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.
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 