Dave from Sacramento CA on 8/1/2021 1:58:41 PM:
As someone who HATES riding near vehicle traffic (hence the trip from California to ride this trail), I was really dreading this detour, but as the previous post said, it wasn’t bad. The shoulder is very clean and wide, and the cars and trucks were very good about giving a wide berth. There iis a spot where signs warn of a “soft shoulder ahead,” but the shoulder was actually paved and in great condition at that spot. I was traveling eastbound.
I would guesstimate that I was on the highway for two or three miles. You can see the trail from the highway, for the most part.. Don’t try to return to the trail until after you see a couple of large orange traffic barrels that mark one of the washed out sections. If you accidentally get back on the trail too early, like I did, you will end up at a dead end where there is a washout, snd will either have to backtrack a little bit for a trail crossing, or trample through some thick weeds and walk your bike to the highway about 20 feet away. I did the trampling and it wasn’t bad, but in wet conditions it might have been a problem.