The Hemmings Motor Club Rally: Paso Robles returns for its second edition October 24-26, 2025, bringing enthusiasts from both ends of California together for three days of back road driving, poolside gatherings, and the kind of automotive camaraderie that makes the hobby worthwhile. The car collector car community has a fresh opportunity to celebrate what these machines were built for: driving. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for The Weekly Driver to grab one of its own collector cars and join in on the rally to Paso.
The timing of the rally coincides with Paso Robles' most energetic season. Harvest typically runs from late September through November, with October designated as official Harvest Wine Month.
October traditionally delivers exceptional weather in this region. Warm days cooling into comfortable evenings perfect for outdoor dining and fireside conversations.
More than 100 events occur throughout the month, including specialty tours, winemaker dinners, grape stomps, and live music performances.
The harvest atmosphere creates an electric environment throughout wine country. Many California wineries harvest between midnight and early morning because cooler nighttime temperatures help concentrate and preserve fresh fruit aromas and flavors while stabilizing sugar levels.
This 24/7 activity gives the region a unique energy during October.
Rally participants benefit from this timing. The region's 300-plus days of annual sunshine typically deliver daytime temperatures in the 70s and 80s with comfortable evenings, ideal conditions for outdoor dining and sunset vineyard views.
This event converges in Paso Robles during harvest season, when the wine country radiates with golden vineyards and the energy of winemakers working around the clock to bring in the year's crop.
Rally participants have a choice: depart from either the San Francisco Bay Area or northern Los Angeles County. Both routes cover roughly 220 miles of California's most scenic backroads before arriving at Rally headquarters, the River Lodge Paso Robles.
The Northern Route: Bay Area to Paso Robles
Bay Area participants gather at Alice's Restaurant in Woodside at 8:30 AM on Friday, October 24. This starting point holds significant weight in California car culture.
Built in the early 1900s as a general store for the logging industry, Alice's became a restaurant in the 1950s and was purchased by Alice Taylor in the 1960s. The location sits at the intersection of Skyline Boulevard (Route 35) and Route 84, surrounded by towering redwood trees.
Alice's has earned its reputation as the Bay Area's ultimate car hang-out. The wooden building, which remains family-owned, serves as a world-famous stop for motorcyclists, sports car enthusiasts, and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs alike.
Kawasaki chose this location to release its landmark Ninja in 1991, and Tesla held test drives here in 2008 with on-site electric charging stations.
The drive to Alice's through the Santa Cruz mountains on any given weekend rewards visitors with an impromptu car show. Vintage Porsches parked beside modern EVs, custom choppers next to pristine BMW motorcycles.
From Alice's, the northern contingent travels 136 miles through the Santa Cruz mountains, past Moss Landing, and into Monterey before stopping for lunch at Baja Cantina & Grill in Carmel.
The restaurant was founded by Patrick and Gina Phinny, whose love for racing and automobiles directly shaped the venue’s distinctive character. Patrick Phinny, a longtime car enthusiast, recognized an opportunity after spending time vacationing on the peninsula.
Despite the area hosting the world-class Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, he noticed a lack of gathering places specifically catering to car enthusiasts. When he discovered a location that reminded him of a Route 66 gas station, he decided to share his extensive personal automotive memorabilia collection with the public.