Bike Paths & Routes Around Pattaya

[forcebwithu 4,853]

For those interested in biking around Pattaya I thought it would be good to have a thread detailing the bike paths in the area. To date I only know of three (one of them currently closed), but I imagine in the coming years more will be built.

This post is about the new path just constructed in the Wat Yan/Silver Lake area. It's advertised as a 13.6 km route end to end. The route as recorded by my GPS can be found on Google Maps (link).

 

Except for the part that starts at 331, the bike path is a relatively easy ride. Here's a screen shot of the elevation profile. Note the double peaks at about 10 km and 27 km are the result of me reaching the end of the bike path at 1063 and 331, turning around and going back up the hill I had just rode down.

 

Here's the beginning of the bike path at route 1008 and Sukhumvit.

 

Of course TIT so I only had to go about 50m when I encountered the first obstacle on the path. Surprisingly though I only encountered maybe half a dozen parked vehicles on the path during my ride.

 

 

 

 There were a couple of places, RR crossings and bridges, where the bike path ended and you were left to ride in the road with no shoulder as a safety margin.

 

 

 

While the path did have debris and sand on quite a few stretches, there was usually a clear path on the ride side of the path. Here's a pic of perhaps the worst amount of debris I encountered. Note how the lane on the opposite side is pretty much clear. Probably due to store drains built into the curb rather than down the middle of path.

 

 

 

One pet peeve of mine is the disregard road builders have for those on two wheels when orienting drain grates. When they're parallel to the direction of travel they're an accident waiting to happen if you ride over them with a bike that has skinny tires.

 

 

 

Coming into the Wat Yan area you have a choice of continuing on straight to Wat Yan or taking the path to the right which takes you around the lake towards Chi Chan Buddha Mtn.

 

 

 

Not sure why they went to the trouble and expense to make a new path to the right when they already had a perfectly usable, and more scenic path about 50 m up the road. It runs along the shore of the lake and is closed to vehicle traffic.

 

 

 

On the approach to the Wat Yan you have a choice of continuing straight into the Wat area or bearing to the left which will take you to the northern end of the path.

 

 

 

The northern path has a bit of climb, with a slope that maxes out at about 6% grade.

 

 

 

Once to the top you're treated to a nice view to the east of relatively undeveloped land. Although I expect that will soon change in the not too distant future.

 

 

 

And the ride now brings you to the northern end of the path. From here there are some very nice, low traffic back roads you can use to get back to Pattaya.

 

 

 

Ok, now to fast forward the ride back to the entrance to Wat Yan grounds. There's a short stretch here with the bike path on only one side of the road. It may be hard to see in this pic, but the bike path is on the sidewalk. That's sure to get the blood pressure up for those that say a bike has no place on a sidewalk. In fairness, the law does state no biking on sidewalks so not sure how the road engineers got around that. Of course, TIT.

 

 

When you get to the white chedi start looking for the bike path to split again.

 

 

 

The road markings aren't the best, but it doesn't really matter as all the path does at this point is make a short loop through the Wat grounds.

 

 

 

It's on this loop though that you have the option of leaving the bike path and continuing on a very scenic road that ends up out on 331. The road is at the top of the parking area and passes between the two buildings you see in the pic below.

 

 

 

Next stop on the ride is Chi Chan Buddha Mtn. Leaving the Wat grounds you'll hang a left at the previously mentioned scenic path along the eastern lake shore.

 

 

 

When the path intersects the road, turn left. Note the helicopter landing pads along the southern shore. Kind of a strange place for landing pads, but I have seen them used for military training a few times.

 

 

 

If riding from Pattaya, this usually is a good time to stop and give the legs a break. A good pit stop is the small group of stands across from Viharnra Sien.

 

 

 

First time I had Coke w/Coffee. The combination tasted pretty good.

 

 

 

Legs rested and the caffeine and sugar fix doing its thing, it's time to move on. On this stretch you'll be treated to good views of Buddha Mtn as you make your way on the winding road. One would even be tempted to think it's a relatively flat stretch of road.

