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Highlight • Settlement

Petaluma

Recommended by 6 road cyclists out of 7

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Location: Petaluma, Sonoma County, California, United States

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Best Road Cycling Rides to Petaluma

5.0

(1)

137

riders

1. Nick's Cove and Boat Launch – Tomales loop from Petaluma Downtown

85.2km

03:59

1,060m

Expert road ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride.

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2. Petaluma – Chileno Valley Road loop from Petaluma Downtown

51.5km

02:16

480m

Intermediate road ride. Good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride.

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Intermediate

5.0

(2)

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3. Tomales – Chileno Valley Road loop from Petaluma Downtown

76.6km

03:22

740m

Intermediate road ride. Good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride.

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Intermediate

Tips

Sue

May 20, 2025

Petaluma, nestled in Sonoma County, is charming, with a thriving food and wine scene and a gateway to California’s famed vineyards. Once a vital hub for agriculture, it earned the nickname “Egg Basket of the World” for its poultry industry. Its picturesque downtown and scenic riverfront are a great representation of its vibrant local culture.

🕊️ 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒓

June 28, 2019

The Coast Miwok resided in southern Sonoma County, and Péta Lúuma was originally the name of a Miwok village east of the Petaluma River. Others villages include Wotoki, immediately to the south, on the opposite side of the river, Etem, Likatiut, and Tuchayalin, near downtown Petaluma, and Tulme and Susuli, just north of Petaluma.
The Petaluma area was part of a 66,000 acre (270-km²) 1834 Mexican land grant by Governor Jose Figueroa to Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo called Rancho Petaluma. In 1836, Vallejo ordered construction of his Rancho Petaluma Adobe as a summer home, while he resided in the neighboring town of Sonoma. Vallejo's influence and Mexican control in the region began to decline after Vallejo's arrest during the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846.
Pioneers moved to Petaluma from the East after James Marshall found gold in the Sierra Nevada in 1848. The town's position on the Petaluma River in the heart of productive farmland was critical to its growth during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Sailing scows, such as the scow schooner Alma (1892), and steamers plied the river between Petaluma and San Francisco, carrying agricultural produce and raw materials during the California Gold Rush.
The Sonoma County Bank Building was built in the 1920s.
Petaluma became known for its grain milling and chicken processing industries, still a small fraction of its commerce. Petaluma was known as the "Egg Capital of the World," nicknamed "Chickaluma". Petaluma hosted the only known Poultry drugstore and the egg incubator was invented here by Lyman Byce in 1879.
One of the largest former historic chicken processing plants in the central area of town is being evaluated for preservation and change of use. Petaluma maintains a strong agricultural base with dairy farms, olive groves, vineyards, berry and vegetable farms.
Petaluma was relatively unharmed during the San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906, due to significant stable bedrock underlying the area. Many well-preserved pre-1906 buildings and Victorian homes survive on the western side of the river. The downtown area has suffered many river floods and during the Depression commerce declined. A lack of funds prevented the demolition of the old homes and buildings. In the 1960s there was a counter-culture migration out of San Francisco. The old Victorian, Queen Anne and Eastlake style houses and Historic iron-front buildings in the downtown district were rescued. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petaluma,_California

Jim

May 27, 2025

Park at SMART train gravel lot.
Lots of room !!!!
Lots of rides from that point.
Last ride from there to Point Reyes n back.
95% one road out & back.
D Street !!!!!

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Elevation -20 m

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Sunday 9 November

27°C

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Max wind speed: 14.0 km/h

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See rides here

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Location: Petaluma, Sonoma County, California, United States

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Petaluma

1. Nick's Cove and Boat Launch – Tomales loop from Petaluma Downtown

2. Petaluma – Chileno Valley Road loop from Petaluma Downtown

3. Tomales – Chileno Valley Road loop from Petaluma Downtown

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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