My two favorite bike paths in San Diego County are the San Luis Rey River Trail in Oceanside, north county, and the Silver Strand portion of the Bayshore Bikeway between Coronado and Imperial Beach in the south. The 2023 much needed winter rains not only filled reservoirs but created fantastic bursts of spring flowers. Some are genuine rare wildflowers while others are more of the invasive weed variety, but regardless the visual spectacle was a delight to the senses. Here are some views along the paths. If you want to see them in person, hurry up because they won’t last too far into May.
“Man and beast” enjoying the colors along the south end of the Silver Strand/Bayshore Bikeway near Imperial Beach.
Silver Strand/Bayshore Bikeway at Imperial Beach.
Colors along the south end of San Diego Bay from bike path
Wildflowers along San Diego Bay in Silver Strand State Beach
Least Tern Preserve from bike path. Naval shipyards in the distance.
Cyclist midway on the San Luis Rey River Trail, Oceanside
Daisies with green/yellow hills backdrop. Taken from dirt path below San Luis Rey River Trail, midway.
SANDAG’s Go By Bike initiative continues to expand bikeways throughout San Diego. An interactive map depicts current and future bike lanes, protected Cycle Tracks and bike paths in the region.
Some of the most interesting places to bike in downtown San Diego are along the vibrant waterfront path and up in Balboa Park. Previously, to connect the two areas, cyclists had to contend with on-street bike routes, commingling with traffic. Now cyclists can get between these areas on Class IV Cycle Tracks. Cycle Tracks are bike lanes adjacent to streets with physical barriers from traffic and can be one-way or two-way. SANDAG also went the extra mile by installing bike traffic signals and where appropriate red no-turn arrows for vehicles when the bike signals are green to prevent hook type crashes.
The new 5th Ave one-way northbound Cycle Track features bike signals. There are no crossing buttons for cyclists, but appear to be cameras to sense their presence.
The multi-use paths along the San Diego waterfront are visually spectacular, although portions tend to get crowded with tourists, best visited at off-peak times. The interesting vistas and points of interest make it worthwhile though, including the Maritime Museum, Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum, cruise ships, and many other highlights.
Maritime Museum and cruise ship in port.
The “Victory Kiss” statue in front of the Midway museum.
Cyclists need to detour around, or walk bikes through the popular Seaport Village complex, and in the future expect a major redevelopment project there. The harbor bike tour can be staged in many places. We’ve used Shelter and Harbor Islands in the past, but now prefer the new diverse massive Liberty Station complex (parks, restaurants, museums, grocery, etc) located up an inlet of San Diego Bay. A bike path goes under Harbor Drive and connects with the harborfont path. The harbor tour ride is described in enCYCLEpedia as ride SD4.
Waterfront path along a bay inlet, along the Liberty Station complex, a good staging spot.
San Diego view from the harborfront pathway.
Currently, protected Cycle Tracks cut across downtown San Diego east-west on Beech and J streets. You can get to Beech St from the harbor path by crossing at the light at Ash St and cutting through the park to the left.
Start of the two-way Beech St E-W Cycle Track just past Kettner Blvd
After the Cycle Track starts past Kettner Blvd the next block is India St (one-way north). The main part of the Little Italy district is to the left (north) here where you can find lots of sidewalk dining and the ped-only Piazza della Famiglia at Date St (below). We walked our bikes through here to get to Columbia St, which is one-way south, back to Beech. Grape St is another option.
On another occasion we biked here for “slices” and enjoyed some at Mr. Moto’s Pizza across from the Piazza:
The Beech St Cycle Track intersects the Cycle Track on 4th Ave (one way south) which extends south to B St but just ends there, so is not recommended from here. Next, the 5th Ave Track that starts at B St a few blocks south of here heads one way to the north. The Beech Track ends at 6th Ave, where a 2-way Track heads to the south only.
To do a loop up to Balboa Park/Zoo and the hip Hillcrest district, take the new 5th Ave Cycle Track north (1st photo, above). E-bikes have an edge here since it is an uphill journey. Once you near the top of the hill, next to Balboa Park, you’ll cross under the San Diego airport landing pattern, close overhead. To visit Balboa Park, take Laurel St to the right. It becomes El Prado past 6th Ave and crosses over a tall concrete bridge with the 163 freeway far below.
Tour around on the park roads. Our favorite route around the park is described in enCYCLEpedia’s ride SD6. The San Diego Zoo is adjacent to the north. If you’re a local, consider becoming a zoo member so you can just pop in whenever you want and visit your favorite animals.
Exit the park the same way, but look for a bike path to the right before reaching Balboa Dr and 6th Ave. It ends at Upas St. Cross 6th Ave and return to the 5th Ave Cycle Track heading north if you want to explore or dine in Hillcrest, or else go to 4th Ave and head south in its Cycle Track. There certainly are plenty of great dining options in Hillcrest, many along the Cycle Tracks.
We stopped for brunch along the 5th Ave path at Snooze, and although no tables were available on the patio, they let us bring our expensive e-bikes inside so we could be seated immediately.