 

 

 

But you would be wrong when you round the last bend and see a nice climb ahead of you. This one is a bit harder than the last hill, maxing out at about a 9% grade.

 

 

 

With perseverance and a lot of sweat and leg power you'll soon make it to Chi Chan Buddha Mtn.
 

 

 

 

Past the Buddha Mtn you'll then enter wine country. Here the bike path is quite a bit older and the surface not as smooth as the new path. Ok if cruising along at a slower clip, but on these slight downhill stretches I can easily move along at 40+ KPH, which would make for a bumpy ride not to mention the hazard of hitting some obstruction on the path.

 

 

 

The view of Silverlake Vineyard and surrounding country is well worth a stop and a few pics.

 

 

 

 

Leaving the vineyard it's now time to make our way to the eastern end of the bike path at 331.

Side note: off to the right in the pic below is the Siri Charoenwat Forest Plantation. The Plantation used to have, until about 2016, a great mtn bike dirt trail. Then about a year ago they completed paving of the trail. Unfortunately it was only open a short time until they closed it for "maintenance". Word now is it's permanently closed as it was deemed too dangerous with mud slides, huge cracks and debris on the trail. I also heard heavy construction equipment was using the trail. Let's see, heavy equipment moving around on a trail built for bikes. No surprise then the trail developed huge cracks. Here's a link to an article about the trail.

 

 

 

 

 

Along this stretch you'll encounter rolling hills which you can almost make the top of the next hill w/o too much effort if you enter with enough speed from the last downhill. The final downhill stretch is your chance for speed, if that's your thing. Max grade is 20% which allowed me to clock a max speed of 68 KPH.

 

 

 

If there's any doubt you've reached 331, there's a helpful sign 100 m from the intersection.

 

 

 

One last section of the path to log and that's getting back to Sukhumvit on 1003. What really sucks though is to get there from here I need to go back the way I came. That means going back up the 20% grade I just blasted down.

Pictures never do justice when facing steep hills. But the sign "Use Low Gear" is spot on. Sadly I succumbed to fatigue about 2/3 of the way up and, shame of shames, had to walk my bike up the last bit.

 

 

 

 

 

Top of the hill and back in the saddle again, quickly made my way past Silverlake and Buddha Mtn. Just past Buddha Mtn there's a sign telling me only 6 km to Nong Nooch Gardens. Note the blue sign about 100 m farther up the road which I have a close up of in the next pic.

 

 

 

Must have hit a space warp between the two signs as the next sign tells I'm now 5.3 km, 700 m closer to Nong Nooch after only traveling 100 m.

 

 

 

If you're into tourist attractions, there's this along the way.

 

 

 

Personally I found the view across the road of Na Jomtien, Jomtien and Pattaya more interesting.

 

 

 

And finally, after 36.5 km the end of the bike path and Sukhumvit is in sight.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2018 by forcebwithu

[forcebwithu 4,853]

Another bike path in the Pattaya area is in the Bang Lamung Exercise Park along the northeastern shore of Map Phrachan Lake. The path opened in early 2016 and is a very easy 2 km loop through the park. The route as recorded by my GPS can be found on Google Maps (link).

 

The pics in this post were taken in April, 2016. I rode the loop about two weeks ago and I'm happy to report the path is still in great condition. The trees have also filled in nicely to provide plenty of shaded areas.

 

Enter and exit the bike path from the left and right off the main entrance to the park.

 

The direction of travel is clockwise and is marked with arrows on the path.

 

They've done a nice job of landscaping the park.

 

There's a small play area for the kids.

 

While the path isn't long in length, it has several branches to keep it interesting.

 

Other than a couple of workers watering, I had the park entirely to myself. It was very peaceful and quiet while I was there.

