Tioga Pass
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PCH from San Fran to Crescent City, CA then US199 to Grants Pass, OR then on to Crater Lake.

CA89 from Mt Shasta to Truckee.

US395 from Victorville to Indian wells, CA178 from near Indian Wells, then CA155 near Lake Isabella to Delano

CA41 Fresno to Yosemite

CA120 near Yosemite to CA49 then CA49 to Mariposa. CA49 was the result of a "wrong turn" so got to ride it twice!

 

CA 36 what a great ride!

 

I rode from Crescent City to Orick today, rode both ways through the Park, ran the 4 lane that bypasses the park twice. It was good.
However, US 101 north of Klamath to Crescent City is very rough, the scope of the damage and the fact we are nowhere in particular, that section of road will not be a fun ride. Expect delays, traffic signals at the one lane parts, heavily grooved pavement, the ongoing repairs have that smell of desperation. If you are southbound on 101, the first one lane traffic signal will have you stopped on a hill, on side sloping pavement.

 

Does this help? Sorry for the blurriness - my wife was shooting over my shoulder while riding.

Best that I recall, when heading home from "Sterling Vineyard", we passed "Mondavi Vineyard" on our right - within a mile or 2, we made a right [over railroad tracks] and begin the winding rode which took us from Napa to Sonoma.

BTW, I believe the banner "CA-12" is not the road I was on, but instead the road I was headed to [a/k/a, next turn onto].

 

It looks like Trinity Road that starts from from Hwy 12 Glen Helen north of Sonoma and connects to Dry Creek Road. And you went right off Dry Creek Road a short distance to Mt. Veeder Road and took Veeder south into Napa Redwood Road.
Another possibility is you stayed on Dry Creek than went south into Napa.
A third possibility is you took Dry Creek to Oakville Grade into Oakville and then south on St. Helena Hwy 29 into Napa.
A fourth possibility is you could have stayed on Hwy 12 past Glen Helen to St Helena Road and took St Helena to Hwy 128 St Helena Beringer Vineyards. Then south 128 to Oakville and Hwy 29 and passed Mondavi on your way to Napa.
Or you could have been north of St Helen Beringer Winery on Hwy 128 to Sterlings Vineyard towards Calistoga.
Or I may have it backwards.

BTW If you are into Jack London stories. London’s home was Glen Helen where he wrote many of his books, Its now a state park Definitely worth a stop.

 

I lived in Calif for 32 years and go back 2-3 times a year to visit family. My favorite road is Century Blvd right to LAX.

 

71on72 - could I ask you to post again on your list? You originally posted South to North. Could I ask you to prioritize? Which ride would you do "First" if you only had a few days, or if you had to ship your bike to a major met area? I have ridden in California four times, and would love to ride there again, but it is Major time and expense from SE Louisiana. In my four visits to Cali I have, essentially, been from Bodega Bay, Cali to Astoria, Oregon on 1 and 101, with many side trips to the East, and especially enjoy Crescent City and the Redwood Parks, and the passes Ebbett, Tioga, and Sonora. My second favorite 11 miles in the US are a little gravel stretch called Howland Hill Road between Crescent City and Hiouchi. I am trying to decide if it is even worth going South of San Fransisco. I enjoy Northern Cali so much I just keep going back to Jenner. Am I really missing very much by not going South of SF? Or is the Very Best riding in Cali, as I suspect, from Fort Bragg or maybe Mendocino North.

 

This is my list. You've already done much of the north.
Southern CA:
San Diego 4P Loop (Palms, Pines, Palomar, Pacific).
Hwy 395 to Death Valley & Las Vegas
Las Vegas to Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara to Hwy 1 PCH Ragged Point.
Ragged Point to Monterey Peninsula.

Central CA:
Monterey Hwy 1 PCH to San Francisco Golden Gate.
Sacramento to Hwy 49 Historic Gold Country & Yosemite Valley.
Yosemite Valley over Tioga Pass to Lee Vining Hwy 395. Closed in winter.
Sacramento to South Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe Loop.

North CA:
San Francisco Hwy 1 PCH to Jenner.
Jenner to Napa Wine Country & Sacramento.
Hwy 1 PCH Jenner to Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

Others have good suggestions as well including CA36 from Fortuna to Red Bluff. Send me a personal message with your email address and I will reply with detailed directions.

It mostly depends on how much time you have and what month you are coming. This year we've had major snow pack in the mountain passes and the sierras wont be open at usual time. Also the Pacific Coast Hwy is closed from Big Sur south due to bridge damage. That section is a must see.
I would suggest early fall things should be back to normal.

 

Over the weekend, the PCH had a major landslide about 10 miles north of the San Luis Obispo County line. This is in addition to the road already being closed further north because a bridge is being replaced due to winter storm damage.