Sea Otter’s awesome—just wish you had mass transit with round-the-clock service.  In our dreams!  At present, Monterey County just doesn’t have the metro systems you find in big cities. 

Still, that doesn’t mean everybody has to be driving to Laguna Seca, all the time.  We strongly encourage carpooling, of course; see our Parking page in the “General Information” section of the website.

And beyond carpooling, here are some alternatives to driving the entire way, every day.

A Vehicle’s Bike Rack

For most bicycle lovers, any mile of biking beats a mile of driving! If you won’t be biking all the way to Sea Otter, consider doing the bike-and-ride.  Put your bike on your personal vehicle's bike rack and drive part-way, then bike the remainder.  (Or, on weekdays, you may be able to put your bike on the bike rack of a local bus; see schedule below.)

Even if you're not up for biking the hills to reach Sea Otter, if you are coming from outside the area, bring your bicycle to Monterey County anyway.  You’ll be glad when it comes to getting around to many other attractions; see our Visit Monterey County page.  One of the most popular is our Monterey Bay Coastal Trail.  Check out Tips for Bicycling in Monterey County, a comprehensive online guide provided at www.BicyclingMonterey.com.  Besides Monterey County's bike map, you'll also find many route suggestions and lots of other helpful info at the Bicycling Monterey website.

Unable to bring your own bike?  Consider renting one.  And since bike rental demand during Sea Otter week will be high, you may want to reserve one ahead.   The BicyclingMonterey.com website has a section listing Monterey County bike rental locations.

Okay, here are some things to know about biking to Laguna Seca….

If you’re biking from the Monterey side, entering Laguna Seca via South Boundary:

• Canyon Del Rey/Highway 218:  After leaving the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail (the dedicated multi-use trail/bike path) and crossing Del Monte Avenue to reach Canyon del Rey Boulevard, here’s what you’ll discover:  Canyon del Rey is a wide road, though without painted bike lanes until you reach Fremont.  From Fremont to General Jim Moore Boulevard (and even all the way to Highway 68/the Monterey-Salinas Highway), Canyon del Rey does have painted bike lanes.

• Canyon del Rey is a mostly flat route.  There’s a little downhill swoop that lands you at the Frog Pond Nature Preserve—a fun stop—just beyond the Del Rey Oaks City Hall.  Continue on Canyon del Rey past the Frog Pond until you reach the traffic signal at General Jim Moore Boulevard, which is on your left.  Make that left turn at the signal and head north on General Jim, which has a painted bike lane.  (General Jim runs from Canyon Del Rey in Del Rey Oaks to Inter-Garrison Road near the center of the former Fort Ord—and in the process, it crosses South Boundary Road, the road you’re looking for.)

• Make a right off General Jim onto South Boundary.  There is a painted bike lane on part of South Boundary, and at othertimes, just a reasonably good shoulder.  Expect a steep climb on South Boundary.

If you’re biking from the Salinas side, entering Laguna Seca via Highway 68:

• As for Highway 68 (Monterey-Salinas Highway), many experienced cyclists love this scenic route, although it is not recommended for beginners or children.  This is a two-lane road shared with lots of vehicles.  It’s a signed bike route with a decent shoulder, but there’s no bike lane.  High-visibility apparel and accessories are recommended.  Locals who commit to this route regularly often use lights during the daytime too, so they don’t “disappear” under the shade of trees.

• The trickiest spot on the Monterey-Salinas Highway is the Salinas River Bridge; exercise extra caution.  An alternative to the bridge is to ride through Spreckels from south Salinas, or take Reservation Road to Davis from the northern part of town.  

• Avoid a ticket:  Highway 68 has a small section of freeway, across from Toro Park, which requires exiting 68 and getting on Portola Drive for about two miles before getting back on 68 at Torero Road.  (The California Highway Patrol will ticket cyclists found riding on the freeway section.)

Where to park your bike at Sea Otter? 

Bicycle racks are provided at the Athlete Registration building (AKA Trackview Pavilion/Red Bull Energy Center), Food Court, and Sierra Nevada Beer & BBQ Garden.  Remember to lock up your bike.

Bikes may also be locked to a fence, signpost, or other appropriate structure throughout the entire venue.  Have teens or tweens?  Remind them to lock their bikes while watching the Downhill, Dual Slalom, and other events, or even for those few minutes when they dash off to a port-a-potty.

Bike valet service/bike corral is available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  At those times, you may drop off your bike and walk away with a claim check, knowing your bike is under the watchful eyes of the bike valet attendants.  In 2011, the bike valet parking was moved to a new location:  in the Paddock Parking area right next to the Expo entrance.  Look for "Expo Entrance" and "Bike Valet" on the Festival Map.

Local Bus Service (MST)

Throughout Monterey County, you may load your bike onto the rack of any large or small Monterey-Salinas Transit System (MST) bus with this exception:  the only trolleys that can be counted on to have bike racks are those serving the California State University at Monterey Bay (CSUMB) campus.

The MST buses are happy to carry your bike—and there is no additional charge.  Helpful pointers for cyclists who want to use the MST bus are provided in the “Bike-and-Ride” section of Tips for Bicycling Monterey County at www.BicyclingMonterey.com.  On the MST site - www.mst.org - there are bike-loading instructions at the end of the Transit Tips section; see "How to Ride"--"Rider's Guide"--"Transit Tips."

For "day of" updates:  Any service updates for MST buses are provided on Twitter.  If you have a Twitter account, you may follow them @mst_bus.  If you do not have a Twitter account, you can still check for the updates.  Simply go to Twitter.com/MST_bus to view their Twitter stream, where any current updates will remain.

Limited MST Bus Service to Laguna Seca--Weekdays Only

The following MST schedules are current. No MST service changes will take place prior to April 28, 2013. 

On weekdays only, there is limited service to Laguna Seca via the MST.  This bus service to Laguna Seca has very few runs; refer to route #21, Salinas-Monterey.

On arrival, know that the bus stop is at Laguna Seca on Highway 68, and it is still necessary to bike or walk (uphill) the distance remaining to Sea Otter activities.

The #21 on MST:

• From Monterey to Laguna Seca, departs Monterey Transit Plaza (downtown/Old Monterey) at 6:55 a.m., arrives at Laguna Seca at 7:23 a.m.

• From Laguna Seca to Monterey, departs Laguna Seca at 3:38 p.m., arrives in Monterey at 4:08 p.m.

• From Salinas to Laguna Seca, departs Salinas Transit Center (Old Town) at 8:15 a.m., arrives at Laguna Seca at 8:39 a.m.

The #68 on MST:

In addition, you may find the limited, weekday-only service on the #68 Presidio-Salinas Express route helpful.