 

In 2016 the lake was at one of the lowest levels I've ever seen. Water levels have since recovered to normal, and two weeks ago I noted the swim platform was again floating, although in a different location.

 

The long term plan is to eventually build a bike path around the entire lake. Looking forward to the day when this path extends to the north.

 

And the south.

 

Once the crowds come this might be an interesting corner to kick back with a beer and watch the confusion.

 

The park also has a nice football pitch.

 

Here's a Google Earth pic of what the park grounds and path looks like as of February, 2017.

 

Edited October 3, 2018 by forcebwithu

[robbo 13]

Thanks for taking the time to post.

[yorta2 693]

A couple of pretty comprehensive posts, but after reading all that, and viewing the route, I am exhausted and need to have a beer. Maybe I'll ride a bike later, maybe....

[midlifecrisis 4,048]

Nice to see!

[atlas2 4,329]

Just returned from Memorial. A friend came off his bicycle at high speed yesterday. He was flat out at about 32kms when a pick up joined the path he was on...... from another cycle path!!

4 ribs done and ligaments detached in his shoulder!
Faces an op' this afternoon 250,000 baht already ... I’m assuming that includes the coming op'.
My mate loves cycling and it’s kept him super fit.

Accidents happen..... some worse just slipping in the shower.
My point is ......pick ups should not be using cycle paths.

To all you cyclists ‘expect that they will’

Edited October 4, 2018 by atlas2

[midlifecrisis 4,048]

Just returned from Memorial. A friend came off his bicycle at high speed yesterday. He was flat out at about 32kms when a pick up joined the pathe he was on from another cycle path!!

 

4 ribs done and ligaments detached in his shoulder!

Faces an op this afternoon 250,000 baht already ... I’m assuming that includes the coming op.

My mate loves cycling and it’s kept him super fit.

 

Accidents happen..... some worse just slipping the shower.

My point is pick ups should not be using cycle paths.

 

To all you cyclists ‘expect that they will’

 

Brings up a point. In Europe terrorists in trucks mowing people down and they put up anti car barriers. Happened in US too. Not saying terror there but it is worth asking how safe the path is to wayward motor vehicles.

[forcebwithu 4,853]

Thanks for the feedback.

 

I really enjoy biking in and around Pattaya, same as when I lived in the States. Here I can ride year round and take advantage of that by riding almost everyday. Most days are relatively short rides, 20 - 30 km.

 

I've been lucky during the nine years living here I've only come off my bike a couple of times with no serious injury, and I've never had an accident with another vehicle. Mostly that's due to luck of not being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but a good part is practicing safe riding. Number one is riding with a mirror. Number two is anticipating some doofus is going to do the unexpected, which I've seen a fair share of.

 

Cheers all and be safe out there.

[Siam Sam 964]

Excellent posts from forcebwithu.

[sailingbill 1,033]

I really enjoyed cycling to work in Baltimore. About 35km. I was angry driver and switching to cycling was a calming change. Thanks for the post, your photos remind me of similar scenery on my largely rails to trails ride. Maybe time to dust off the Cannondale and bring her back after my Thanksgiving trip.

[forcebwithu 4,853]

Khao Mai Keao Route

I had a nice ride this morning on a route around Khao Mai Keao. The main thing this route has going for it is once on the north end of KMK you have a very enjoyable ride that's mostly a gentle downhill all the way to Hwy 7. The route can be found and downloaded from Google Maps using this link.

RT distance starting and ending at Pattaya Klang and Sukhumvit is about 59 km. It's a relatively easy ride with only a moderate amount of elevation gain near the south end of KMK.

The first part of this route takes you up Soi Siam Country Club road. While there is no marked lane for bikes, the road is quite wide giving you a comfortable separation from passing traffic.

Along the way you'll pass what once was a darkside favorite, the Butterfly Bar.

Just before you reach Map Phrachan reservoir you come to the construction site for the hwy bypass from Hwy 7 to Rayong. To avoid the very muddy dirt road that's being used to divert traffic around the construction, veer to the right around the construction barriers.

