Here are some gravel bike rides I’ve done on the San Francisco Peninsula and down through the South Bay to give you some ideas. I’ve put them in order of distance/climbing.
The “Gravelish” rides are all 100% or close to that on dirt, the last “Mixed Terrain” feature a fair amount of pavement:
Gravelish – Dirt: Dirt Alpine, Crazy Pete’s, Russian Ridge OSP, Clouds Rest.
12.5 miles/2000 feet
https://www.strava.com/activities/1670309501
Gravelish – Monstercrossin’ Monte Bello. Up Dirt Alpine & up, up, up…and back.
15 miles/2750 feet
https://www.strava.com/activities/1892989587
Gravelish/MixT – Dirt Mt Umunhum Trail Up, side spur into Sierra Azul to Bald Mountain, then road back
15 miles/2650 feet
https://www.strava.com/activities/1461624499
Gravelish — Checking out the new Oak Cove Trail at Calero County Park in the South Bay
18 miles/1450 feethttps://www.strava.com/activities/3092248315
Gravelish – 5 MidPen Preserves Ride
20 miles/3300 feet
https://www.strava.com/activities/1424495021
Gravelish – Dirt Alpine to Black Mountain out and back
20 miles/3300 feet
https://www.strava.com/activities/2019116053
Gravelish – A Whole Buncha MidPen Preserves Ride (lost count)
29 miles/4100 feet
https://www.strava.com/activities/1718822098
Gravelish – Stevens Canyon – Montebello – Skyline Open Spaces – John Nicholas Trail – Sanborn Road – Hwy 9 – Redwood Gulch
35 miles/5450 feet
https://www.strava.com/activities/1750251120
Gravelish – Calero, Cañada del Oro, and Rancho San Vicente
34.5 miles/4500 feet
https://www.strava.com/activities/3132549279
Mixed Terrain – The Daydream Series: Palo Alto 2018
47 miles/4700 feet
https://www.strava.com/activities/1931021095
Mixed Terrain – The Daydream Series 2019
53 miles/6230 feet
https://www.strava.com/activities/2822553753
Mixed Terrain – Loop up through Waterdog, Sawyer Camp to Sweeney Ridge, down Mori to Pacifica,
south through Devil’s Slide, back through Purisima Redwoods. Down 92, up Sheep Camp
62 miles/6100 feet
https://www.strava.com/activities/1444764311
Bonus! East Bay Gravel & Mixed Terrain Exploring:
SF Bay levees, Coyote Hills Regional Park and Don Edwards
23 miles/600 feet (mostly flat, but windy in the afternoon)https://www.strava.com/activities/2250536751