The 5th Ave Cycle Track ends at Washington. The connection along Washington to the 4th Ave Cycle Track to head south was awkward, it needs work. You may want to cross over before Washington. The one-way southbound 4th Ave route is part Cycle Track and part buffered bike lane. Warning, you may want to stop at Babycakes bakery en route. We encountered a one-block detour onto the roadway in March 2022.
Returning to Beech St, head left on the Track to 6th Ave, then cross it and turn right onto the 2-way Cycle Track.
This is a busy section of downtown, so expect lots of stops at lights, but thankfully they are all equipped with bike signals coordinated with “no turn” signals for vehicles. This Cycle Track skirts the Gaslamp Quarter, passes the east-west track on J St (an option to return to the waterfront) and ends at L Street. Cross L and make your way to a plaza to the right to reach 5th Ave. Use the 5th Ave signal to cross the tracks, the MLK rail trail, and Harbor Dr. Go left in the Harbor Dr bike lane to the first light at Park Blvd. Cross Park and take the sidewalk on the right that leads to the waterfront path next to the Hilton San Diego Bayfront.
Wind sculptures next to the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Petco Park (Padres) beyond, Convention Center to the left.
From here complete the loop along the harborfront paths (~20 miles staged from Liberty Station). Check out the new state of the art Rady Shell venue at Jacobs Park, Embarcadero Marina Park South across from the Convention Center. Bike to the summer concert series by the San Diego Philharmonic, and others.
The passenger/bike ferry to Coronado also leaves from this area (next to Joe’s Crab Shack) but that’s the subject of another post (and enCYCLEpedia Ride SD7). Either take the ferry and ride over there, then take the ferry back, or do a ~24 mile loop around the bay via Imperial Beach and other cities.
Harbor pedestrian ferry allows bikes for no extra$. Boats leave to Coronado Ferry Landing from the Convention Center area or for a longer ride on a larger boat for the same price, the downtown waterfront.
San Diego Bay curves gracefully around the Coronado peninsula, its entrance guarded by dramatic Point Loma where Portuguese navigator Joao Rodrigues Cabrilho landed in 1542. Along its shores are the downtown San Diego waterfront district, its port and shipyards, Naval installations, lots of private boat marinas, and some important wildlife preserves to compensate for some of the habitat that was taken away during urbanization. The downtown waterfront is a tourist center featuring the Midway aircraft carrier museum, San Diego Maritime Museum, harbor cruises, and shops and dining at Seaport Village. Coronado is famous for its beautiful ocean beaches and the Hotel del Coronado.
The sights and sounds of this area are guaranteed to fill the memory card on your camera, and the incredible choice of restaurants will fill your belly. The 26-mile Bayshore Bikeway loop circumnavigates the east finger of the bay, and is mostly flat as a pancake. The route includes one of the Southland’s only substantial rail trails, waterfront bike trails, and some yet-to-be developed sections in the port area. San Diego Trolley light rail is available to those who want a shorter route and less riding next to traffic through the industrial section. A highlight is a harbor ferry ride that transports you and your bike across the bay to complete the loop. Bikes are not allowed on the Coronado Bridge.
The Bayshore Bikeway project is a stellar example of community cooperation to provide a valuable recreation asset to its residents, neighbors, and visitors. Kudos to the cities of San Diego, Coronado, Imperial Beach, Chula Vista, and National City, and San Diego County.
Map by GObyBikeSD.com and SANDAG
The pedestrian ferry allows bikes for no extra$. From the Coronado Ferry landing boats travel to the Convention Center (next to Joe’s Crab Shack), or for a longer ride on a larger boat for the same price, to the downtown waterfront.
A moving bike statue along Coronado’s scenic waterfront path.
Short but sweet path and beach next to Hotel del Coronado.
A scenic section of the Silver Strand rail trail past a wetlands wildlife refuge that connects Coronado to Chula Vista.
On our latest ride we visited popular Emma’s Pancake House on E Street in Chula Vista near the Trolley station.
San Diego Trolley’s Blue Line travels parallel to the east side of the bay, and if you want to “cheat” a bit you can squeeze on (preferably not during rush hour) and skip as many miles through the industrial zone as you like. Some sections have bike pathways already completed, but others are pending and require an on-street bike route past ship yards. The 12th & Imperial Station is the junction of the Blue and Orange lines, and a good place to hop off to get to the MLK Rail Trail through downtown/Gaslamp Quarter/Convention Center or the waterfront pathways.
Author’s Note: Since enCYCLEpedia focuses on only the most scenic rides, the book’s featured ride SD7 is a very scenic back and forth from the Coronado Ferry Landing along Coronado’s pretty water pathways and the Silver Strand rail trail to the sands of Silver Strand State Beach. Option 1 extends the rail trail journey to its terminus in Imperial Beach/Chula Vista. Option 2 continues on a variety of routes to encircle the bay as presented in this article, with Option 3 an additional jaunt along the Sweetwater Bikeway pathway along a channelized river to the restaurants at Plaza Bonita. Option 4 combines this ride with a full tour of San Diego Harbor (Ride SD4).
The easy scenic cycling adventures of Richard Fox, author of the 2014 (2nd Ed 2017, 3rd Ed 2021) guidebook "enCYCLEpedia Southern California – The Best Easy Scenic Bike Rides."
enCYCLEpedia Bicycling Blog 