The best time to ride a motorcycle in California

California stretches more than 700 miles from Mexico to Oregon, and from below sea level in Death Valley to nearly 10,000 feet on Tioga Pass. So there's no single riding season. Each region has its own, and they overlap in a way that means a California rider rarely has to park the bike for long.

Southern California is the easy part. San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles ride all year, with a handful of rain days and some cold mornings up in the mountains. The rest of the state has real seasons: the Sierra closes its high passes for winter, the deserts turn dangerous in summer, and Northern California gets most of its rain from fall into spring.

The trick is to follow the weather around the state. Desert in January, coast and canyons in spring, the high Sierra in July and August, and almost anywhere in October. For the roads themselves, see the best motorcycle roads in California.

Winter is still riding season in San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles. The catch is the first day after a storm, when canyon roads carry mud, rock and gravel washed across the pavement. Palomar, the Laguna Mountains, Angeles Crest and the roads to Big Bear can also see snow and ice, so check before you climb.

Spring is the best stretch for many riders: green hills, comfortable temperatures and long evenings by April. Late spring brings May Gray and June Gloom, a marine layer that leaves coast roads damp in the morning. Ride inland or wait for it to burn off.

Summer pushes the heat inland. The valleys and the Inland Empire can run well over 100 degrees, so ride the coast or climb into the mountains. Fall brings clear air and some of the best riding of the year, along with Santa Ana winds and the peak of fire season. The Los Angeles ride guide has the roads for every season.

California's deserts flip the usual calendar. From about October to April, Death Valley, Anza-Borrego, Joshua Tree and the Mojave are comfortable by day and cold at night. In a wet year, wildflowers can cover the desert floor from late winter into spring.

Summer is a different story. Death Valley and the low deserts regularly get hot enough to be dangerous on a motorcycle, with long gaps between services if anything goes wrong. Summer monsoon storms can also send flash floods across desert roads. If you ride the desert in summer, go at first light, carry plenty of water and tell someone your route.

Tioga Pass (SR 120), Sonora Pass (SR 108), Ebbetts Pass (SR 4), Monitor Pass (SR 89) and the road through Lassen Volcanic National Park all close every winter. They usually reopen between late May and early summer, and later in big snow years. Caltrans and the National Park Service post the status.

The main crossings, I-80 over Donner Summit and US 50 over Echo Summit, stay open in winter but go under chain controls in storms, which is no place for a bike. In summer, expect afternoon thunderstorms and cold mornings at altitude. Late September and October bring fall color to the Eastern Sierra, but the first storm can close the high passes for the season, sometimes with little warning.

The Bay Area, the North Coast and the far north get most of their rain from about November to March. You can ride through it with good gear, but expect wet roads, moss and leaves in shaded corners, and slides on coast routes. In the Central Valley, winter tule fog can drop visibility to almost nothing, especially in the early morning.

From late spring to fall, the far north is at its best. Highway 36, SR 299, SR 96 and the redwood roads are quiet and dry. Inland towns like Redding get very hot in summer, while the coast can stay foggy and cool. Late summer and fall can bring wildfire smoke and closures.

None of these should cancel a season, just a day. Laws and lane splitting rules are on the California motorcycle laws page, and the full overview is on the California hub.