacimiento Road.

The road is really twisty. I made my wife carsick in a Geo Metro, and she doesn't get carsick ever. There are probably some potholes, as it is secluded area. There also might be gravel in the road from long vehicles clipping the dirt in sharp corners. You may even see some wild pigs and deer.

Much more scenic and virtually no traffic the whole way and even a little easy graded dirt on Cypress Mountain Dr.

<a href="<iframe width=" 640"="" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=201843189444750756270.0004db0e06a367f6f650b&gl=us&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=35.623815,-121.094055&spn=1.071632,1.757813&z=9&output=embed"> <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=201843189444750756270.0004db0e06a367f6f650b&gl=us&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=35.623815,-121.094055&spn=1.071632,1.757813&z=9&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left"><iframe marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=201843189444750756270.0004db0e06a367f6f650b&gl=us&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=35.623815,-121.094055&spn=1.071632,1.757813&z=9&output=embed" frameborder="0" height="480" scrolling="no" width="640"></iframe>
<small>View </small><small></small><small><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=201843189444750756270.0004db0e06a367f6f650b&gl=us&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=35.623815,-121.094055&spn=1.071632,1.757813&z=9&source=embed" target="_blank">San Luis to Hunter Liggett in a larger map</small>

You could also go a bit more out of the way and take in 229, which is a fantastic little stretch of road coming out of SLO and ending up in atascadero.
Gas up before heading over as once back on the coast after nac/fer there is no gas until Big Sur and that place is steep for gas $$. If you can make it to Carmel you have cheaper refueling options.
the entrance if I recall is on mission rd off of jolon rd. It is hard to miss.
No need to tell ya to keep it at/under the limit while in the base
The road can have lots of gravel in the corners as it is not that well used, but coming east to west you do get some awesome views.
You can also take the old coast road loop on the way up if you want some dirt.

Thanks!

Thanks for the map. Since I'm actually in Morro Bay, maybe I'll do this. I've had good, and bad, experiences on "easy graded dirt". How long? and flat, or up the side of the mountain?

Someone has mentioned 229 to me before - maybe my buddy's brother-in-law who lives near there.
Thanks for reminding me that once I get to the PCH I still need to get to Big Sur or Carmel Valley for gas.
Watching out for gravel seems to be the big thing, as well as other vehicles on blind turns.

I appreciate all your help guys.
-ceej

that's a good one. same route we did last year.

Flat and graded no more than 5 miles to Klau Mine.

This is Cypress Mountain Dr where it turns back to pavement at Klau Mine Rd intersection.
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note, be absolutely sure to have your drivers license, CURRENT vehicle registration, and CURRENT insurance info at hand, they often check this at the gates to Hunter Liggett Military Reservation.

there is not a need for any paper work to travel thru and over the hill in either direction as you enter the base from either direction

when did that relax? never USED to be that way but as of 9/11, all bases like that were put under high security. I'll admit, its been 3-4 years since I've crossed Hunter Liggett, at that time they still had the barricades setup at the western border of the base, which is in the middle of freakin' nowhere, and a DHS rentacop toting a M15, checking IDs and registration, where'ya going? etc etc.

i rode through in feb and also mar 25 weekend, Easter

You should get out more.
The military dropped the security facade sometime last year, and as of last February ... still no stopping required. You just ride through. No more tacky Rent-A-Cops checking ID/Insurance/registration.

But the advice to GO SLOW through the base still counts. They will nail you for 5 mph over the ultra low limit.

And be SURE to go see Mission San Antonio at the North end of the base.
One of our best and uncrowded California Missions. Perfect stop for a picnic.


Mission San Antonio

Ferguson-Nacimiento rd. as it drops down to Highway one heading West. Spectacular road all the way.

ah, yeah, I haven't been out and around much this last year. broke a foot last summer and mostly been laying low.

and for sure, the views from N-F road on a clear day are gorgeous. I've had all sorts of fun around those parts in the past.

july 2001...


february 2003....

My last view didn't look as good as Pierces'...But still awesome!



...and +1 on the Mission San Antonio.

I've camped out at Mission San Antonio a couple times, with my Astronomy club, providing a star party for a girlscout campout there.

mon, that place gets hotter than Hades in the Fall.

We ride the area about twice a year. Late Fall and Spring. Hot happens ... but relief is just over the hill.


Almost there .... Highway One awaits.

I'll try to remember to post when I get back home.
-ceej

glad folks seemed to have gotten through, a non-bike friend said they closed the access to the public. Have a great trip and report back when done

Perhaps your friend was denied entrance to the base itself. We tried to go in ... and the guards (real Army guys) turned us around. We wanted to eat in the base cafeteria.
No go. They were very nice but said we'd have to go to the CO's office to get a pass. Being on a schedule, we moved on.

The road through the base is a PUBLIC ROAD and does not travel through any secure areas of the base. The entire base itself is FENCED OFF and gated. (Barracks, Admin offices, Cafeteria, Infirmary, motor pool, weapons depo et al)

Not sure about jurisdiction ... but I suppose if the Army decides to close the road ... they could get away with it.

in the old days (late 70s, early 80s, when I lived in Pacific Grove), Hunter Liggett would get closed fairly regularlly for a few days to a week at a time while they had live fire exercises. I knew a guy who worked as a civilian scientist contractor who was involved down there when they took apart a Russian Zsu23 to figure out why it was so effective and our really-really-expensive-and-complicated equivalent didn't work for jack (answer? Russian Zsu was really simple and relied on vacuum tube high power pulse radar and analog servo electronics, none of this fancy computerized buzzwha). They also tested the Bradley Sinking Vehicle there in that time frame (Hey, lets bolt some MORE mission requirements onto this pig, and see if it can float!)

More typically, the closures would be for a few hours, you could cue up at the gate, and eventually they'd let a caravan through lead by an MP. I took that option once and got to see a few dozen tanks traipsing across the country side 1/4 mile off the road.