What you'll find is a very serviceable tarmac road.

A much nicer ride on two wheels to what the rest of the traffic is using.

Another benefit is the shade the overhead highway provides.

If you're so inclined, a couple hundred meters past the construction site is the entrance to the road running across the reservoir dam. To the left of this road is some nice mtn bike trail, something I'll ride and report on in a future post.

Another good thing about this route is along the busy roads you have a wide shoulder to ride on that is relatively clear of debris.

Mark your calendar as next weekend is the Chonburi Buffalo Races. The race grounds are on the south side of the reservoir. Looks like some contestants have arrived early and are fueling up for the big race.

Anyone that fancies a game of cricket, now you know where to go.

Just past the 3240 junction is the previously posted Bang Lamung Exercise Park and bike path. Since I was in the area I thought I'd make a quick diversion and check out how trees have filled in since my last pics from 2016.

Back at the 3240 intersection with SCC road.

From the intersection to the south end of KMK you have a fairly easy climb spread out over about 6 km. At the top of the climb you'll see the Rugby School off to your right.

Once on Hwy 331 you'll again have a wide shoulder to ride on.

Reaching the north end of KMK your next turn is on to Rd 1015.

From Klang you're now at the approx. halfway point, so time for a break and refueling. Just after you make the turn onto 1015, there are a couple of mom and pop stores to rest at and make your purchases.

My favorite concoction is to mix soda water with Sponsor energy drink. I find energy drinks too syrupy sweet on their own, but by mixing it with soda water it dilutes down to something more palatable.

For this section of the route there isn't any shoulder to speak of, but as there is very little traffic that doesn't present a problem. One thing to watch out for is in several areas rain has washed sand into the road, and it can cover a fair bit of road. More than what you see in this pic.

For the trip from here to Hwy 7 you'll have a mostly gentle downhill ride with some nice curves along the way to keep it fun. There's a long section that, tucked down on the aero bars, I was able to cruise along at 45 kph w/o having to pedal once.

As you get closer to Hwy 7 you'll start to see more pallet manufacturers, thus the nickname of Pallet Lane for this road.

When you get to Hwy 7 you'll ride a very short section of the frontage road. Just before the first bridge there's a dirt track that you'll need to take to exit the frontage road.

Correction, muddy dirt track. It's a PITA to ride, but it's only about 200 m and then you're back on pavement.

Back on hard surface again you'll be treated to a view of the west side of KMK.

Your next turn isn't marked, but is about 800 m from the dirt track.

For those that are interested in where all the money from Tony Gyms barely used and then abandoned, lifetime gym membership goes. If you continue on a short distance past the turn you'll see the roof top of Tony's palatial estate.

You really can't see much of anything from the road due to high security walls and foliage, but from space you can see just how large his place is.

From this point it's a couple of back roads that will get you back to SCC road. Turns are marked well with signs. First turn to the left at a roundabout. The sign points you in the direction of Hwy 36.

It used to be you could shoot straight across Hwy 36. But no longer.

Instead you have to use a U turn about 200 m up the road. It's not as bad as it looks since traffic isn't moving too fast due to construction. Once construction is done though I imagine it will be a bit more dicey using the U turn.

Having made it safely across Hwy 36, next turn is again to the left towards Nongprue.

A short distance later you'll come to the intersection with 3240. Hang a right and keep an eye out for the Black Pearl Bar sign. Not a bad place to stop at if you need a beer and want to cool off in their pool. If you want, you can have female company to help clean you up. Continuing on though, just past the Black Pearl is the road that will take you back to SCC.

At the intersection with SCC continue straight to the T intersection that is the top of Soi Nern Phlap Whan, with a Wat on the left side. Side note: the Wat is the meeting place for the Monkey Extreme Bike Riders rides.

After several hours in the saddle I usually like to relax with a massage. On Nern Phlap Whan, just before the railroad is a one of my favorites, Turien massage.

