Hi {{contact.first_name}},
November is one of the best riding months of the year in San Diego. The heat is long gone from the backcountry, the desert is comfortable again, and the roads east of the city are quiet. The clocks went back on Sunday, November 1, so it gets dark early, but the days are clear and mild more often than not. The Santa Anas can still blow and the first rains are on the way, so check the forecast, then go make a big day of it.
Ride of the Month: Highway 94 to Campo
Boulder-strewn hills, oak valleys and a quiet two-lane near the border
Head east out of the city on CA-94 and leave the suburbs behind at Jamul, where Campo Road turns into a winding two-lane through the hills. It runs through Dulzura and climbs through rocky, chaparral-covered hills and oak valleys to Potrero, then on to Campo, a small border town with the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum. Past Campo the road joins old Highway 80 for a stretch, then turns north on Ribbonwood Road at Boulevard and meets I-8 for a fast ride home.
This is a long day with real curves and very few services, so fill up before you leave town and carry water. The eastern stretch has tight corners and steep drop-offs, so ride your own pace and stay in your lane on the blind curves. Leave in the morning so you are back on I-8 before the sun drops into your eyes on the way west.
Want a shorter day? Run CA-79 north from Santa Ysabel through Warner Springs, wide open ranch country with long, easy sweepers. On Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, take a minute to thank the veterans you ride with. In a Navy and Marine Corps town like San Diego, that is a lot of the people in this community.
Late-Fall Safety: Southern California Edition
November is easy riding in San Diego, but a few hazards show up this time of year.
- Santa Anas are not done yet. The hot, dry offshore winds can still blow in November. They push you around on the ridgelines and passes and raise the fire risk in the backcountry. Check the wind and fire conditions before a mountain or backcountry run, and never ride into smoke.
- The first rain is the slickest. After a long dry season, the first rains lift oil off the pavement, and the roads are at their worst in the first hour of rain. If it has just started to rain, slow way down or wait it out.
- Early dark in the backcountry. Since the clocks went back, the light goes fast, and mule deer step onto the East County roads at dusk. Plan to be out of the hills before sunset, run your lights, and wear something reflective for the ride home.
- Thanksgiving week traffic. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26. The Wednesday night before is one of the worst nights of the year for drunk driving. If you ride that week, ride early in the day and stay off the road that night.
Know Your California Law
- Blame gets shared, but it never shuts you out. California uses pure comparative negligence. Your recovery goes down by your share of the fault, but even a rider found mostly at fault can still recover something. Insurers still try to shift blame onto riders, so how the crash is documented matters.
- Lane splitting is legal here. California law expressly allows lane splitting, and it was the first state to do so. Done safely and at a reasonable speed, it is your right, and an insurer cannot treat legal splitting as automatic fault.
- Helmets are the law for everyone. California requires every rider and every passenger to wear a DOT-compliant helmet. No exceptions.
- Two years to file, and the minimums are still low. California generally gives you two years to file an injury claim. The required liability limits only went up to 30/60/15 in 2025, which does not go far after a serious crash, so uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is your real backstop. Do not wait to get advice.
Ride Nation San Diego
We ride all year out here, and November is when the backcountry fills up with riders again. The San Diego chapter is where SoCal riders post weekend miles, call out wind, gravel and slick first-rain pavement from Campo to Warner Springs, and share the shots worth putting your helmet on for. Post your November ride and tag us. It is your scene, run by riders who actually ride these roads.
Final Weeks for the $20,000 BikeWin Giveaway
You are already entered for a chance at 20,000 dollars toward any motorcycle you want, and the winner is drawn December 10. That is only a few weeks away. Know a riding buddy who has not entered yet? Entry is free, so send them the link before it closes.
Enter the giveaway
A driver who never saw your headlight in the early dark on the 5. A deer on a blind curve on Highway 94. Oily pavement in the first rain of the season. If you ever go down in California, you want a lawyer who rides these roads and knows your rights, including your right to split.