Enjoy and ride safe.

 

Edited October 14, 2018 by forcebwithu

[atlas2 4,329]

Two slabs of tarmac, one black and one red are chatting in a bar........In comes a green slab of tarmac.

"Be careful with that one"... says the black tarmac to his red friend.

"Why?' asks the red tarmac.

"He's a bit of a cycle path"

[jacko 8,814]

Two slabs of tarmac, one black and one red are chatting in a bar........In comes a green slab of tarmac.

"Be careful with that one"... says the black tarmac to his red friend.

"Why?' asks the red tarmac.

"He's a bit of a cycle path"

So awful tempted to neg it!!!

[Daveuk 28]

Very funny

Seriously I have in the past enjoyed cycling around the countryside from Pattaya. Where can bikes be hired ?

[forcebwithu 4,853]

Very funny

Seriously I have in the past enjoyed cycling around the countryside from Pattaya. Where can bikes be hired ?

 

Venture Bike in Jomtien looks to have a decent selection of bikes for rent.

[midlifecrisis 4,048]

An aspiring entrepreneur might want to open a bike shop near the bike path. I could see a taxi ride over to there but not riding a bike through traffic to get to that path.

 

Won't happen. Just saying.

[cbrib 354]

Excellent reports Force, thanks for taking the time

[Grandpollo 366]

 

Venture Bike in Jomtien looks to have a decent selection of bikes for rent.

 

I am renting a hybrid/city bike from them right now, over 15 days of rental it's 150 Baht a day which is cheaper than other cities where I've rented bikes and it's an OK set of wheels.

 

Road bike with dropped bars is the same price, I think but I can't ride them with my back.

 

Venture is up Chaiya Pruek about 100m from the police box on Jomtien Beach Road at the traffic lights, on the right side as you head up from the beach road.

[Grandpollo 366]

I find riding in the city is a challenge so I have tried to find low traffic back routes from/to RG including the sois behind the RG that run from 3rd road to Thappraya 15 or even Pratumnak. In the a.m. the Pratumnak sois 4,5,6 are reasonably sane and 5 goes down to the beach where you can walk the bike down to a beach sidewalk that goes to Dongtam (sp?) Beach then joins the official Jomtien Beach Road. Traffic is slow enough on Beach road that it's not bad for biking.

 

I can't see riding 2nd road or Buakhow or Pattaya Beach Road unless super early like before 7 a.m.

 

Here's a strange bike "track" of sorts next to the parking for the Bali Hai / Hua Hin ferry complex which I rode today:

 

 

It's hard to see but there is a dark blue track around the perimeter with bike symbols on it. It's hard to figure out a low traffic route to Bali Hai with all the traffic and I did have to ride the flyover a bit.

 

 

This is a safe route with some decent distance and 200 metres of elevation which is all the uphill from the RG and the uphill coming back to Thappraya from Jomtien Beach. Bonus it passes Kinnaree which is tomorrow's pit stop.

Edited October 28, 2018 by Grandpollo

[forcebwithu 4,853]

Siri Charoenwat Forest Plantation Path

I finally made it out to the newly re-opened Siri Charoenwat Forest Plantation bike path, located near Chi Chan Buddha Mtn and Silverlake Vineyard. I have to say I was impressed. It's a beautifully maintained, tarmac surfaced, 17.2 km loop that takes you through some very scenic countryside. Best of all, at 9 am on a Thursday I had the bike path to myself. Didn't see another soul in the hour it took me to do the loop.



 

 The bike path is of medium difficulty with a lot of 5%+ slopes, up and down. Fortuantely the steeper slopes are relatively short.

 

The entrance is off of 1003, which is the road that takes you by Chi Chan Buddha Mtn and Silverlake Vineyard.

 

Riding the bike path is free, but you will need to register before you enter the path. You'll be asked for a Thai drivers license or passport, which they'll hold until you finish your ride. The registration desk is on the left side, just inside the main entrance.

 

Once registered, your ride starts just to the left of the entrance. Note also the trail is one way. Once you enter, there's no turning back. This is for safety reasons as the majority of the trail is sweeping, blind curves. It would really suck to come flying around a curve only to meet up, headlong with some numb nuts going the opposite direction.

 

Ride around the builing, then make a 180 degree left turn to get on the bike path.

 

I'd say 90% of the trail is tree lined, and well shaded in the early morning/late afternoon.

 

The trail is well marked, with warnings of steep slopes ahead. According the Google Earth, the max slope is 17.7% with an average slope of 5%. Don't let the 17.7% scare you off as I don't even remember where on the path that was. As mentioned before, all the climbs were very short in distance. They must have had a fire sale on 8% signs, as every steep slope had one, regardless of what the actual % slope was.

 

What was great about this path is pretty much everything was gently sweeping curves with great views.

 

Other than occasional leaves on the path, I didn't encounter any other debris such as sand or tree branches. You do need to be mindful of the leaves though as you can get up quite a bit of speed on the sweeping downhill turns. It would sure ruin your day to loose traction on a couple of leaves and wipe out.

 

Very considerate of the trail designers to cut a path through the higher points. It would be some tough climbs otherwise.

 

The path has two rest stops. One at just over 10 km.

 

And the other at 14 km.

 

Near the end you'll be treated to a view of Buddha Mtn and Ramayan Water Park in the distance.

 

While the trail is well marked, about one km from the end they're missing a turn arrow to direct you back to the start. The direction you want to go is right when you see the pond.

Edited December 8, 2018 by forcebwithu

[keyman 1,413]

Thanks for that. Looks a nice ride.

 

Do they rent bikes there as well?

 

 

 

KM

[forcebwithu 4,853]

Thanks for that. Looks a nice ride.

 

Do they rent bikes there as well?

 

 

 

KM

 

I don't believe so as I didn't see any indication of a rental shop. The building is certainly big enough to house a rental shop though.

[keyman 1,413]

Ok, thanks for letting me know.

 

KM

[capdagde 1,954]

Excellent posts from forcebwithu.

 

Absolutely. Spot on.

[Grandpollo 366]

I wonder what sort of hijinks they worry about on a bike path if someone shows up with a bike? It is pretty obvious they don't plan to steal it.

 

I rode just under 300 km in about 15 days of riding last month (some rain a bit and couple non riding days). I rented a bike from Venture Bikes just up from the police box from Jomtien Beach Road on Chaiyapruek. 3,000 Baht for 20 days rental prepaid, and a deposit of 1,000 but I only had 500 left after the prepayment so they accepted that. And a copy of your passport and where you stay. It was an OK bike but make sure they put a mirror on the right especially if you are not from a left drive country as it really helps you keep from getting whomped by Baht buses and more often, motos.

 

They delivered it but after a day I felt guilty because I then rode past the shop almost every day and I could have just ridden it back the first day once I started working out routes. Behind the RG once you memorize the roads it is not bad for traffic and then across Thappraya from Thappraya 15 takes you to the Pratumnak roads down to the start of Jomtien beach before Dongtan. I even visited Kinnaree a couple times, the only cyclist there, no big surprise. Most of the Pratumnak roads are not bad for traffic and it's got good elevation (so does Thappraya) for a decent ride, averaging about 250m elevation per 20 km or so. Regional Land past Camel Toe, and the sports club is not bad but you end up crossing Thepprasit, which is hairy indeed for a cyclist.

 

The roads past the other go-kart tracks down to Na Jomtien are fun but have a phone with Google maps because the tourist maps are useless and often wrong and lack detail. I got a little lost a few times because there are some roads that just stop. A lot of garbage out there some on fire and stinky. Also on a few days a few cows watch you cycle by.

 

So if you can't get out to this impressive cycle path within Pattaya there are a few non-suicidal options.